This game was a tale of two halves. At half time, MSU was losing 27-14 and I thought about my future self writing a very sad rapid reactions post, but here I am writing about a win. It’s not all the happy, however.
-Dion Sims ankle injury in the first half appeared not to be that serious, but it looked a lot worse when he came out of the locker room after half time in a walking boot. Hopefully he won’t be out for too long.
-MSU may have found their number one receiver in Aaron Burbridge. (note: I’ve been whining all season, trying to have Burbridge get solid playing time). MSU started Aaron Burbridge at the #1 slot today and he did a more than acceptable job, racking 8 receptions for 134 yards, including some pretty hard catches to make. Also, Fowler came in semi-frequently at slot, and HE performed well, too. He had 4 catches for 57 yards and a nice touchdown.
-Le’Veon Bell looked like Le’Veon Bell again, with 37 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, improving MSU’s record to 4-0 this season in games where he finds the end zone.
-Andrew Maxwell looked great today, with 291 yards passing. He rarely collapsed under pressure, yay!
-In the first half, the MSU defense looked horrid, giving up 27 points to INDIANA. They got it together, however, in the second half, allowing Indiana to a mere 37 yards. They looked like the MSU defense we all know and love.
-What happened to Johnny Adams? He was so good last season and early this season, but he repeatedly got burned on big plays, prompting taunting from MSU twitter folk. He worries me a lot.
-HEY! HEY EVERYONE! DO YOU REMEMBER THAT INTERVIEW I DID WITH UP AND COMING LINEBACKER TAIWAN JONES!?! REMEMBER HOW I SAID THAT TAIWAN SHOULD GET SOME PLAYING TIME BEHIND CHRIS NORMAN BECAUSE HE’S FAST AND STRONG!?! YOU DIDN’T BELIEVE ME, DID YOU? WELL GUESS WHAT? TAIWAN SHOWED UP TODAY. HE HAD 4 TACKLES AND ONE HIT STICK PASS BREAK UP IN CLUTCH TIME THAT LED TO AN MSU VICTORY. SORRY FOR ALL CAPS. I’M JUST EXCITED. (note: I will get you the gif/video of Taiwan’s hit stick as soon as someone puts it up).
-This was a great second half by MSU, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. The Spartans played in a super close game against one of the worst teams in the FBS. They have a lot of work to do this coming week, but for now let’s just bathe in the glory relief.
Go green!