Only time for a short take on this week's game. Bottom line on this one, A focused MSU team should be able to replicate what Wisconsin did to Minnesota last week. But a distracted MSU team, one that may be looking ahead to Ohio State, could struggle and get stunned.
Minnesota is dangerous. This ain't your ancestors' Minnesota team. Jerry Kill and his assistants are clearly turning Minnesota into a real B10 team, one that may be farther along than Michigan. They have a physical defense and a physical running game. Thankfully, they still have a relatively weak passing game -- and that was their undoing against Wisconsin.
MSU will have a tougher time running the ball than usual, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jeremy Langford's 100-yard-game streak comes to an end this week. If he still gets over 100 on the Minnesota defense, that's a good indicator of the strength of MSU's running game.
So the Spartans will likely have to rely more heavily on their passing game. That means Connor Cook and the receivers must play well. And considering that the passing game has been consistently improving over the last several weeks, I don't expect that to be a problem.
I was impressed by Minnesota's ability to run the ball against Wisconsin. Their o-line was getting good push against the Badgers' front 7, and their running backs are relatively bruising. I am eager to see if MSU's front 7 can have more success against the Gophers' running game, especially as preparation against OSU's Carlos Hyde.
Minnesota struggled to score points against Wisconsin mostly because their passing game had so many miscues. If they fix some of those miscues, they could score some points on the MSU defense. They have potential, I just hope that potential isn't realized this week.
Upshot: MSU needs to win this one to keep their BCS hopes alive. A loss in this game would be devastating for a team that seems destined for greatness -- I'm dreaming of 13 and 1, woohoohoo!
Final Score: MSU 27 Minnesota 10
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