SB Nation User Blog: DrDetroit

MSU Pass Defense

DrDetroit — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:30:45 -0000

[Bumped, now that everyone's had a chance to wade through all the front page content from the weekend. Final MSU pass defense stats in 8 conference games: 268.5 yards/game, 59.8% Comp%, 7.6 yards/attempts, 22-3 TD-INT ratio. There's your first team all-Big Ten QB right there. Indictment of Dantonio/Narduzzi 4-3-or-bust defensive approach complete? -KJ]

As I am sure everyone knows, the defense has pretty much been in the epic fail category all year. I am going to talk about our scheme and Penn State's scheme. Why their defense works and ours costs us several games each year.

First, MSU prefers to run their base defense as Defensive Coordinator Pat Narducci has said earlier this year. MSU's choice for a base set is the 4-3 with a Cover 4. Penn State prefers to use the Cover 3.

MSU's Cover 4.

The Cover 4 uses the three linebackers to defend everything within 10 yards of the LOS. The OLBs take the flat, the MLB has responsibility for the middle. All four DBs drop deep.

The Cover 3

The Cover 3 also has the three LBs covering the short part of the field, but brings a safety up to take one of the flats. Only 3 defensive backs are left to cover deep. This gives the Cover 3 four players in zone coverage within 10 yards of the LOS.

In my preview of the Penn State game, I said "This makes it difficult to throw short passes, but a lot easier to go deep, assuming the QB has time" in reference to the Cover 3. The four players covering the short zones allows for smaller zones and tighter coverage between defenders. This makes it hard to throw the ball between 8 and 15 yards downfield. You have to attack the seems deep, 15+ yards downfield. The way to attack this defense is to get three WRs deep, which forces the safety in the middle to pick a side of the field, then you will have single coverage on the other side. For the offensive set shown, if the WR on the left runs up the sideline and the TE on the left runs up the field on the hash marks, the safety will have to shift over to the left side of the field to cover the TE. That would leave the WR on the right in single coverage with the CB.

Of course, in order for this to happen you have to give the QB time. This defense works really well for Penn State because their defensive line does not give opposing offenses time to let the WRs get deep. That forces other teams to either throw into the coverage in the 8-15 yard routes or throw it underneath on two yard routes.

Conversely, MSU's defense only has the three defenders covering the 8-15 yard routes. Additionally, the zones are large and the seems between them are exceptionally vulnerable. Purdue ran two consecutive plays that attacked the Cover 4 MSU runs, both were completed passes for 15 and 14 yards. For both plays, the ball is out in under two seconds. You can't expect to get much pressure from your d-line in under two seconds. The ball is always going to get out.

As you can see, this makes the MSU defense exceptionally vulnerable to basically all pases that are thrown within 15 yards of the LOS. That is something that the Cover 3 stops (or at least makes really hard to do), but the Cover 4 allows. As far as I am concerned, the Cover 4 is a prevent coverage. It should only be used if you have a big lead or are trying to force a team to put together a long drive or it is a 3rd and 15+. Outside of that, it is not a good coverage to use and Michigan State uses it all the time.

Addittionally, MSU always keeps 3 linebackers on the field. We do not substitute based on what the other team does, we only substitute based on the situation, ie on 3rd and long we'll go to a nickel package. That is why we get the defense set as shown below.

The OLB on the left has shifted out wide to cover the WR. It doesn't work in real life and it doesn't work in video games either. The outside WR runs a slant. The inside WR runs a flare(?) route towards the sideline.

The WR catches the ball and goes out of bounds after a 7 yard gain. Sound familiar?

This is the defense MSU continuously goes to. It is our bread and butter defense. It might work if we had 3 copies of Greg Jones at LB, but of course we do not. This is the defensive scheme that allowed Minnesota's bad offense to go for 500 yards, Purdue's offense to go for 500 yards, Central Michigan to go over 400, Notre Dame to get over 400, Wisconsin to go over 400, Michigan to put the game into OT, and Northwestern to nickel and dime us all day.

This is what Pat Narduzzi calls, this is what he likes, this is what he wants. This is why I want him fired. Promoted. Or Demoted. In any event, we need a new defensive coordinator if MSU is ever going to be better than a 6-6 mediocre Big Ten team.

Penn State vs MSU, Defensive Strategy

DrDetroit — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:55:36 -0000

Penn State vs MSU, Defensive Strategy

In the fan shot thread about my PSU-MSU Game Preview, TheJuggerNitt said,
Also, isn’t the purpose of the Cover 3 to prevent the big play, but that it allows the little dink and dunks. The whole "bend but don’t suck"?So, I discuss the difference between the Cover 3 and 4. Quick version, Tom Bradley is smart and Pat Narduzzi is dumb.

And as far as my preview went, I had so much humble pie on Saturday that I won't be having pie on Thursday. I was only wrong about MSU getting an early lead, the d-line generating pressure, DC throwing an INT, huge special teams returns and Penn State putting together drives consisting of more than 3 plays. However, I think I did correctly spell the players names.

