ESPN: Michigan State learns closing lesson

Saturday was different. All three phases of the game missed opportunities to seal a win. An apparent pick-six slipped through the hands of veteran safety Kurtis Drummond on defense. The punting unit gave up 95 yards in the fourth quarter, including a 62-yard score. On offense, play-calling from the coaches (four of the first five plays of the quarter were pass attempts) and execution from quarterback Connor Cook (all four were incomplete) gave Nebraska more time.

LINK

Let's hope that postgame discussion sinks in, from the players to the co-offensive coordinators.

Thanks for the link.

Floyd Robertson wrote:Let's hope that postgame discussion sinks in, from the players to the co-offensive coordinators.

Thanks for the link.

I really hope the O coordinators get the message. I hate how we play with a lead against decent teams.

It's about the best adversity, apart from losing, that you can get. Good time in the season too.

Good lesson for those guys early in the conf season. Could be a blessing in the skies

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:

I really hope the O coordinators get the message. I hate how we play with a lead against decent teams.

I thought Dantonio took responsibility and even said he made the change to the play calling. I'm more interested to see how the defense is this weekend.

It's an athletic department issue. You see it in all msu sports. Trying to sit on the lead. We should be used to it by now.

Stoops21 wrote:It's an athletic department issue. You see it in all msu sports. Trying to sit on the lead. We should be used to it by now.

Wut

Didn't really have a problem with the play calling in the 4th. Maybe run on the 2nd&7 early in the quarter, but 3rd and 7 is a passing down and I feel pretty good about putting the ball in Cook's hands as opp

We had 20 plays (that weren't kneeldown / punt / FG attempt) in the 4th quarter.

passed on 6 of them :
up 27-3 start of the quarter passed on 2nd&10, 3rd&10,
got the ball up 27-9 with 12:59 left and passed on 2nd&7, 3rd&7,
got the ball up 27-9 with 10:50 left and passed on 2nd&17, 3rd&7

ran on 14 of them

Special teams was awful in the 4th, that has to be better.

gHost Spartan wrote:

Agree. I think Coach D will use this opportunity to drill the message into the head's of these kids. The big difference between last and this years is that last year's team didn't have the same expectations, and that team was hungry. We're coming off a Rose Bowl win and these guys were pegged to win the East and the B1G. Big difference.

Plus they had 3 weeks of not much to do except show up. Oregon went badly, but most who watched the game came back and said MSU was competitive even though the score didn't show it and then 2 teams that would lose to most high schools north of Alma. 

Dantonio can respect the game and take the foot off the pedal when playing cupcakes, but shouldn't do the same against B1G teams.