It took a while, but the Michigan State Spartans are beginning to round into form.
Isn’t this what champions do? They win first and foremost, but as the season goes on, things begin to click until the chances for really big things ramble up to the doorstep. That seems to be what’s happening in East Lansing. It’s what happened in Columbus last year, and it’s what has happened in places like Tuscaloosa and Tallahassee in recent years as well.
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Early on and midway through the season, things looked rather bleak. A defense that had been the culture of the team since Mark Dantonio’s arrival was not playing up to standards, largely because of injuries, but also because of the chemistry that results from key departures. The defensive line still looked dominant, but things didn’t hold up on the back end, as the self-proclaimed No Fly Zone was allowing flights to the moon and back.
On offense, a team built to be balanced was hardly close to that ideal, with the ground game struggling because of issues and injuries along the offensive line. Fred Flintstone had more real estate on the ground backing out of his driveway. Through it all, the one constant through it all was a sense of calm and leadership from quarterback Connor Cook, but you hardly felt like that was enough in a division and league with Michigan and Ohio State.
Then last week happened.
Yeah, some weather issues might have helped the game plan to some degree, but anyone who turned on tape of the game in Columbus saw a Spartan line that was physical and imposing on both sides. The defensive line limited Ezekiel Elliott and Ohio State’s rushing game to pedestrian numbers, and the running game found some traction by beating up one of the best defensive fronts in the Big Ten and college football. Michigan State manhandled perhaps the most talented team in the country, and in the process, seemed to find itself.
Then came this Saturday. Nobody is going to mistake this Penn State squad for the Miami Hurricanes of the 1990s, but the Spartans made road-kill of the Nittany Lions, which aren’t 55-16 bad. Some mistakes were made on the Nittany Lion sideline, but a lot of it had to do with a dominant defense that’s starting to look like the Spartan defenses of the past.
Now it’s time to reach higher.
It’ll be Michigan State versus Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game next week in Indy, and it’ll pit two teams that have continued to get better week by week. The winner will likely go on to be a participant in the College Football Playoff.
In a year when there doesn’t appear to be a dominant team, this Spartan team has a chance to kick the door down and get to the summit it hasn’t been able to reach under Dantonio. It has a chance because of an improving offensive line. It has a chance because of a newfound running attack. It has a chance because Connor Cook is the quarterback.
Most importantly, the Spartans have a legitimate shot at everything in front of them because they are putting the issues and hand-wringing of earlier games behind them, moving forward with a renewed attitude and focus.
Party on Sparty.
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Phil Harrison is a contributor to The Student Section. He is also the founder of Big10news.com and featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, talking10.com, and occasionally campusinsiders.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