The Dr's Penn State Preview

DrDetroit — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:25:04 -0000

[Bumped. Enough of this wussy basketball stuff. Eyes on the prize, baby:

--LVS.]

I am fired up for another big game this weekend. Michigan State's fake rival comes to town. Dantonio is 1-1 against the Lions and this is a big game for both program. PSU has hopes of getting ~~their asses kicked in~~ to a BCS game. MSU wants to be above .500. I'd rather be in their shoes.

This is also a big game in my household as my wife is a Penn State alum. I would love to rub an MSU win in her face, but she doesn't care about football and I have to live with her. So, hpoefully its a good game to watch. On with the preview!

PSU’s Offense vs MSU’s Defense

Offensive Line
PSU’s dominant o-line graduated last year. This year’s line has been below average. 73 Dennis Landolt switched from RT to LT. 61 Stefan Wisniewski moved from LG to C. The new starting RT is a sophomore, 50 DeOn’tae Pannell. The Gs are both new and mediocre. Penn State has swapped personnel a few times this year and never had improved performance. Rivals list the current starting LG as 54 Matt Stankiewitch and the RG as 77 Lou Eliades. Overall this unit has problems pass and run blocking. MSU should have a significant advantage here. 99 Jerel Worthy should be able to get penetration disrupting rushing plays and pass plays. 58 Trevor Anderson should be able to beat the RT and be in Daryl Clark’s face all day. If 89 Colin Neely or 70 Oren Wilson get into the backfield as well it will be a great day for the defense. PSU’s troubles in pass protection should allow for a very effective blitz package from our LBs.

Rushing
Penn State has who I thought would be the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, 22 Evan Royster. He has been shut down several times this year. Syracuse, Akron, Iowa and Ohio State all held him to less than 4.5 ypc. He did feast mightily on the teams you would expect him to, averaging 6 or more ypc against Minnesota, NW, Illinois, Temple and Eastern Illinois. Against MSU, I expect our d-line to be able to control PSU’s o-line allowing our LBs to make tackles. I expect Royster to average less than 5 ypc. Penn State will use a lead blocker and pull Gs, so expect the usual litany of 43 Eric Gordon and 34 Brandon Denson getting blocked on running plays. 53 Greg Jones will have to lead the way at shutting down Penn State’s rushing attack, basically doing what he has done all year.

QB
17 Daryll Clark had a great season last year behind a good offensive line. This year behind the mediocre line he has regressed. Barring a disaster against MSU, he is on pace to have an improved completion percentage and more yardage, but a lower YPA and rating to go with more INTs. Clark would fit in between Nichol and Cousins at MSU. He is more mobile than Kirk and more accurate that Keith, but far less accurate than Kirk. His passes normally fit into the catchable category, but he rarely hits his receivers in stride. His ability to run the ball will probably be the key to big plays for Penn State. PSU’s route of Illinois started on a QB draw (if you ignore the LT holding on the play, just like the Refs did). A well timed draw by PSU could spring Clark for a big run at a key point in the game. His legs might also be able to give him time to throw the ball by avoiding rushers. If the d-line can get to him and rattle him early, MSU could be able to shut down Penn State’s offense very quickly.

WR
The PSU receivers continue the fine tradition of catching the ball for not a lot of yards. The Lions have one receiver averaging more than 14 yards per catch. He also happens to be their main target, 6 Derek Moye. The rest of the WRs are in the possession category, with 5 Graham Zug leading the way. The TE, 10 Andrew Quarless, is also having a big year. The biggest threat to MSU though is Royster, who occasionally lines up in the slot. If he gets man coverage against a LB, expect a big play. Overall, none of the WRs are going to be able to beat our secondary. 29 Chris L. Rucker and 9 Jeremy Ware will keep the outside WRs covered, but, as usual, the inside WR, TE and HB are the ones that will gut our defense, and Penn State has good players at those positions.

What to Expect
As I’m sure everyone has either read or heard, Penn State loves them some 5 yard outs. This is the route that is almost specifically designed to beat MSU. It will be a heck of a chess match between Narduzzi and Paterno/Hall, if chess consisted of two pieces that only moved in one direction. If the Spartans can get penetration from the d-line, Penn State will go to the 5 yard routes by their WR. MSU normally drops the DBs off the LOS, so the route will be open. Penn State will be able to nickel and dime MSU all the way down the field. It is something that Clark has done on more than one occasion this year and has the patience to do against the Spartans. I would not be surprised to see Penn State put together two drives that are longer than 6 minutes each and for PSU to dominate time of possession. Then it will be up to Narduzzi to make his move, putting the DBs on the LOS in press coverage. That completes the chess match.
If MSU can not get penetration with the d-line, the Spartans defense will be on the field for long stretches and giving up points all day. If this happens, Narduzzi’s chess move will be to do nothing. The defense won’t get torched, but it’ll give up another 500 yards on roughly 100 plays while being on the field all day.

