Thoughts on Michigan Game

A little late with my review of the game because I'm traveling, but man, what a game! This victory ranks right up there with the Outback Bowl victory over Georgia. It makes it 5 out of the last 6 over Michigan (and yesterday's victory was the most resounding), which shows that MSU is here to stay at least as an equal to UM and may be on the verge of establishing "a new world order" (in fact, if Brady Hoke loses again next year, UM could be looking for a new head coach).

Here are some other random thoughts.

Defense

This is a historic defense. They have now completely shut down several of the B10's best offenses, outright suffocating them in the second half. Just astonishing.

Offense

Considering the great field position they had to work with, it's safe to say that the offense under-performed. Connor Cook has a lot of work to do. Right now he is adequate for the talent around him, but this offense could be unstoppable if he could just play a little better. There were several huge plays that he missed, though he did also create a few big plays. He'll have to step it up, if MSU has to play Ohio State in the B10 championship game.

I was a little disappointed in the rest of the offense, as well. The o-line didn't dominate like I hoped (though they were pretty good), the receivers dropped several balls, and the Langford was just a few shoe-string tackles from having a bigger game (though he still ended up with a solid performance). 

Special teams

The kickers did their job, and the returners didn't fumble and they actually made some decent returns.

Coaches

The game plan looked solid, but more importantly, this coaching staff has built a defense that has not allowed UM to score a touchdown in 2 games. They still have some work to do with the offense, but the coaches are on a roll.

Upshot

As I said, this is one of the biggest victories in MSU history, especially because it revealed a clear trend: MSU has established itself at least as UM's equal and may be on the verge of asserting it's dominance. A victory next year will establish a Jim Tressel-like dominance over UM. This game should also help MSU with some recruits.

As for this season, this victory keeps MSU on the road to the Rose Bowl and on the road to fulfilling or surpassing my preseason prediction of 12-2. 

Why are we so blessed?