Sparty's Midterm : The Iowa Hawkeyes

Here we are college football fans, the mid-point of the 2009 season. For many of you, it's the dreaded "Mid - Term" week, it is no different for the Michigan State Spartan football team.

The Spartans started off the year with a bang, blowing out Montana State 44 - 3. The Spartans absolutely bullied there Division 1-aa opponent for a full 60 minutes, seeming to click on all cylinders, preparing themselves for an all out aerial attack on the "meat" of their schedule. Then the Chippewas of Central Michigan came to town.

The Chips pulled of an absolute shocking victory over the confident Spartans, winning with a last minute field goal in the fourth quarter to upset one of the preseason Big Ten favorites, the Michigan State Spartans. After that humbling 29 - 27 loss to their in-state counterpart, the Central Michigan Chippewas, Sparty received a direct hit to their ego, knocking them back to reality. Many critics credited the early season loss as "same old Sparty".

The Spartans, down late in the fourth quarter to Notre Dame, a team that they have owned in the last decade, again suffered another bitter defeat. The Spartans were in the driver's seat to pull of a late game win, but with Kirk Cousins throwing an untimely, drive killing interception, it sealed the deal for Notre Dame. The Irish escaped with a rare victory at home against State, a loss that seemingly stifled the confidence of the hopeful Spartans.

Michigan State now sits 4 - 3 overall, with a conference record of 3 - 1. This week's game against the Iowa Hawkeyes serves as a true assessment of the team, or in other words, one hell of a mid term.

Iowa is undefeated, and holding a no. 7 ranking, while in the hunt for BCS glory. The Spartans beat Iowa last year (Homecoming), thanks to the leg of All American kicker, Brett Swenson, 16 - 13. What Spartan fan can forget the hit Adam Decker laid on Chone Greene to thwart Iowa's effort, and ultimately set up the game winning drive for the green and white.

Let's get to the grading, shall we ?

MSU's offense is the number one passing offense in the Big Ten. Kirk Cousins has failed, at times, to utilize the weapons at his disposal, namely Mark Dell, B.J. Cunningham, and Blair White. The Spartan offense has been slow to start at times, but at others, looks dominate. MSU put up 17 points in the third quarter against Northwestern (Homecoming), and pulled away late to beat the Wildcats.

Blair White is undoubtedly one of the favorite targets for Kirk Cousins, the starting quarterback who has earned his stripes in the last few weeks. Kirk scrambled his way to a victory over Michigan, a facet of his game that has been criticized severely. It's always a goal for players and fans alike to beat the Wolverines, and they did it back to back year for the first time since 1966 - 67. That was an early test that Sparty passed with flying colors. The Wolverines, led by Freshman phenom Tate Forcier, made an effort late in the game to come back, but just couldn't pull it off. Danny Fortener's "Johnny On the Spot" tip to Chris L. Rucker led to the deal sealing interception for MSU. That interception set up the ensuing, game winning drive, on which Larry Caper (Freshmen) took it to the house on a 22 yard scamper that made Spartan Stadium come alive. MSU beat their bitter instate rival 26 - 20, in overtime.

The Michigan game was a game that was dominated by the Spartans for 3 1/2 quarters, but somehow, Tate found a way to lead his team back into the contest late. Every Spartan fan, including myself, was holding their breath as the Wolverines marched down field with ease, making it awfully hard to watch for the Spartan faithful.

The Michigan State offense sputters at times, but has gotten it done when it counts, therefore, they will receive a B - in my grade book. There is obvious room for improvement and the Spartans continue to build on their success week after week. Kirk Cousins has thrown for over 1,200 yards, 9 touchdowns, and has a stout passer rating of 146.85. Blair White, or Mr. Consistency, has 45 receptions, 9 touchdowns, and is approaching 700 yards on the year. If Sparty's dynamic duo can get on the same page, it spells disaster for opponents, as the two continue to develop and strengthen their chemistry game by game. Be on the watch out for the big play ability of this offense, as Don Treadwell isn't afraid to dial up the long ball. If the Spartan offense can continue to improve, as they have, they will be force to be reckoned with.

The Spartan defense, mainly the secondary, has been suspect all year. Inconsistent play at the CB and Safety positions has been a weakness all season long. Chris L. Rucker and Jeremy Ware have endured the brunt of the criticism, but both continue to "work on it" as the season progresses. The problems of blown coverage and missed assignments have plagued the MSU secondary in the first 7 games, an issue that has been addressed by Defensive Coordinator, Pat Narduzzi. Narduzzi is a defensive mastermind, and has tightened up the play of his crew.

Greg Jones, the 2008 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is on a tear in 2009. He is the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year(defensively) coming into 2009, and leads the nation in tackles. Greg is without a question, one of the more talented Linebackers in the nation and has been making the grade on a regular basis. Trevor Anderson is solid as always, and if the secondary can beef up, the Spartan defense looks to be tough for the remainder of the season.

Inconsistent play on the part of the secondary, the inability to kill drives when it counts, and the occasional lack of intensity will earn the Spartan Defense a C. Michigan State has been mediocre on 3rd downs, both offensively and defensively, and just can't seem to put teams away when they have a chance. With their upcoming game against the perfect Hawkeyes, this will need to change. "Silly" mistakes can drive coaches insane, and the Spartans have made a few in 2009. The offside penalty against Central Michigan essentially gift wrapped the victory for the Chippewas, personal foul penalties hurt them considerably against Notre Dame as well.

The bottom line is this : Michigan State must play up to their potential in order to ward off criticism from the world of college football, and to shed the "Little Brother" tag that has been pinned on their program by that team from Ann Arbor. Michigan State is boasting an explosive offense, and must continue to utilize key players such as Blair White, Mark Dell, and put their above average TE corps to use. Gannt and Celek are both sure handed when it comes to receiving, and great run blockers/pass protectors as well. The Spartan's running game has been brought back to life thanks to Larry Caper, and Edwin Baker is looking more and more reliable as the no. 2 back. With the season ending injury to Glenn Winston, Dantonio was forced to "burn" Baker's redshirt in order to strengthen the Spartan backfield.

The Spartans have to get back to what won them 9 games last year, and that's good old fashioned Big Ten football... pounding the opponent with the run. Iowa and Penn State are the two big games left on the schedule, and a win against Iowa on Saturday can put the Spartans in control of their own destiny when it comes to making a run at a Big Ten Title.

I will give the Spartans an overall grade of a B- due to their increasing intensity, and willingness to put "W's" in the win column when it counts.