MSU’s Offense versus PSU’s Defense
Defensive Line

PSU’s d-line is strong up the middle but weak on the edges. 5 Jerome Hayes is a pretty meh senior DE and the other side is filled by a young inexperienced sophomore 81 Jack Crawford. Or at least he was inexperienced prior to the season. The middle is filled with 91 Jared Odrick and 85 Ollie Ogbu. Both have been starting for PSU for the entire JoePa era, or at least it seems that way. Obviously the d-line is vastly inferior to last year, but they are not bad. It is just a pretty average d-line. I expect the typical game from MSU’s o-line, solid pass protection with decent run blocking. The pass protection is going to be far more important this week than run blocking. If PSU’s d-line can get pressure on Cousins, it is going to be a bad day for the offense.

Linebackers
Penn State has two studs at LB and plays a third guy just for laughs. 45 Sean Lee figured to have an All-American type season before a rash of injuries kept him off the field. 11 Navorro Bowman emerged as a good LB last year, but this year had his ups and downs. He had a huge game against Indiana, but was basically tossed aside like a toy by Pryor on a TD run. Bowman and Lee are the real deal and play quality disciplined football. The non-real deal is between them and is best known for having a mustache. MSU is not going to have a good day running the ball against these LBs. I expect the Spartans to be in the sub 3.5 ypc category. I think MSU will have to attack the edges and try to get blockers on the LBs to even attempt to get anything going. The end arounds and wildcat with Martin are not going to get past the LBs. This LB core is a good veteran unit and won’t be confused with those plays.

Secondary
Penn State recruits and grooms DBs the opposite of LBs. They are generally mediocre recruits that are not that athletic and have no chance of playing on Sundays. However, they do not get out of position and play disciplined football. Tom Bradley does an outstanding job of getting the secondary to play above their talent level. PSU prefers to run a Cover 3 the way MSU prefers to use the Cover 4. This makes it difficult to throw short passes, but a lot easier to go deep, assuming the QB has time. That being said, last year’s secondary was exposed as frauds against USC. When USC was able to block PSU’s d-line, they lit up the secondary for 400+ yards. This year’s d-line is not as capable of hiding the secondary. MSU is going to have to have good blocking and run some deep routes to win this game. Dell, Cunningham, White and Martin are all more than capable of getting open against the PSU secondary. They’ll have to and they’ll need to catch everything that comes their way.

Special Teams
Penn State is supposed to have bad special teams, specifically their coverage units. I think this is the area where MSU has to have big plays. Martin needs to have a couple of big returns for MSU to win. Additionally, our kicker and punter are better than Penn State's.

What to Expect
It is Senior Day for MSU. The team is going to come out absolutely fired up. They’ll need to. MSU needs to ride that emotion to an early 10+ point lead before things settle down. If PSU starts off hot, MSU will be in trouble all day. I expect MSU’s defensive line will be able to get consistent pressure on Daryll Clark and will force him to make a few bad throws. I thiank at least one INT is likely. No matter what MSU does though, PSU will not quit and the game won’t be over until late in the 4th quarter. MSU will have problems moving the ball on offense, but will hit big plays to keep putting points on the board. PSU will not hit big plays, but will keep grinding out long drives that put points on the board. PSU will shut down MSU’s run game forcing everything onto Kirk Cousins and Keshawn Martin. I am guessing it will end up being a high scoring game with the Spartans eeking out a victory. The deciding factors will be 1) home game and 2) senior day.

MSUFR Defense at Purdue

DrDetroit — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:16:28 -0000

Or possibly lack there of. A few notes. I recommend not bumping this post until it is complete. Hopefully that will be Wednesday night. I am attempting to improve the rate of MSUFRs produced by doing a quarter a day rather than everything at once. I am also including a new metric for the defense. I am assigning passing yards against whom the play was completed. IE if a LB was in coverage and pass is complete for 6 yards the metric reads, LB 6, DB 0. It'll be a cumulative stat for the game. I believe MSUs pass defense problems are by teams attacking our LBs in coverage. Its why they go to 4WR sets against our 4-3 defense. I am also included KJ's super metric about getting disruptive.

I have been having problems creating the MSUFRs. The problem is that I record the games, then spend several hours editing the video to get it to a manageable size, less than 3.5 gig. When I do this at once, I am normally completing the editing by Tuesday, then I don't have enough time to finish the MSUFR before the next weekend. Also, I have been using Nero 8 and the video quality is less than impressive, it might be the settings I am using. So I finally realized that my wife's laptop does a better job with Windows Movie Maker that cames with Vista, I have an XP machine. The problem is using her laptop to edit the file when she is not using it, then create the file over night since it bogs down the computer. I have to work around a schedule that won't effect her.

In order to improve the delivery, I have tried to edit the video by quarters. So I have the first quarter completed and tried to create the second quarter this morning. It didn't work twice, but I tried a 3rd time before I left for work. I'll know more around 4 pm eastern. In any event, here is the first quarter MSUFR for defense. Please let me know if everyone likes or hates having the MSUFR piece mealed together. I thought it was a good idea to get more content out about the football game earlier in the week even if it is a little at a time.

