Reffing

I don't know if I am simply paying more attention this year or if the calls are actually getting worse. Across all sports, college and pro, I can't recall more bad, bad calls in one year. Despite the implementation of replay systems in most major sports the calls have somehow gotten worse.

The MSU Purdue game was bad. Every week in the Big10 I see at least one terrible call that is not only contrary to what obviously happened, but at times contrary to the rules. Indiana got hosed weekly. MSU was on both sides of at least a dozen horrendous calls this season. Hopefully basketball is better.

The early indicators aren't good. The MSU Gonzaga game was one of the worst officiated games in years. It is pretty easy to slow down the MSU break when you 1. are over the back (with no calls) on every rebound, 2. hack the hell out of the rebounder if he does somehow get the rebound, 3. hack the outlet guard, 4. hand check the guard all the way down the floor.

I would estimate that about 1/3 of the refs I've seen this year are veterans. There are a lot of new faces. Perhaps the regular season will see a return to the not so good but at least consistent zebras of years past.

MSU v Purdue

I'm really excited to tell you about Purdue football, today's matchups, and what to expect from the Purdue offense. I would be even more excited if I could name a single player on Purdue's team.

It isn't that they don't have some talent, because Purdue has won some games (at OSU, at ummm), but I have not watched an entire game this year. I had the umm/purdue game on in the background when MSU was not televised but I had the radio on. I've done some research.

Purdue Pete is the mascot. He carries a hammer. Pete is not short for Purdue Peter. No word on whether or not Pete Seeger (If I had a hammer) was an inspiration.

Purdue's football team, and players, are known as Boilermakers. The nickname was shortened Boilers after a student vote. Boilermakers was too long, the alternative, Boils, too short. Boilers was preceded by grangers, pumpkin-shuckers, railsplitters, cornfield sailors, blacksmiths, and foundry hands. So sayeth the mighty wiki.

Purdue football is under new leadership in first year head coach Danny Hope. I don't know about you, but he gives me a good feeling about the future.

With a new coach came more offensive balance. The team averages 135 rushing yards per game and 248 through the air. More telling are the 318 rushing attempts versus 365 passing attempts to date. Also scary is the 80% scoring efficiency in the red zone, 70% being td's. That is well above the league average and an important reason to keep the special teams under control. If you give this team a short field they will score. That score will likely be a TD.

Running back Ralph Bolden has the most carries by far. I wouldn't be at all surprised, however, to see Jaycen Taylor make a play or two today. He is a senior on his way out the door and has shown some bursts in the past.

Joey Elliot is apparently the QB for purdue. He has pretty good numbers. I have to think I haven't heard much about him because of the rough start Purdue had, at 1-5. He does throw interceptions, with 13 ints to 16 tds, and the team has lost 14 fumbles. The turnovers are a big reason for the slow start. Someone needs to warn this kid what keeping that 'y' on the end of your name can do for a career.

MSU has 338 rushing attempts for 138 yards per game and 335 passing attempts for 280 yards per game. MSU scores more points and gains more yardage than Purdue. MSU is 81% in red zone scoring but only 54% of those scores are td's. MSU has lost 7 fumbles and thrown a combined 8 int's. These numbers look good but MSU's defense has not created enough takeaways.

As we know -- followed closesly by the newspapers -- MSU plays multiple running backs and, for some inexplicable reason, still plays two qb's on occassion. Leggett could be the new Caulcrick. Baker and Caper are the shiftier two. I like Caper. There was a great write up (because I agreed with it = great) in last week's freep.

Kirk Cousins should take all the snaps at QB.

I like MSU getting healthy in the secondary once again. I like the balanced attack overall and the balanced attack within the running game if Leggett (5'11" 230lbs) continues to get carries alongside the smaller backs. I also like bacon and IPA's but I'm not sure how that figures into the equation.

The pizza!pizza! bowl is on the line. A rematch with CMU no doubt. Sounds like a win!win! scenario for someone, just not the spartans.

MSU - 33
Purdue - 24

Basketball Time, Kiddies

It is probably about time to give my quick take on the upcoming season and give my early nominations for conference player, coach, and defensive player of the year.

I'll start by evaluating where I think the teams rank in terms of talent and where I think the teams will finish.

