OK, so apart from the coaches taking the foot of the gas too early, again, I thought this was a program win. I really expected MSU to struggle in this one, because MSU usually struggles against Notre Dame's elite talent (especially on the D line) and because Brian Kelly seems to pull out all the clever stops against MSU. But MSU showed some new things this year that are really encouraging.
First, the coaches showed that they were mostly prepared for this game. They had a great offensive and defensive plan for three quarters of the game. I was impressed with the creativity and relative soundness of the play calling most of the game. I am always so impressed by their ability to succeed by sticking to MSU's identity of "pound, green, pound!"
Second, the O line finally matched up well against Notre Dame's elite front 7. Actually, you could say that the MSU O line looked dominant. That really is something new to me. I have never seen MSU's O line bully Notre Dame's front seven. But that what happened much of this game. Kind of like when MSU bullied OSU in the trenches last year. I said before that this O line could end up being better than last year's O line, and that would make it the best O line in the Dantonio era.
Third, the D line is definitely not as good as last year's, but at least it showed me this game that it can be pretty good. McDowell and Cooper are stars, and the other guys showed some improvement. They played pretty well against Notre Dame's very good O line. That's encouraging. Hopefully they'll continue to improve to the point where they're better than last year's D line. With McDowell and Cooper leading this group, I think that's still possible.
Fourth, Gerald Holmes is a very good running back. He may not be as physically gifted as the other backs, but he shows more awareness and toughness. And he actually showed better speed than I expected and he always shows good lateral quickness.
Fifth, I thought the wide receivers would be a liability this year, but this group could turn out to be the best in the B1G this year. Corely, Shelton, and Madaris are good. Real good. Shelton is clearly the answer to MSU's problems running outside the tackles. He is fast and tough. I think the coaches should let him run the ball a few times a game from the running back position. Particularly the runs to the outside.
Overall, the results of this game strongly suggest MSU is a contender for the B1G title and perhaps for a playoff spot. The "back to back" theme is in play.
Agree about Holmes. LJ Scott does a great job, however, Holmes consistently shows us he can wait a second for the lane to develop and finish always going forward a little. Scott is a great back too - we are lucky to have them both and I imagine Madre London would be the feature back at many div 1 colleges.
ReplyDeleteIt is a long season and like last year, we may well need all 3 of them at various times. Trying to think of who the RB coach is, i think Brad Salem moved to QB when Warner became cooff coordinator.
He is to be commended for the growth of all the RBs. They all seem to improve in blocking, pass reception and of course running.
Holmes impressed me last year so much by his attitude. Here he was 3rd string, not getting any carries but apparently (from newspaper articles later in season last year) he kept working hard and preparing to take advantage of his opportunity when it came. He just looks so tough on many of his short carries, those extra yards and half yards add up. It is harder for him, Scott and London when in there because we are known as a running team so all the opposing defenses are spending considerable focus to shut down our run.
Holmes actually reminds me of Ringer in his tough yards, and humble persistence/perseverence when the box is stacked against him and the Oline.