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Topic: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game

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ELA

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Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« on: August 30, 2021, 02:53:04 PM »
MSU ended Northwestern's national title hopes by handing the Wildcats their lone regular season loss a year ago.  MSU scored the first 17 and last 12 points of the game, Northwestern outscored them 20-0 in between.

4th down stop and an interception put MSU up 17-0 just 16 minutes into the game, and then they had to scrap to hang on.  Wildcats scored the next 20 points.  Turning point was after forcing an interception in MSU territory immediately after taking the lead, Northwestern fumbled the ball on the very next play.

The 4th quarter drive chart is amazing...
3 plays, 8 yards, INT
1 play, -7 yards, fumble
7 plays, 27 yards, FG
3 plays, 6 yards, punt
3 plays, 6 yards, punt
3 plays, 3 yards, INT
7 plays, 19 yards, FG
3 plays, 0 yards, punt
6 plays, 14 yards, punt
3 plays, -19 yards, fumble (returned for TD)

That is 10 drives, averaging 5.7 yards per DRIVE; coming out to 1.46 ypp, with 4 turnovers, 4 punts, and 2 FGs
« Last Edit: September 04, 2021, 07:55:28 AM by ELA »
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Abba

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Re: Michigan State (0-0, 0-0) at Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) Game Week
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2021, 04:21:34 PM »
That was really the biggest upset of the season, based on how each team ended up at the end of the year, though MSU over Michigan felt bigger at the time.
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ELA

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Re: Michigan State (0-0, 0-0) at Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) Game Week
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2021, 08:06:58 AM »

Michigan State Spartans at Northwestern Wildcats
Friday @ 9:00 - Evanston, IL - ESPN
In a normal year, a loss to a bad Michigan State team being the only thing between Northwestern and an undefeated regular season would be a notable event.  In 2020, I'm not sure anyone noticed.  In fairness, while several Big Ten teams probably missed their three guaranteed wins in September, for Northwestern, given recent results, that may have helped catapult them.  In 2018, Northwestern started 1-3, including an inexplicable loss to Akron at home, before going 8-2 the rest of the way, appearing in their first conference championship game, with the two losses coming to Notre Dame and Ohio State, both CFP participants.  That turn was started by a 29-19 win at Michigan State.  In 2017, they started 2-3, which included a blowout 41-17 loss to Duke, before winning their final 8 games.  In 2016, it was a 1-3 starts, with 2 losses coming against Western Michigan and FCS Illinois State.  So given a 5-12 record over the previous 4 Septembers, maybe sitting that month out did them some good.  How can Northwestern avoid another slow start?  It would help if Hunter Johnson looks much more like the guy who was expected to be the next starting quarterback at Clemson until Trevor Lawrence arrived, and nothing like the disaster he was when getting tabbed as the starter for the Cats to begin the 2019 season.  Particularly with presumptive starting running back Cam Porter being lost for the season, and Northwestern graduating their top 4 receivers.  True freshman Jordan Mosley, a 4* recruit from Alabama, who is the highest rated WR recruit in 247 history for the school, has a chance to grab an immediate role.  The bigger question is how well Northwestern reloads a defense that led the conference, and finished fifth nationally, in scoring defense.  Particularly considering teams moved the ball decently between the 20s (they were 4th in the Big Ten in yards allowed), they just were the ultimate bend but don't break unit, limiting teams to just 2.7 points per trip inside the 40, best in the nation.  The Spartans figured out how to beat that last year, by going over the top for a 79 yard touchdown pass on the second play of the game.  It also didn't hurt that one of the worst teams at holding onto the football wound up +3 in turnover differential, with 22 of the Spartans' 29 points coming off a turnover or turnover on downs.  I expect the Michigan State offense to be improved, mainly from improved line play, but not enough to score enough points absent another large turnover differential.
NORTHWESTERN 28, MICHIGAN STATE 16

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ELA

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Re: Michigan State (0-0, 0-0) at Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) Game Week
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2021, 08:10:12 AM »
At least the helmets aren't the neon ones from the Northwestern game last year.  The rare alternate I like

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ELA

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2021, 07:56:35 AM »
Hunter Johnson looked a hell of a lot better than the last time we saw him, but if Northwestern can't run, they are in trouble, and they can't run.

The defense looks like a shell of last year.
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MaximumSam

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2021, 07:57:22 AM »
Quote from: ELA on September 04, 2021, 07:56:35 AM
Hunter Johnson looked a hell of a lot better than the last time we saw him, but if Northwestern can't run, they are in trouble, and they can't run.

The defense looks like a shell of last year.
Probably not the start their new coordinator wanted
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ELA

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2021, 09:02:11 AM »
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ELA

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2021, 03:24:52 PM »
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Hawkinole

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2021, 12:29:42 AM »
Quote from: ELA on August 30, 2021, 02:53:04 PM
MSU ended Northwestern's national title hopes by handing the Wildcats their lone regular season loss a year ago.  
MSU ended NU's national title hopes two-consecutive years. MSU is really good!
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BuckeyeAvenger

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2021, 09:57:17 AM »
Northwestern’s offense was anemic, and it wasn’t because Sparty was playing great defense.
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ELA

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2021, 11:10:12 PM »
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Abba

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Re: Michigan State (1-0, 1-0) at Northwestern (0-1, 0-1) Post Game
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2021, 10:10:22 AM »
True, most of Sermon's yards were before contact last year.  =P
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