Game Against WMU

OK, here we go, the season is upon us. Here are a few things I NEED / DON"T NEED to see in the opening game.

Passing game improved

Last year, the passing game not only stunk, it showed little improvement over the course of the season. In some ways, the passing game actually went backwards over the course of the season. For example, at the beginning of the season, I thought Maxwell would be better than Cousins by the time he left MSU. He did show flashes of greatness, especially against Ohio State, but by the end of the season, Maxwell was in full decline. He was unable to create with his feet and the offense was unable to move the ball with him at the helm. Maxwell, or whoever starts, must show considerable progress, especially if the rest of the offense is struggling, I want to see Maxwell taking off on a lot more runs (shoot, even Cousins is running a lot more these days in the NFL).

Obviously, the receivers and tight ends need to show that they . . . EXIST. If we see 5 drops or more in this game, I'll be immediately lowering my expectations for this season.

Offensive line dominating

This is supposed to be the best O-line in the Dantonio era. In this game, I need to see that this means something. Dantonio's best line has to dominate WMU. I need to see that the quarterback has time to throw and that the running backs have nice holes to run through. If the O-line struggles in this game, I can't see the Notre Dame game going well at all, and we can probably start panicking about the entire running game.

Running backs

I'm not worried about the running backs, and I'm hoping to see that this expectation is justified. As long as the O-line is living up to expectations, the Spartans have enough talent here to excel. Man, I hope we don't see something like a fumbling problem that negates their talent.

Defense

I'm not worried about the defense, and I'm hoping this game justifies that expectation. It would really suck if after this game we find ourselves worrying about the D-line's inability to pressure the quarterback or stop the running game. Or if we find ourselves worrying about one of the corners getting beat deep multiple times.

Special teams

It would suck if after all the good news about Geiger and Muma, we find ourselves worrying about the kicking game.

Upshot

Overall, I am hoping to see signs that in Mark Dantonio's seventh season the Spartans are about to put it all together. I am hoping to see that the coaches' eye for talent has produced a team that is explosive on both sides of the ball. I want to see that the coaching staff has also reached a new level, that they have created a disciplined, smart, and creative team. I'd like to see enough dominance in this game to give the backups a lot of snaps. I'd like it if those backups look so explosive that I feel spoiled - folks, I want to feel bad about our abundance.

Final score: MSU 45 - WMU 10