I also switched over to using the play by play from the Big Ten Network. This was originally done because ESPN didn't have one for the MN game. The BTN play by play requires me to do less work. The BTNPBP also has errors every now and then, but hopefully I have corrected most of those.

EDIT: Added 2nd Quarter.

EDIT: 18 November, 2009. Added Drive Totals. Also, I am changing the drive totals so they are not in Green, but an additional empty line that is green will be displayed after the drive total. Drive totals from Yahoo Sports.

Time	Qtr	Down	LOS	Offense	Defense	Result
15:00	1	N/A	MSU30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Michigan State Michigan State kicks off. Touchback. Ball on Purdue20.
14 Brett Swenson +1
15:00	1	1 10	Purdue20	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Purdue Bolden fumbles, Rucker of Michigan State recovers and returns 11 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Purdue runs a fake pass run State of Liberty type play in which the QB/HB exchange is fumbled. 99 Jerel Worthy is basically untouched into the backfield and tackles the HB preventing him from recovering the fumble. 29 Chris L. Rucker scoops up the ball and scores. 99 Worthy +1, 29 L. Rucker +1. DM 1/1. LB 0, DB 0
Drive Totals: 1 play, -9 yards, Fumble

14:53	1	N/A	MSU30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Michigan State Michigan State kicks off. Touchback. Ball on Purdue20.
14 Brett Swenson +1
14:53	1	1 10	Purdue20	I Formation, Twin WR	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush left for 21 yards to the Purdue41.
Purdue runs to the weak side. This is the larger gap between the DT and DE for MSU. 70 Oren Wilson is lined up almost on the C and the DE 89 Neely is split outside the LT. The LG and C seal 70 Wilson and the LT keeps 89 Neely outside. 43 Eric Gordon gets blocked by the FB. 53 Greg Jones misses a tackle. 33 Danny Fortener moves up on the run and gets a minor block by a WR allowing the HB to spring outside and past the secondary. 39 Trenton Robinson comes across the field to make the tackle. 39 Robinson +1, 53 Jones -1, 43 Gordon -1, 33 Fortener -1. DM 1/2. LB 0, DB 0
14:30	1	1 10	Purdue41	I Formation	4-3	Purdue Elliott rush middle for 5 yards to the Purdue46.
Purdue runs a PA boot. 58 Trevor Anderson sees the play but gets out of control avoiding a block and runs himself past the QB who then runs the ball. The QB slides to avoid 99 Worthy and 53 Jones. 58 Anderson -1. DM 1/3. LB 0, DB 0
14:00	1	2 5	Purdue46	Shotgun 3WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the middle to Smith for 4 yards to the MSU50.
MSU is in a man coverage. The pass is to a WR who runs a slant but then stops. When he stops that creates a gap on 29 L. Rucker who doesn't stop as well. 29 L. Rucker then misses the tackle but 53 Jones is there to prevent any YAC. 53 Jones was in zone coverage as he is looking into the backfield. 53 Jones +1, 29 L. Rucker -1. DM 1/4. LB 0, DB 4
13:13	1	3 1	MSU50	I Formation, 2TE	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush middle for 3 yards to the MSU47.
89 Colin Neely gets doubled by the LT and TE sealing him inside. This allows the pulling LG and FB to get outside as lead blockers. The LG blocks 43 Gordon. The FB tries to block 53 Jones, but Jones still makes the tackle with 70 Wilson. 53 Jones +1, 70 Wilson +1, 43 Gordon -1. DM 1/5. LB 0, DB 4
12:52	1	1 10	MSU47	Ace 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush right for 17 yards to the MSU30.
Purdue runs a draw. 58 Anderson attacks inside allowing the RT to seal him and the HB bounces the play outside. 53 Jones and 43 Gordon avoid blocks of WRs, but are out of position to make a play on the HB. 33 Fortener makes a diving one handed tackle. 33 Fortener +1, 43 Gordon -1, 53 Jones -1. DM 1/6. LB 0, DB 4
12:28	1	1 10	MSU30	I Formation, Twin WR	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush middle for 5 yards to the MSU25.
MSU's D-line gets enough push to force the HB to cut back. 36 Misch gets blocked by the LG. 58 Anderson is sealed by the TE. 99 Worthy and 70 Wilson clogged the middle. 43 Gordon avoids an o-lineman and makes the tackle. 43 Gordon +1, 99 Worthy +1, 70 Wilson +1, 58 Anderson -1, 36 Misch -1. DM 1/7. LB 0, DB 4
11:57	1	2 5	MSU25	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	Purdue Smith fumbles, Schmeig of Purdue recovers and returns 0 yards to the MSU26.
MSU shows blitz. Wow, it was actually a fake. MSU only sends two d-lineman and one LB. Both DEs dropped into zones. The QB throws the ball into the flat where the WR is hit by 29 L. Rucker and fumbles. This was some combination of a Cover 3 Zoen defense with both DEs also being in short zones. 39 Trenton Robinson was supposed to have the coverage, but it was a quick pass before he could get there. 29 L. Rucker +2. DM 2/8. LB 0, DB 4
11:10	1	3 6	MSU26	Shotgun 5WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the middle to Smith for 26 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
MSU shows blitz and sends a LB. MSU is in a Cover 1 defense. So the MLB and one safety are in zone coverage over the middle of the field. Everyone else is in man coverage. 9 Ware slips and allowing the WR to get open, then he collides with 43 Gordon taking both of them out of the play. 38 Kendell Davis-Clark misses a tackle allowing the TD. At the start of the play 43 Gordon drifts to his left in coverage, I am guessing this is where the QB was looking. That allowed the WR to be open. 36 Misch was covering the WR that 43 Gordon was helping with. I think this is actually a good move by Gordon to help the other LB covering a WR. If Ware had not slipped I don't think this gets any YAC or is possibly incomplete. 9 Ware -1, 38 KDC -1. DM 2/9. LB 0, DB 30
11:10	1	N/A	MSU2	FG	FG Block	Purdue Wiggs PAT - GOOD.
MSU gets penetration but can not get to the ball.
Drive Totals: 8 plays, 80 yards, TD 8. TOP 3:55.

