A frightful performance
Minnesota wide receiver Troy Stoudermire runs past senior kicker Brett Swenson in the Spartans’ 42-34 loss to Minnesota on Saturday night at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
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Minneapolis — After limiting its opponents to 20 points or fewer in its last four outings, the MSU defense figured to be in shutdown mode as it prepared for Minnesota, which entered Saturday’s game at the bottom of the Big Ten in total offense. Instead, MSU surrendered 505 yards of total offense and six touchdowns against an offense that surprisingly was lethal and a passing attack that seemed to suddenly find itself in the Golden Gophers’ 42-34 win Saturday.
Minnesota picked the MSU secondary apart and connected on several big passing plays while the Spartans were left dazed.
“Our goals were pretty much the same, it’s just that they hit some pretty big plays,” junior defensive end Colin Neely said. “(On) first and second down, we were stopping them, and then the next thing we’d know, they’d be hitting a big pass or something.”
The Spartans’ defensive struggles began immediately when Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber connected with running back Duane Bennett for a 62-yard score on the first play from scrimmage.
After an MSU turnover on the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans suffered a case of déjá vu when Weber squeezed a tight pass down the sidelines to receiver Brandon Green, who secured the Gophers’ second touchdown of the game less than two minutes into the game.
To its credit, the MSU defense never gave up and came up with some big plays later in the game, but the first two minutes represented the Spartans’ susceptibility to big plays all night.
When MSU clawed to within four, Weber responded with a 23-yard pass play to Green that brought the ball inside the MSU 30-yard line and led to a Gopher touchdown.
The backbreaker for the Spartans took place with 6:04 remaining when Bennett caught a deflected pass and rumbled for a 59-yard touchdown to put the Gophers ahead 42-34, a lead they would hold for the rest of the game.
“They had a measured response every time we got back in it and I think that’s good coaching and good execution,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “We stopped the run but we couldn’t stop the pass. (Minnesota) made some great catches.”
Considering the Golden Gophers were without their star receiver Eric Decker — out for the season last week because of injury — MSU looked to generate a steady rush and contain Minnesota’s receivers.
But players such as tight end Nick Tow-Arnett and receiver Da’Jon McKnight stepped up in Decker’s place, combining for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Weber had drawn some criticism for recent performances against No. 12 Penn State and No. 17 Ohio State, but looked like an all-Big Ten quarterback Saturday, passing for a career-high 416 yards and five touchdowns.
Goal-line stuffed
After failing to reach the end zone on three straight plays inside the Iowa two-yard line last week, the Spartans again were denied on the goal line on two separate occasions Saturday.
Late in the first quarter, MSU was faced with first-and-goal at the Minnesota four-yard line, looking to cut its deficit to 14-7.
However, after Larry Caper was shut out of the end zone on the first two plays, the Spartans called a passing play to tight end Brian Linthicum that was sniffed out at the two-yard line by Minnesota’s defense, forcing the Spartans to settle for a field goal.
MSU again failed to produce a touchdown on a crucial series late in the game and settled for a field goal to cut Minnesota’s lead to 35-34.
Caper’s status
Freshman running back Larry Caper, who has handled the majority of the workload running the ball in the last several weeks, left the game in the second quarter and did not return.
Dantonio said after the game that Caper had a concussion, and it’s unknown when he will be able to play.
When he exited, Caper had five carries for nine yards. Fellow freshman Edwin Baker filled in, gaining 24 yards on 11 carries.
On the night, MSU had 124 yards on 20 carries, 84 of those coming on sophomore receiver Keshawn Martin’s long touchdown run.
Commentary
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Matt Bell
(11/02/09 7:49am)Report
It’s good to see a Spartan team that doesn’t fold at the first hint of adversity. These guys will fight and scrap to the very end and many kudos for that.
That being said, we’re not a very good football team. We might play hard but we don’t play very smart. Hopefully, as this team ages a bit, we’ll see some better execution. They’re still pretty young.
I wonder when we’re ever going to see competent defensive coordination, though? I don’t think Narduzzi can use the “I’m just a freshman” excuse….
Lee
(11/02/09 9:37am)Report
Doing the math, that means we had an average of 2.1 yards per carry without Keshawn’s one great run. I may not get paid millions of dollars to professionally coach college football, but if I did and my running game was so awful I think I’d try PASSING on first down for a change!
I’m SO sick of seeing us waste two downs on rushing EVERY series. When the whole world knows you’re going to run up the middle you probably won’t get very far with mediocre running backs!!!