Talent:
1. MSU
2. Purdue
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Minnesota
6. Northwestern
7. Illinois
8 Penn State
9. Indiana
10. Wisconsin
11. Iowa

Finish:
1. Purdue
2. MSU
3. Ohio State
4. UM
5. Minnesota
6. Wisconsin
7. Illinois
8. Northwestern
9. Indiana
10. Penn State
11.
12. Iowa

Iowa is going to be really, really, painfully bad. They seriously could lose every game in conference unless some kid comes out of nowhere to provide about 35 points per game.

Wisconsin will overachieve with senior guards. Indiana will be much improved. Tubby will have Minny ready to play and there is plenty of guard leadership. Illinois, I don't know what will happen there. Ohio State will be a tough, versatile team. I don't see much consistency but I see spurts of frustratingly hot offense and stingy defense.

As the 3 pt ball goes, so go Northwestern and Michigan. Although, Michigan will have some experienced go to players and could decide the B10 with a few upsets. Northwestern adds a talented true freshman from Chi in Drew Crawford to help Coble (who appears to have injured his foot in practice, no indication of how badly). If healthy, NW will be an older than average team with a few decent pieces.

Player of the year: Evan Turner, OSU
Coach of the year: Painter, Purdue (for winning the conference)
Defensive player of the year: Kramer, Purdue or Johnson, Purdue
Jerk of the year: Bo diddly Ryan
Breakout POY: Roe, MSU
Freshman of the year: DJ Richardson, Ill

I see Purdue coming in with a chip on their shoulder and, more importantly, healthy. Purdue will take advantage of an injury riddled MSU team, inconsistent but talented UM and OSU teams, and hold off the upset teams of MN and NW. Purdue will be really good if JuJuan Johnson decides to be a complete player. He is a beast. If he decides to be a defensive stopper Purdue is legit. They lose a few in conference, 4 maybe, with likely losses against UM, Wisc, MSU, and perhaps a shocker to a pesky NW or PSU.

I see 5 legitimate sweet sixteen teams in the B10, including MSU, Purdue, OSU, MN, and UM. At least one more will likely get in, with Illinois or Northwestern being the most likely candidate. By seasons end, despite struggles and frustration due to injuries and a lack of chemistry early, MSU will still be the best, deepest, most experienced team. Plus the Izzo factor.

MSU v WMU

The highlight of the day today may be the tailgate. Check that, it definitely will be the tailgate.

MSU is reeling. The losses this year have been heartbreaking, last second, and at times unbelievable. With the exception of the WI game -- a thorough whooping that looked closer than it really was by the end -- all of the losses were either bad bounces or stupid mistakes.

Today provides a real chance for, well, nothing. You HAVE to beat WMU. I mean hell, ummm beat WMU. Winning is expected, a loss would be a huge blow, a close game would be like a loss.

I would like to make jokes about Western but I have no idea who plays there, what students do, or what famous alum has made an ass of him/herself. They have a rival from what I understand. It is also a directional school. But here is the funny part, oh man are you gonna love this, it is not eastern michigan. No. This wacky and unpredictable school has a rivalry with central michigan, a team with no natural predators/rivals, with the exception of little known Periphery Michigan University. Rivalries require competitive teams. PMU is always on the outside looking...terrible.

Greg Jennings was good. He is in Green Bay. I can't name another player. Fine, Tim Hiller.

The mascot is buster bronco. Doesn't he coach BYU?

The WMU wiki page has 2 sentences under "Student Life." Seems about right. Under "Health Services" it just says "Penicillin."

An alum was a founder of the Food Network. Congrats. 10% of your work is watchable.

Luther Vandross. You know what? Good job on that one. Truly.*

However, offset by having 2 (two) American Idol Finalists.**

I think MSU can run the ball, with ease, against the smaller bronco dline. I don't see a player on the roster over 275lbs. Strangely they seem to have a linebacker obsession. The roster lists 12 Linebackers. Maybe LB is the default setting on the media guide.

I think MSU can pass the ball, with relative ease, against western linebacker u. MSU has too many weapons capable of dropping passes to cover everyone.

After last week I am concerned with watching another QB chuck the ball up for grabs on every down. Hiller has a good arm. If WMU watched any film they will throw the ball deep on first down, no matter where they are on the field, and hope that we continue to play our zero pass break up defense. If that fails do the same thing on 2nd, 3rd, and --yes -- 4th downs.

MSU - 33

WMU - 17

* [relative] Win

** lose

** double balloon lose

Putting MN Away

I thought it would be best to give the loss a few days, let the emotions fade, let reason fill the void.

