What I Would Do, If I was Playing a Video Game

Folks, I'm no coach, but I'm pretty good at video games, particularly at winning with weak teams. When I play sports games, I like to challenge myself by playing with weak teams, and I've learned that if you stick to it long enough, you can beat the computer with those teams, even at the most difficult setting. The key thing you learn from doing this is that even weak teams can find things that work. Of course, the nice thing for MSU is that the defense is elite. So the coaches aren't working with absolutely nothing. 

So what does this desperate idea of mine tell us about what MSU should do the rest of this season? First of all, it tells us that it is probably time to stop the extreme experimentation. There's probably not much need to keep trying quarterbacks -- unless Terry is really ready, which I really really doubt. At this point, it's time to accept that MSU's best chance to win will likely involve a combination of Maxwell and Cook. 

It's time to find out what plays you can consistently execute with those guys and it's time to start building whatever momentum you can with what you have. These guys are not going to get you 35 points a game, but as we saw in the TCU game, these guys are good enough to take MSU to victory against pretty good teams. Basically, MSU should be preparing for the rest of their games this season with a mind to replicate their results against TCU: tough defense and barely enough offense. 

Next, it's time to figure out what the receivers can do. Can they run at least 5 plays correctly? Is it too late to teach them to block properly? If they're not going to get involved in the passing game, can they help more on the running game? Is it too late to teach them other little things like coming back to the football or catching the ball at its highest point? Can you get the tight ends catch at least 2 balls per game?

Next, it's time to figure out what the offensive line can do. If they can't pass-protect well, then you have to regard plays that require extensive pass-protection as very low-probability plays. Are they better at run-blocking to the right or to the left, or between the tackles? If you find they're decent at something, then you focus on that and add some tweaks.

This isn't the kind of plan that's going to get you a lot of points. But we're beyond that now, it's all about limiting the incredible damage this offense could cause to the program, until a new offensive staff can be brought in next year -- because that is the real solution. This year, the offense needs to find a way to score 17 points a game. Can the coaches find enough plays that this offense can execute consistently enough to score that many points? If so, the damage could be limited, and the Spartans may yet win 8 games. If not, then we may be looking at a total offensive collapse and a major setback of this program.