10:07	1	4 7	MSU33	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Michigan State Bates punts. Valentin returns 7 yards to the Purdue18.
MSU is playing games with their punt formation. ~~This is the third formation I've seen this game.~~ (At this point in real life I have seen most of the game, but this was MSU's first punt so it doesn't actually make any sense that this is the third formation.) Bates absolutely booms thick kick back to the 11. The kick is long enough that the PR gets a return, but the coverage comes quickly to keep it short. 33 Fortener made the tackle. Bates +1, Fortener +1
9:54	1	1 10	Purdue18	Ace 3WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the right to Smith for 12 yards to the Purdue30.
MSU is in zone. Purdue runs a roll out. The d-line gets through the o-line, but the QB has moved away from any pressure. 33 Fortener has great coverage, its just a good route and well thrown ball. DM 2/10. LB 0, DB 42
9:35	1	1 10	Purdue30	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush middle for 1 yard to the Purdue31.
Purdue spreads the field and does a straight run. This is a stupid play against MSU's defense. 36 Misch reads the play and avoids a blocker to get to the HB. 43 Gordon even does well at avoiding a blocker on this play. The d-line does a good job of occupying the entire o-line to prevent any blockers from getting to the second level. 36 Misch +1. DM 2/11. LB 0, DB 42
9:02	1	2 9	Purdue31	I formation, Twin WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the left to Dierking for 27 yards to the MSU42.
MSU is lined up in man coverage. The FB runs a wheel route. He was supposed to be covered by either 53 Jones or 43 Gordon. Gordon ran with him but dropped him to stay with the HB. 29 L. Rucker sees a pick of his man onto Gordon and looks into the backfield to see the ball released. He turns and makes the TD saving tackle. 29 L. Rucker +1, 53 Jones -1, 43 Gordon -1. DM 2/12. LB 27, DB 42
8:30	1	1 10	MSU42	I formation	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush left for 3 yards to the MSU39.
MSU shows blitz and sends a LB and CB. Both get into the backfield, but its a draw and they are too deep to get a TFL. 53 Jones gets to the HB and almost missed the tackle. 53 Jones +1. DM 2/12. LB 27, DB 42
7:54	1	2 7	MSU39			Purdue Michigan State penalized 5 yards.
93 Blake Treadwell offsides. 93 Treadwell -1.
7:44	1	2 2	MSU34	I formation	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush left for -2 yards to the MSU36.
MSU starts the corners tight, but they back out before the snap. MSU then shows a LB blitz and does. 53 Jones and 43 Gordon blitz up the middle. The play is a pitch outside. 89 Neely beats his man upfield but misses the tackle. He slows up the HB enough to allow 36 Misch to get the TFL with 29 Chris L. Rucker. 36 Misch +2, 89 Neely -1. DM 3/13. LB 27, DB 42
7:17	1	3 4	MSU36	Shotgun 5WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the right to Smith for 7 yards to the MSU29.
MSU shows blitz. LB comes off the edge. A WR sits down in a hole in the zone. No DBs come to cover him. 38 KDC and 37 Weaver should have had the coverage. 38 KDC -1, Weaver -1. DM 3/14. LB 27, DB 49
6:40	1	1 10	MSU29	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the right to Valentin for -2 yards to the MSU31.
Purdue runs a WR screen. 70 Wilson is one of the lightly blocked d-lineman, he instantly reads screen. The WR then fakes him out of his jock. If it was a video game, you'd think the person had pushed the wrong direction trying to make the tackle. 36 Misch then also misses a tackle. 58 Anderson grabs the WR by the ankles and 29 L. Rucker comes in to stop forward progress. The WR was covered by 29 L. Rucker at the start of the play, but he gets blocked by the inside WR. He does get off the block to make the play. DM 4/15. LB 27, DB 47
6:09	1	2 12	MSU31	Shotgun 3WR	3-4	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the left to Smith for 1 yard to the MSU30.
MSU is actually in a 3-4. Its and odd set where one LB is standing behind the NT showing blitz. The other 3 LBs are aligned as if it were a 4-3. The throw is out into the flat where 43 Gordon is supposed to have coverage. He isn't fast enough to get there before the pass is complete (I'm not sure superman would be), but he is quick enough to arrive with the safety to make the tackle. 33 Fortener +1, 43 Gordon +1. DM 4/16. LB 28, DB 47
5:21	1	3 11	MSU30	Shotgun 3WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the right to Smith for 21 yards to the MSU9.
MSU shows blitz. The DBs move into tight coverage before the snap. 9 Ware moves with the WR before the snap, then drops his coverage leaving the WR wide open. 38 KDC flies in but misses the tackle. 9 Ware comes back to make the tackle. 9 Ware was in a zone and everyone else was in man. In any event, I think that was Ware's zone. 9 Ware +1, 9 Ware -1, 38 KDC -1. DM 4/17. LB 28, DB 68
4:46	1	1 9	MSU9	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the right.
MSU shows blitz, it looks like the o-line flinched, but no call. Purdue had the right call with a screen, but 6 MSU defenders were through the line and the QB had to throw it away. DM 5/18. LB 28, DB 68
4:37	1	2 9	MSU9	I formation, Twin WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the right.
The TE releases and runs an out route in the endzone. The coverage was picked up by the safeties. The TE drops the pass, but it was a tough one to make. 54 Rolf was the playside DE and he didn't see the rollout until it was by him. 54 Rolf -1. DM 5/19. LB 26, DB 68
4:31	1	3 9	MSU9	Shotgun 3WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the left to Smith for 6 yards to the MSU3.
The DEs stunt with the DTs and get no where. D-line -1. 53 Jones somehow never sees the WR that ran right in front of him. It looks like a Cover 2 man defense. If it is, I have no idea what Greg Jones was doing. The other option is a Cover 1, but both safeties were in a zone coverage. In any event, Jones should have follow the WR. 43 Gordon comes out of the endzone to prevent the TD. 33 Fortener runs up to help him finish the tackle. 43 Gordon +1, 33 Fortener +1, 53 Jones -1, D-Line -1. DM 5/20. LB 32, DB 68
4:00	1	4 3	MSU3	FG	FG BLock	Purdue Wiggs 20 yard FIELD GOAL.
29 L. Rucker flies in from the edge but the ball is away before he can make a play.
Drive Totals: 13 plays, 79 yards, FG. TOP 6:12.

