Wojo: Soggy survival shows cracks in MSU’s lofty status
East Lansing — The stands were more than half empty, and so was the tank. The Spartans were reeling late in the game, slipping in the rain, likely sliding in the rankings.
If you’re the No. 2 team in the country, it was not a good look. That’s OK, because Michigan State probably won’t remain No. 2 for now, not that it matters. The Spartans hung on against the underdog Boilermakers 24-21 Saturday, dodging disaster but not dodging questions.
Hey, it’s life near the top, and perhaps the Spartans are still getting used to the weight of lofty expectations. Their 21-0 halftime lead nearly got washed away, saved by Arjen Colquhoun’s breakup of a fourth-down pass with 58 seconds left.
Mark Dantonio and his players adopted the win-is-a-win (especially when it’s wet) approach afterward, and in today’s college football, it’s mostly true. Ask others, such as No. 1 Ohio State, also tested repeatedly. The Spartans are 5-0 and certainly among the top five teams in the country. It’s not a question whether they belong there, but whether they have the staying power to remain there.
For the fourth time in five games, they let an outmanned opponent hang around, and this outmanned opponent actually had a chance to win. Michigan State’s defense was fierce at first, then pedestrian. Its offense was predictable and punishing, with freshman LJ Scott rumbling for 146 yards. Connor Cook did as much with his legs (48 yards rushing) as his arm (139 passing), as the Spartans just seemed interested in sliding quietly out of the stadium.
Spartans flirt with disaster, edge Purdue
No apologies
If they were disappointed, they hid it well, and weren’t in the mood to apologize for a victory, any victory. Asked if he still considered Michigan State the No. 2 team in the country, linebacker Darien Harris didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” Harris said. “It’s so hard to win in the Big Ten, so hard to win, period. Every team’s gonna play up against us — that’s how it should be and that’s what we’re expecting.”
The Spartans didn’t need everything and everybody to beat Purdue, and probably won’t need it next week at Rutgers. But the longer they go without a dominating performance, the more you wonder if they have all the pieces to get where they’re determined to go. Proving you can win close games is an admirable trait, but not one you want to count on.
The injuries have piled up, with star left tackle Jack Conklin already sidelined and his replacement, sophomore Dennis Finley, suffering a broken leg. That was one of several things that shook up the Spartans, who turned sloppy and conservative in the second half partly because of the weather, and partly because they probably lost interest like everyone else.
Shortly after halftime, Spartan Stadium was less than half full, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. On the issue of staying power, the fans were lacking, although to be fair, this looked like one to snooze on. Opponents don’t snooze on the Spartans these days, and when punter Jake Hartbarger dropped a snap midway through the third quarter, the Boilermakers had a slice of life. Redshirt freshman quarterback David Blough turned it into a 2-yard touchdown pass and just like that, it was 21-7, game on.
The Boilermakers were three-touchdown underdogs and had lost 15 of their past 16 Big Ten games, but for reasons that defy logic, they usually play the Spartans close. Dantonio sounded unconcerned about most of it, but I think he was partly acting. He knows how hard it is for a team to maintain its edge, and this will only get tougher.
“I think the true character of a football team is when you can take something where the tide is starting to swing one way in the fourth quarter, and you’re able to stop it and come out with a win,” Dantonio said. “The attitude on the sideline was very positive. It was just a ‘we’re going to get it done’ type thing. Very, very proud of our football team.”
Too much drama
This was a celebratory day for Michigan State, which honored its 1965-66 Big Ten and national championship teams, and Dantonio wasn’t going to say anything to dampen it. But he had to be bothered by the fans’ rapid exit, and by Purdue’s ability to bust big runs, with Markell Jones rushing for 157 yards. And even on the day Cook set a school record with his 28th win as quarterback, Michigan State’s streak of 30 consecutive games of 30-plus points was snapped.
“I don’t really care what they think, as long as we win the Big Ten,” linebacker Riley Bullough said. “If we bring it to Indy (for the Big Ten championship game) and win, we’ll set ourselves up to do great things. I don’t think it’s a question of our intensity, we’re locked in. It’s just mental mistakes.”
Dantonio again referenced the 2002 Ohio State national championship team (he was the defensive coordinator) that won seven games by seven points or less, a pattern not often duplicated. Hanging on to the No. 2 ranking is the least of the Spartans’ worries. With the playoff system, polls don’t matter anyway, but it’s notable they’re 0-5 against the Vegas line.
It’s also notable they aren’t controlling games with their defense, relying on a generally potent offense. If Scott and Madre London run like this, and Cook gets to unleash a few more in drier weather, the Spartans will keep hearts pumping, for a variety of reasons.
“I told people before, we’re the No. 1 drama on TV,” co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said. “We have good writers. We’ve got to get some bad writers, so we’re not a big-time drama. That’s who we are; that’s what we do. We don’t like it. My heart is very strong, because over the last several years, we’ve had a lot of close games.”
There’s nothing wrong with occasional drama. There’s something unsettling about unnecessary drama, and the Spartans surely don’t want to push it.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
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