Spartans Dominate Irish
- SpartyOnline Writer
- Sep 18, 2016
- 3 min read
After the Furman game the question was how far have Spartans fallen off from the only team in the nation to finish in the AP Top 6 three years running? The answer is they haven’t. The general impression nationally after their collapse against Alabama in the CFP semifinal was that the loss of Conner Cook and other key seniors would drop Sparty out of national title contention. Think again. Probably the most impressive aspect of the game tonight was Michigan State’s total domination of the line of scrimmage for the better part of three quarters. When Gerald Holmes jetted for a 73 yard touchdown with 3:45 left in the third quarter, Notre Dame was visibly spent. Had the MSU coaching staff not taken their foot off the gas, the end score could have easily been 50-7. That’s how dominating Michigan State looked against a VERY good Irish team.
The Spartan offensive line was opening holes you could drive a truck through. This game was a preview of just how versatile of an offense Dantonio has built. It was a balanced attack with MSU rushing for 260 yards and three TD’s behind LJ Scott and Holmes, and 241 yards through the air for two touchdowns. When was the last time two MSU running backs both rushed for 100 yards? The Irish had no answer for RJ Shelton’s jet sweep that produced big gains every time. And Donnie Corley demonstrated why he’s on the field as a true freshman. He literally took a 50/50 ball out of the hands of the defender in the end zone. He’s already the best freshman receiver in the nation. Most impressive, though, was the play of Tyler O’Conner. Unlike Conner Cook who tended to have periodic lapses, O’Conner was consistent; his passes were on the mark all night. O’Conner engineered at least two 10 play drives resulting in touchdowns that were reminiscent of the final drive in last season’s Iowa game. In his only three starts, Tyler has now defeated two ranked teams in OSU (last season) and Notre Dame.
Anyone that thinks the Spartans’ stifling style of defense left with the departure of Pat Narduzzi, well you can put that one to bed. Since Narduzzi left, Michigan State has won a Big Ten title and now has defeated a ranked Irish team. Notre Dame has one of the best offenses in the country. Michigan State held them to 57 yards rushing and dominated time of possession with 38 minutes. The Spartan defense forced three turnovers and only gave up 7 points, until the coaches let up and went prevent in the final minutes of the 3rd quarter. The final score in no way reflects to what extent this Spartan defense dominated the Irish. Midway through the first half Notre Dame got conservative after committing a series of turnovers. Once the Irish got down 29 points late in the game, having nothing to lose, they opened things up. The combination of Notre Dame’s desperation and State going conservative allowed the Irish to get back into the game. My guess is the MSU coaches won’t make that mistake again.
Dantonio now has a 6-1 record in his last seven games versus ranked teams. The only loss was Alabama in last season’s playoff.
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