0:26	1	1 10	MSU48	Ace Twin WR	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush left for 1 yard to the MSU47.
MSU shows blitz. 99 Worthy gets off his blocker and gets to the HB. 43 Gordon and 53 Jones meet up to get an assist on the tackle. 43 Gordon does a great job on this play. I bag on him so much I have to give him credit here. He sees it is a run. He looks up to see the WR coming to block him and positions himself so that he can easily shuck the block and attack the HB. Great job Eric Gordon! 99 Worthy +1, 43 Gordon +1. DM 5/21. LB 32, DB 68
2nd Quarter
15:00	2	2 9	MSU47	Ace	4-3	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the right.
MSU is in an odd Man. 29 Chris L. Rucker does not follow the WR in motion, but post snap 36 Jon Misch follows the WR on a wheel route 17 yards downfield. 9 Ware has great coverage and breaks up the pass. The defensive line had gotten past the blockers when the ball was released. 9 Ware +1. DM 6//22. LB 32, DB 68
14:55	2	3 9	MSU47	Shotgun 5WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the middle to Bolden for 2 yards to the MSU45.
MSU shows blitz. And of course blitzes. The blitz is picked up. The QB drops the ball underneath where 39 Robinson makes the tackle. The defense was in a Cover 1 so Robinson had the open receiver. 39 Robinson +1. DM 6/23. LB 32, DB 70
Drive Totals: 3 plays, 3 yards. Punt. TOP 1:13

13:25	2	4 8	MSU14	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Michigan State Bates punts. Valentin returns 12 yards to the MSU31.
Bates does not get much on this one. 42 Andrew Pendy takes a bad angle allowing the PR to get outside of him. 10 Chris Norman does not wrap up on his tackle attempt. Finally three Spartans force him out. 33 Danny Fortener, 55 Adam Decker and 18 Aaron Bates. 18 Bates +1, 42 Pendy -1, 10 Norman -1.
13:19	2	1 10	MSU31	Ace 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Purdue Elliott rush right for 5 yards to the MSU26.
MSU shows blitz and does! Ugh. 36 Misch and 29 L. Rucker blitz. This should have been a great call, but neither go after the QB on the PA rollout and he gets outside of them and upfield. 39 Trenton Robinson avoids a blocker and makes the tackle. 39 Robinson +2, 36 Misch -1, 29 L. Rucker -1. DM 6/24. LB 32, DB 70
12:40	2	2 5	MSU27	Shotgun 5WR, Bunch L	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the left to Bolden for 4 yards to the MSU23.
I thought it would be a screen, it wasn't. The D-lint stunts and is getting into the QBs face when he releases the ball. I think this was actually an effective stunt. Bolden runs a 5 yard route and stops in a hole in the zone before 43 Gordon can get there. DM 7/25. LB 36, DB 70.
12:11	2	3 1	MSU23	I formation, 3TE	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush middle for -2 yards to the MSU25.
99 Jerel Worthy gets past the o-line to take on the FB in the backfield. This forces the HB to change direction. 89 Neely had beaten his man as well and is in the backfield to gobble up the HB. DM 8/26. LB 36, DB 70
11:40	2	4 3	MSU25	FG	FG Block	Purdue Wiggs 42 yard FIELD GOAL.
Meh.
Drive Totals: 4 plays, 6 yards, FG. TOP 2:01

