Folks, I'm euphoric, as I'm sure you all are. The Spartans finally won a bowl game -- first time since 2001 and first time under Mark Dantonio. This victory says so much about where MSU's football program is. But first, let me quickly list off some brief points about the game.
- The Spartan defense played brilliantly. Over 15 tackles for loss! And 9 of Geogia's points came from special teams or their defense (the safety). And another three of Georgia's points came off an interception near the Spartan goal line, where the defense was able to hold them to a field goal. The one problem, as we all saw, was the long bombs Georgia was able to connect on. Our secondary was getting burned. So it was nice to see Darqueze Dennard come back with some big plays, including 2 interceptions.
- I loved seeing Anthony Rashad White having a big game. Makes me feel better about losing Jerel Worthy -- though I still hope he will return.
- The Spartan offense was excellent -- in the second half. Clearly, Georgia's speed was too much for the Spartans in the first half. They could not run the ball outside the tackles, the receivers couldn't separate from their defenders, and Cousins was getting pressured. In the second half, the Spartans finally stopped trying to run outside (although I thought Roushar was going to be stubborn with that, like in the Nebraska game), they went to their tight ends much more (especially Linthicum), and the line really gave Cousins a lot of time to throw.
- The special teams were excellent -- except for Boykin's punt return for a TD. Conroy hit all his field goal attempts, Sadler frequently pinned Georgia back with his punting, and Nick Hill had some excellent kickoff returns.
My friends, MSU may take a step back next year -- because they will be losing several key players particularly in the passing game -- but this game showed us that MSU has arrived as a program. Mark Dantonio has turned this program into a top-10 program that can compete with the best programs in the country. Georgia was no slouch. They were talented on both sides of the ball, and they will be one of top 5 teams in the country next year. MSU dominated them and really deserved to win the game -- just like the B1G championship.
Admittedly, the Spartans were exposed a little. We were able to see that if the Spartans are going to compete with the best teams in the country, they are going to need to address a few things. Namely, they need a little more speed at wide receiver, running back, and cornerback. And actually, judging from their 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes, it looks like they will have all those areas addressed soon.
The final thing I'll say today is that MSU has a chance to build something special here. Dantonio is an elite coach, and he has a great staff. Another 5 years of this kind of excellence and MSU will surely win a national championship and earn a reputation as an elite program -- perhaps like Alabama, Oklahoma, and LSU. I hope nothing gets in the way of that in the next few years.
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