Michigan State football, basketball fake mailbag – real answers to your made up questions

This is the first of what I hope becomes a weekly Michigan State sports mailbag – not that different than other mailbags, except the questions are made up. So again, not that different than some other mailbags. 

Here are the questions you want to ask or should ask or, in some cases, that I’d wish you’d ask about MSU football, basketball and beyond:

Q:  Was that Brandon Sowards’ jet sweep on third down at the 4-yard line a real play? Were MSU’s coaches trying to set up the fake field goal? — Al in downtown Lansing

A:  It’s a fair question, Al. It was a bizarre choice — choosing a backup receiver not known for his speed to run to the short side of the field on a play that, at best, only works about 30% of the time, according to R.J. Shelton. Perhaps that’s why it was so brilliant (tongue fully in cheek). There’s no way it could have been expected by Indiana’s defense. Or maybe we’re underestimating the forward thinking, that Mark Dantonio and Co. wanted the fake field goal with kicker Matt Coghlin to begin from right hash, about the 6-yard line.

Kidding. It was a bizarre play call and worked out about as you’d expect, in a two-yard loss. The only defense of the play is that perhaps MSU’s coaches saw something in the Hoosiers’ defense that made them think it would work. The Spartans had been struggling to score touchdowns in the red zone this season before Saturday. We all called for creativity and, well, this was, um, creative. 

Q:  I saw your Tweet about the fake field goal play not being a wise decision. Change your mind after the touchdown, bud? — Mark on Shaw Lane

A: Not after the touchdown. But I did, to a large extent, an hour later when Dantonio explained his reasoning and kicker Matt Coghlin explained how it went down. Bottom line, however, is that a field goal there would have put MSU ahead 17 points — three full scores — on the road against a decent team, two weeks after a two-score lead on the road wasn’t enough. There was so much at stake for the Spartans Saturday, so much to lose if they’d lost that game. Style points weren’t necessary. 

But both Dantonio and Coghlin said they saw something in Indiana’s field goal defense that made them think the fake would work — and they turned out to be right. Coghlin said that if that look from IU’s defense wasn’t there, they would have checked out of the play and kicked the field goal. It was, so they ran it. Dantonio pointed to how well MSU’s defense was playing, so that, even if the play failed, the Hoosiers would have had to drive 95 yards. He also said that at some point, the head coach needs to take some risks and make a play for his team. He did. He has before with this sort of trickery. It’s usually worked — ignoring the Maryland game in 2016.

Q:  Having lived through 1991 and 1992 and 2009, the Chippewas always make me nervous. Any chance Central Michigan upsets MSU this week? — A man from Hamtramck

A:  Not a chance. It took two sides for those previous upsets to happen, including three Michigan State teams that finished a combined 14-21. This also isn’t one of CMU’s better squads. The Chippewas’ 15 points per game ranks 127th out of 129 FBS college football teams. They’re 124th in passing efficiency and 122nd in first downs. In other words, the Chips won’t be able keep pace, even if their defense is more sound, which it appears to be. Secondly, MSU isn’t in position to be arrogant and sleepwalk through an opponent, given its troubles running the football and how close the Spartans came to losing their last home game, to Utah State.

MORE:  Couch: MSU's only shot to win the Big Ten – let loose Brian Lewerke and his receivers

Q:  Hoops question: Can Rockett Watts, Foster Loyer and Cassius Winston coexist? — Tom from Bath Township

A: Mark “Rocket” Watts, a 6-foot-2 combo guard from Detroit and top-30 recruit, became the MSU basketball program's first 2019 commitment on Saturday night, in case you missed it — and you might have, because he announced it unexpectedly in the middle of an MSU football game. (Page view data shows fans were preoccupied.) Watts is a scorer as much as he’s a point guard. His first step is what separates him. He’s different than Loyer and Winston in that regard. He can play off the ball and I suspect he will early on in his career, with Winston as a senior and Loyer as a sophomore when he arrives at MSU. 

Long term, there are worse situations than having multiple ball-handling guards who can get buckets. Loyer and Watts can both do that. He and Loyer could be a dynamic backcourt pairing for a couple years.

Q:  MSU hockey media day is Tuesday. Any reason to think this season will be different than the last six? — Torey from Cambridge, Massachusetts 

A:  Sure. Because last year was different than the previous couple seasons before that, when there was a noticeable withering late in the year. MSU hockey last winter almost always found a way to get positive result out of the weekend. The Spartans got a win or tie out of each of the last six series of the regular season. In other words, they were competitive against everyone. They also return their top line intact — juniors Taro Hirose, Patrick Kodorenko and sophomore Mitchell Lewandowski. That trio gave MSU a line that could go toe-to-toe with elite rosters, accounting for 44 of MSU’s goals and 108 of its points.

The next step is to be in the hunt in the PairWise rankings and for an upper-half finish in the Big Ten. That’s not an unreasonable hope, given the noticeable progress last year.

Have a fake question you’d like to ask, contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.