9:59	2	N/A	MSU30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Michigan State Michigan State kicks off. McBurse returns 20 yards to the Purdue33.
I guess there is a big breeze. Swenson drops the ball at the 12. 50 Steve Gardiner fights off a blocker and makes the tackle. 50 Gardiner +1.
9:54	2	1 10	Purdue33	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the middle to Adams for 9 yards to the Purdue42.
The pass is out in under two seconds. The d-line was collapsing the pocket around the QB though. MSU is in a Cover 4 Zone. 36 Misch does not see the WR sit down behind him and its and easy pitch and catch for the QB. 39 Robinson comes up to make the tackle. 39 Robinson +1, 36 Misch -1. DM 8/27. LB 45, DB 70
9:22	2	2 1	Purdue42	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the right to Smith for 7 yards to the Purdue49.
MSU does a great job of disguising the blitz. I didn't see it coming. Evidently Elliot did! He audibles to a WR screen, awesome audible. 29 L. Rucker drops out of tight coverage opening up the WR on the screen. He never looks at the WR to see the screen. 39 Robinson is moving up and sees the play but misses the tackle. 58 Anderson reads the play right away and drops back downfield to make the tackle. 58 Anderson +1, 39 Robinson -1, 29 L. Rucker -1. DM 8/28. LB 45, DB 77
8:50	2	1 10	Purdue49	Shotgun 3WR, HB Weak	4-3	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the left.
The ball is out in 2 seconds as the pocket is collapsing around the QB. The ball is thrown into double coverage. The WR almost makes a great catch by 9 Ware rips the ball out of his hands. 9 Ware +2, 33 Fortener +1. DM 9/29. LB 45, DB 77
8:40	2	2 10	Purdue49	I Formation	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush left for 1 yard to the MSU50.
MSU shows blitz. Wow! 33 Danny Fortener walked up into the box from his safety position. Have not seen much of that this year. The DTs stunt, which is actually a great call as it allows 70 Wilson to see the play and attack down the LOS. He misses the tackle, but slows up the HB. This allows 99 Worthy to make the tackle. I'm impressed with the DTs. 99 Worthy +1, 70 Wilson -1. DM 9/30. LB 45, DB 77
8:24	2	3 9	MSU50	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	Nickel	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the middle.
MSU shows blitz. A safety walks up to within 5 yards of the LOS showing man coverage. MSU actually tried to disguise the blitz. 53 Jones blitzed, but 36 Misch showed the blitz. The blitz was easily picked up. Everyone had coverage down field, the ball was just poorly thrown. 58 Anderson beat his man but the ball was away before he got to the QB. DM 9/31. LB 45, DB 77
Drive Totals: 5 plays, 17 yards, Punt. TOP 2:14

7:24	2	4 10	MSU20	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Michigan State Bates punts. No return. Ball on Purdue36.
7:24	2	4 10	MSU20			Purdue Purdue penalized -5 yards.
Bates is hit on the kick and somehow Purdue is not penalized even though they were. I guess MSU declined it to take the result of the punt. Purdue ball at the 36.
7:13	2	1 10	Purdue36	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the middle to Smith for 14 yards to the MSU50.
58 Anderson gets blocked by the HB. MSU looks like they are in a Cover 4 again. The QB just guns the ball between two LBs. 33 Fortener comes up to make the tackle. The ball was thrown between 43 Gordon and 53 Jones. I think this is actually on Jones. 33 Forener +1, 53 Jones -1. DM 9/32. LB 59, DB 77
6:47	2	1 10	MSU50	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the middle to Smith for 18 yards to the MSU32.
MSU looks like they are in a Cover 4. 53 Jones does not get deep enough with the WR. 39 Robinson comes up to make the tackle. 39 Robinson +1, 53 Jones -1. DM 9/33. LB 77, DB 77
6:27	2	1 10	MSU32	I Formation	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush right for 23 yards to the MSU9.
99 Worthy gets penetration but can't make the TFL. 36 Misch gets drubbed by the FB. I didn't understand how Greg Jones was blocked on this play. An offensive lineman grabbed him with both hands from behind. More bad officiating. 9 Ware is blocked by a WR allowing the HB outside and up the field. 39 Robinson runs past 33 Fortener and makes the tackle. 39 Robinson +1, 99 Worthy -1, 9 Ware -1, 36 Misch -1. DM 9/34. LB 77, DB 77
5:56	2	1 9	MSU9	I Formation	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush right for 9 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
Purdue runs a draw. 93 Treadwell gets a nice push, but I think he is putting all his effort into pushing and doesn't see the play until its almost past him. 58 Anderson sees the play but is sealed outside by the RT. 43 Gordon gets drubbed by the FB. 36 Misch is blocked by the TE. 53 Jones reads the play wrong and puts TE/36 Misch in between himself and the HB. 29 L. Rucker doesn't see the play until its too late and is out of position to make a tackle. 39 Robinson does not see the WR and is blocked and sealed inside. This play is about good blocking by Purdue and MSU not avoiding any blockers. 43 Gordon -1, 36 Misch -1, 39 Robinson -1. DM 9/35. LB 77, DB 77
5:56	2	N/A	MSU2	FG	FG Block	Purdue Wiggs PAT - GOOD.
Meh
Drive Totals: 4 plays, 64 yards, TD. TOP 1:26