Turns out I still feel pretty much the same as immediately after the loss.

Minnesota is the worst team MSU has lost to, or will lose to, this year. This is a bad, bad loss. This is likely Dantonio's first bad loss as head coach at MSU. MN is not a good football team. While you are busy trying to name one player not named Weber or Decker I'll quickly point out that it doesn't matter.

Of course had I described the loss immediately after the game I would have used (fine, did use) different wording. The idea is the same. There is one notable player on the MN team and he did not play last weekend.

Watching the game live the calls looked suspect. Watching them on replay they didn't look much better. Again, for at least the second time this season, you shouldn't be in a close game with a team like this. CMU is the same scenario and to some degree MSU had the ND game handed to them. CMU and MN had terrible calls and terrible reviews but calls shouldn't make the difference when you play these two teams.

The new TCF Bank Stadium is nice, the location is closer to campus, and the weather was clear. However, tailgating occurs at the State Fairgrounds and tailgaters are bussed in 8-10 minutes to the stadium. It would be like MSU offering tailgating only in commuter lot.

The fans were less than courteous...we were in the more alum less student area and saw dozens of people booing, laughing, and yelling through injury timeouts. Students will be students, but these were 30+ year olds. Minnesota nice my ass. Stay classy.

Also, every facet of the game is a financial transaction. Touchdowns are "6 more point IN THE BANK." A rough estimate for use of the word BANK!!! (not to be confused with bank) would require scientific notation. IN THE BANK!!!! 1. Clever, 2. Not at all annoying, 3. Corporate Whoring say what?

Finally, and the last of my rants, the announcement was made multiple times that the game was "a sellout." I guess they were referencing the actual fans and use of IN THE BANK for TCF Bank Stadium rather than ticket sales. There were more than patches of empty space. The place only holds 50,800 but there were at least 5,000 empty seats in large blocks with remaining empty seats scattered throughout the sections.

The biggest problem MSU had was defending the pass, if you can call them passes. At the game it looked too easy. Watching replays it was the same scenario every score. Lobs to WR's. Live it looked like there was too much air under each throw. It worked out brilliantly, at least against Marcus Hyde, who was picked on 90% of the time in his backup role. Every long pass was a jump ball, with the exception of a catch-fall-fumble-or-did-he-?-no-was-not-down-IN THE BANK!! Every result the same, TD MN.

I still have no idea why people are obsessed with K.Nichol. It seems more like the Lions fan* mentality than logic based. The guy behind us wanted Nichol to come in when Cousins didn't stretch during pregame to his liking. He of course did not reference any stretching stats or historical stretching trends, he is just a Nichol guy.

The highlight of the weekend was post game. As the reveling students/fans of MN gophered around the stadium after a rare win, with Halloween in the air, they got a little aggressive. Believe it or not -- scouts honor -- we did not say a word, did not taunt or harass anyone, and headed for our bus back to the ultimate tailgate parking lot somewhere east of Howell, MI. MN kids weren't having it and starting to yell, circle around, and become excessively gophery. Then it happened. The least likely candidate of our group took his foamy, fluffy, MSU labeled seat cushion and played whack a gopher.

I missed it. I probably would have died laughing had I seen it, but by the time I knew what was going on it had escalated. I was a peace maker. Things settled and we were on our way. Only later did I learn of the seat-cushion-upside-the-head move that was employed.

Think hard. Is there anything more degrading? Seriously. It is like being hit with licorice only on some level worse.**From what I was told it was placed upside the back of said gopher's head and wasn't really all that hard. It sounded as if it would best be described as a corrective smack upside the head. With a fluffy seat cushion. Sort of like the 10 years later version of holding a smaller person back with a palm to the forehead.

The added humor is that this kid was probably 21, 22 and had a whole group of friends. We were not exactly rolling in big numbers. The guy was big enough to do something, or at least try to, and instead takes his seat cushion warning and backpedals yelling. Son, you were just hit in the head in a manner that was not physically injurious but without question was extremely embarrassing. Perhaps in context, considering this may have been the least embarrassing thing to happen to you that day, I should give you a pass. However, I hope your friends make you relive that moment for years. You need to have some self respect. Instead you were put in timeout and said "mm, mohkay." The loss faded away and I laughed as hard and long as I have in a long, long time.

*see: the backup QB is the most popular player on the team

** worse than licorice because it was still warm and only recently retrieved from below his backside