Jason B
(11/02/09 10:56am)Report
And if we’re not running up the middle, we’re running to the sort side of the field where there is no room. Why don’t the coaches call plays to the wide side and give the backs some room to make plays? The play calling is so predictable it’s killing us. How many times are we going to run up the middle inside the 5 and get turned back before the realize it’s time to try something else?
ZT
(11/02/09 11:02am)Report
The thing that scares me most is Dantonio is supposed to be a tough nosed defensive minded coach. Yet we cannot cover a pass over 10 yards at all. Also, as far as production, we have the best offense in the Big Ten.
When you score as much as MSU does, you should not be losing too many games, but the D is awful. I know the talent isn’t as great as last year, but the defensive gameplan needs an overhaul
Tim
(11/02/09 11:12am)Report
Well folks……….
SOS returned in typical fashion Saturday. Timmy made the trip over to Minneapolis, and the only good thing about the trip was that the new Gopher stadium is really nice.
You could tell from the start that MSU wasn’t ready, emnotionally or physically, to play. This is coaching or rather lack thereof. Been a problem all along and it won’t be getting better soon. For all the hype MD and his staff spends too much time getting the players ready for failure rather than preparing them for success. Blah blah blah…seven stages of grief. Blah blah blah…sickening. Defeat rather than victory is MD’s personna. Another in a long line of mediocre coaches passing through MSU. Right up there with Bobby and John L.
Can’t get two yards per carry and way too many attempts up the middle at the goal line. Play action? What’s that? Roll the QB and throw to a TE crossinhg? What’s that. MD is stuck trying to be a “power team,” and he’s proving every game that we ain’t.
For all you koolaid drinkers and “MD is my Hero” crowd: Good Luck. This team is a joke…this staff is a joke..this season is a joke.
Time for more contract extension talks.
Predictions for the rest of the year: One more win, a sloppy escapade of mistakes vs. WMU, followed by thrashings by PU and PSU.
This team doesn’t belong in a bowl game…ANY bowl game.
MD is on his way out. Two more years.
The search committee needs to dust off those resumes and start making the calls soon. Plenty of fresh talent out there ready for an administration willing to dole out the bucks on hope.
Payback will come on the hardcourt if Head case Morgan can wake up and earn his keep and we can find a few “bigs” to help in the post. Thank GOD for Tom Izzo…one bright spot in another wise gloomy picture that is MSU sports
Blah blah
(11/02/09 4:51pm)Report
“To its credit, the MSU defense never gave up and came up with some big plays later in the game, but the first two minutes represented the Spartans’ susceptibility to big plays all night.”
C’mon, Jeff. It’s getting old for you and all the other MSU fans to say, “Well, they gave it their all. Let’s be proud.” These are scholarship players, they should be beating teams like this, especially in Dantonio’s third season.
We have regressed this season, and these are players Dantonio himself recruited. And maybe the defense didn’t “give up,” but they did give the Gophers’ QB a career day in a game we should have been hungry for after the Iowa debacle.
Tim
(11/02/09 5:20pm)Report
I’m with you, Blah Blah!!
Mark, “we’re a, paower team,” Dantonio.
Don, “Up the gut, “ Treadwell.
Pat, “prevent,” Narduzzi.
Need I say more?
Second rate coaching staff, second rate players.
Occasional wins.
“O” line that lacks toughness. Overweight, ovwer fed, under coached, not very bright.
D libne. Bright spot, especially Worthy. Need a bunch more like that. Mad dog mean, viper quick.
D backfield. Rediculous. Laughable. Horrible.
Place kicker. The best!
QB’s. Cousins improving. Nichols: can’t complete a simple foward pass. Maybe that’s why he’s not still at Oklahoma.
O backfield. Just kids.
No hope for this year. No hope for the near term future.
MD must GO. The sooner the better. At least with JLS, we had some imagination on offense. At times (Vs Number 4 Wisconsin)it was fun to watch it hit on all cylinders. This present team sucks big time. We know it…they know it….the other teams know it… the papers know it…the sportswritwers know it…..any first grader with a TV set knows it.
We suck. SOS is here to stay.
More o’ the same.
The Dantonio Show
(11/02/09 9:40pm)Report
I thought he had the look and the demeanor to be a great coach when all along he was just putting on a show to make a few million….the players didn’t show effort because they didn’t see any from MD when the refs were making horrific calls and no-calls…why didn’t MD ask for a review when Iowa ‘apparently’ fumbled last week??? Would you fight for someone who doesn’t fight for you? NEW COACH!NEW COACH!NEW COACH!