What Does It All Mean? A Review of the MSU - CAL game

by grahamfiller10 on Sep 3, 2008 9:49 AM CDT

Great Expectations for the Spartans

Year two of the Mark Dantonio era did not begin the way many Spartan fans hoped and expected. With Michigan State looking to take a step forward from last years 7-6 season, a 38-31 loss at Cal is not the way they wanted to start 2008. But what does it all mean?

Michigan State was pegged as a sleeper team in the Big Ten this year because of the character showed Spartans showed during their 6 losses suffered in 2007. All 6 of those losses, including a 24-21 loss to Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl, came by 7 points or less. How ironic that MSU lost to Cal by 7 points. As Brian Hoyer stated after the game, "I'm getting sick of this losing by seven stuff."

The Spartans can only be satisfied with being competitive in games for so long. That was a good step in Dantonio's first year, but now it is time to find a way to win those close games. Michigan State did not make the plays needed to win against a tough Pac-10 team on the West Coast.

This was the toughest opening game for MSU since 1995 when they opened against number two ranked Nebraska. I can still remember witnessing that game from the upper deck of Spartan Stadium with Graham. I have never seen a game so one-sided, as the Corn Huskers rocked the Spartans 50-10. Obviously Cal is not quite as good as that Nebraska team and this year's version of MSU football should be better than the one in '95. Still, facing such a quality opponent so early in the season helps answer a lot of questions about a football team.

In Depth Look Offense: New O-Lineman and a Star WR Emerges

Heading into the season, one of the biggest questions for the green and white was the offensive line. The whole left side has been revamped and it was obvious in game one. The match-up between featured running backs Javon Ringer and Jahvid Best was the one to watch. Ringer managed only 81 yards on 27 carries, although he did score two touchdowns. I think most State fans expect more out of Ringer and they should see much more impressive outings down the road, but the O-line never gave Ringer room to run. For Javon to put up the numbers he reached last season, the line will need to be much better. On the other side, Best was outstanding. While running behind terrific blocks from fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou and All-American center Alex Mack, the fastest player I have seen since Ohio State's Ted Ginn scorched the Spartan ‘D' for 104 yards rushing, 61 yards receiving and a touchdown.

While the MSU offensive line didn't create much room for Ringer, they did do a pretty good job protecting quarterback Brian Hoyer by not allowing a single sack. And that brings us to what has to be the most disappointing thing for Spartan fans. All things considered Hoyer had a solid first season under center, throwing for 20 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions, but he got much of the blame for Michigan State's loss in the Champs Sports Bowl after throwing 4 interceptions. That ending left a bad taste in the mouths of MSU faithful and Hoyer himself. Coming into his senior season having started 13 games already, Hoyer's experience is a big reason why the Spartans were expected to finish better than last season. But, Hoyer did not perform like an experienced senior against Cal. While he did throw for 321 yards and a touchdown, he only completed 20 of his 48 pass attempts and threw an interception in the red-zone late in the first half. Hoyer's timing just never seemed to be "on" and instead of improving from last season, it looks as though he has regressed. Of course, it is only one game and I am sure he will play better. Hoyer has an outstanding arm and can be very accurate, but he also seems to lack confidence at times. Maybe he hasn't completely recovered from the bowl game last year or maybe he just needs time to work with his new fresh faced targets now that Devin Thomas and Kellen Davis are in the NFL.

That brings us to the biggest positive to come from the Cal game for Michigan State. With the departure of Thomas, the question was whether or not any of the receivers would step into that role as go-to receiver. That question seems to have been answered in a big way. Sophomore Mark Dell finished the game with 9 catches for 202 yards (the fifth best single-game total in MSU history) and a 29-yard touchdown catch. You can see that the receiving corps will be fine as both Dell and redshirt-freshman B.J. Cunningham were able to get open all game against a speedy secondary.

In Depth Look Defense: A Wiley Veteran

While Dell was the offensive player of the game for Michigan State, the defensive player of the game was Otis Wiley, who corralled two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Wiley's performance is huge for Michigan State considering he had what was perceived to be a down year in 2007. Wiley led a defense that was very tough early, holding Cal without a first down for nearly the entire first quarter. But the defense gradually seemed to wear down and by the fourth quarter Michigan State could not get the stops they needed.

Summary: 2008 Sparty looks like 2007 Sparty

MSU just made too many mistakes to beat Cal on their home field. The Spartans committed an un-Dantonio like 8 penalties for 82-yards, one of which negated a Cunningham touchdown reception and one that took away a 10-yard Ringer touchdown run. Michigan State suffered through early special teams miscues, penalties, offensive line breakdowns and a failure to find balance in its passing and running games. Those mistakes may not prevent State from beating Eastern Michigan, but Cal was a different story. There is still a long way to go in the season but playing such a quality opponent so early could be a good indicator of the type of season a team will have. As of right now, the 2008 Spartans look much like the 2007 Spartans and until further notice, any 7-5 prediction for Michigan State is looking pretty solid right now.