Up close and personal, the Michigan State Spartans’ 14-0 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers felt even worse than it likely looked on television, but that was due mostly to the gusting wind, spitting rain and chilly temperatures making the weather nearly unbearable for the first time at Spartan Stadium during the 2013 season.
The game itself? Not bad. Sure, the Spartans’ offense struggled to cash in touchdowns and move the ball, but the defense did its job forcing turnovers, getting off the field and even scoring another touchdown themselves. Though the previous week had brought 42 offensive points, things looked strikingly similar to the game against Western Michigan, where the Spartans were bailed out by a defensive touchdown.
Natrually, this caused many people to be concerned, frustrated and disappointed, even though the Spartans had won the game. Regardless of what happened to the offense on a windy, chilly day, though, the Spartan defense remains beyond dominating, which was the biggest news as the Big Ten season marches on.
In a world where offenses routinely break the 50 point per game barrier and coaches argue about who’s throwing the ball too much (seriously, that also happened this weekend) it’s refreshing to see that somewhere, defense still matters. Michigan State used to have an offense that could toss the ball all over the field, yet they still couldn’t win. Why? They couldn’t defend worth a lick under John L. Smith, who didn’t emphasize defense nearly enough in a tough conference.
Now, in Mark Dantonio’s tenure, tough defense has become the hallmark. Dantonio should know a thing or two about winning with defense, considering his 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes group won games in largely the same way as the 2013 Spartans. There were times that Craig Krenzel and the Buckeyes’ offense would stall, and the team depended on Dantonio’s defense to bail them out with a big play or two. Thirteen games later, Ohio State won a Big Ten title and national championship with that approach.
Though a national title might be out of the question, the Spartans can certainly still win a Big Ten title and perhaps go to the Rose Bowl while winning with defense. Should the defense continue to contribute timely touchdowns here or there like Denicos Allen’s scoop and score against Purdue while not allowing much else themselves, Michigan State will continue to win.
This particular Spartan defense, predicated on always trying to find the end zone themselves as much as an offense, represents something special.
Laugh Of The Week: Speaking of defense, earlier last week, I joked with a friend who happens to be a Michigan Wolverines’ fan that last Saturday’s game against the Indiana Hoosiers would turn out to be a 65-63 score, much in the mold of Michigan’s “defense optional” game against Illinois in 2010. We didn’t know we’d be right, with the Wolverines setting several offensive records in the midst of their 63-47 victory over Indiana.
Local Big Ten This Week:
Michigan: Idle
Michigan State at Illinois
Player To Watch:
Michigan State: Josiah Price, TE. After a long absence of utilizing the tight end, the Spartans finally got back to throwing to their big pass catchers last weekend. Price caught a long pass and showed elusiveness rumbling down the sidelines, which set up Michigan State’s score with Andrew Gleichert, another tight end. That showed the Spartans’ offense solid blueprint. Run the football with Jeremy Langford and work some play action in with Price and Gleichert and the offense might suddenly be able to move the ball.
Standings Update:
Michigan State 6-1 (3-0 Big Ten Legends)
Michigan 6-1 (2-1 Big Ten Legends)
Max DeMara is a senior editor at The Detroit Sports Site. You can find him on Twitter @SportsGuyTheMax