Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Um Wrap up

Someday, theoretically, my attitude Sunday -- Wednesday won't depend on the result of a college football game. Basketball is more intense but games are played more frequently, so there are chances for redemption. Football is longer lasting.

What a beautiful week eh? Dreary outside, rain off and on, cold and blowing. The leaves haven't really changed yet and work is, well, work. Beautiful.

If you haven't heard there is a bit of a to do regarding a Dantonio radio interview with WJR AM radio in Detroit. To provide some context MSU signed a radio contract with WJR to carry MSU sports after about 1.4 jillion years of covering ummm sports. WJR's staff includes about 94% ummm junkies and apologists.

Dantonio was on the radio and had answered about the 3rd question in a row about what Michigan did and what Michigan didn't do and finally threw it back in the [admitted umm fan] DJ's face:

“I must tell you, the look on State fans’ faces when we were going into overtime was almost that resigned look of ‘oh, no, here we go again. I cannot believe, we dominated this game … ’”

“Well, Paul, hold on a second,” Dantonio said. “Because the look I saw on Michigan’s faces were ‘oh, no, the Spartans beat us again.’ That’s the look I saw.”

He also downplayed the comeback by recalling stating "Forcier...did play good for about 5 minutes..." but added that MSU dominated for the rest of the game.

Exactly. Exactly what I was thinking all Saturday night, Sunday morning, and through yesterday as the talk was about Forcier this and Forcier that. Yes he's a frosh qb. Yes he has done some great things. They lost. He threw the interception. Ummm got the benefit of every call, every miscue, and some freshman heroics and still lost.

The biggest story of the year so far, in my mind, is the loss of Jenrette. I think this defense was missing two things: a pass rush and a big hitter at safety. Jenrette provided the latter and he will be missed. If a corner can't cover a receiver at the very least he should be thinking about the enormous hit he is going to take from the safety. It only takes one good knock early to have the receivers looking downfield before they catch the ball. Hopefully he returns before the Penn State game.

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uhh, Go Tigers?? (5:04 pm on TBS and ESPN radio)
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The Ill-noise team that MSU faces this week is no joke. Starting qb juice williams has been benched but the team remains dangerous. I like MSU to run, run, run the ball to keep the big Ill wide receivers off the field. I like the MSU tight ends to finally show up this week, and I like the MSU linebackers to continue to play big against a scrambling, athletic, desperate group of fighting...orange things.

This Ill team is a perfect example of RonZook as a coach. Look at Florida. He recruited about 75% of the kids that won the national championship soon after he was booted. He came to Illinois and got some kids, some big recruits with a good deal of talent and potential, and proceeded to make them worse. He is not a coach. He is a recruiter. Juice Williams is a senior and is now worse than he was as a Sophomore. There is no running game and the athletes are being out athleted. The real question is: Can Illinois find a decent x+o coach in the next year or so before the talent runs out?

MSU -- 30
Ill ----- 17

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