1:49	2	N/A	MSU30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Michigan State Michigan State kicks off. No return. Ball on Purdue40.
Swenson kicks the ball off out of bounds. Swenson -1
1:49	2	1 10	Purdue40	Shotgun 2WR, 2TE	4-3	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the left to Lindsay for 1 yard to the Purdue41.
I am guessing this is a Cover 2 zone. 29 L. Rucker passes one WR deep to stay with the one in the flat. The pass is to the WR in the flat and Rucker forces him out of bounds. 29 L. Rucker +1. DM 9/36. LB 77, DB 78
1:44	2	2 9	Purdue41	Ace	4-3	Purdue Bolden rush right for 6 yards to the Purdue47.
Purdue pitches to the wide side of the field. 99 Worthy beats the RG but does not see the play until he has to chase the HB. 58 Anderson fights the TE down the LOS stringing out the play. 36 Misch gets blocked by a WR. 53 Jones blitzes, but is picked up by the C. He fights off the block. 9 Ware makes a dive for a tackle but only gets 58 Anderson and the TE and LT. 99 Worthy never stopped hustling and makes the tackle with 33 Fortener. 99 Worthy +1, 33 Fortener +1, 36 Misch -1, 9 Ware -1. DM 9/37. LB 77, DB 78
1:12	2	3 3	Purdue47	I formation	4-3	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the left.
Purdue rolls out the QB but MSU has everyone covered and the ball is thrown away. Looks like a one man route, Rucker had the coverage. 29 L. Rucker +1. DM 10/38. LB 77, DB 78
Drive Totals: 3 plays, 7 yards, Punt. TOP 1:01

0:31	2	4 5	MSU25	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Michigan State Bates punts. No return. Ball on Purdue40.
Bates kicks the ball allowing the coverage to force the fair catch. Bates +1
0:24	2	1 10	Purdue40			Michigan State penalized 5 yards.
NT, can't see a number.
0:24	2	1 5	Purdue46	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott incomplete pass to the left.
3 man line generates no pressure. 37 Weaver had great coverage. The ball was thrown outside and the WR could not bring it in. 37 Weaver +1. DM 10/39. LB 77, DB 78
0:19	2	2 5	Purdue46	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the right to Adams for 15 yards to the MSU39.
MSU shows blitz, but does not send anyone. 10 Norman is almost to the QB when the ball is thrown. MSU is in a deep soft zone. 53 Jones never picks up a WR. 29 L. Rucker does not go deep with the man he was covering though. 29 L. Rucker misses the WR and lets him get out of bounds. 29 L. Rucker -2. DM 10/40. LB 77, DB 93
0:12	2	1 10	MSU39	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Purdue Elliott pass completion to the left to Smith for 7 yards to the MSU32.
MSU blitzes. It is picked up. 9 Ware is not set when the play starts and that allows the WR to get out of bounds. I think Ware could have made a tackle in bounds if he was ready. Not that it mattered, Purdue had 2 TOs. 9 Ware -1. DM 10/41. LB 77, DB 100
0:07	2	2 3	MSU32	FG	FG Block	Purdue 49 yard field goal attempt by Wiggs is NO GOOD.
MSU does not go after the FG but the kicker misses anyway.
Drive Totals: 4 plays, 28 yards, FG Miss. TOP 0:22.

NCAA Football, November 14

DrDetroit — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:10:31 -0000

I like football. Especially college football. So, here are my thoughts on this weeks games. I am still working on the MSUFR for the MN game and hope to have that up before the weekend.

Finally early for a thread.

The MAC Attack has begun. The MAC is basically an Ohio conference with the three directional Michigan schools. It is a fun conference to watch because they don’t play defense. Games are typically high scoring.

Tuesday
Ohio at Buffalo. Ohio is vying for a shot at the MAC title game but needs to win out for that to happen. Buffalo has fallen down after winning the MAC last year. EDIT: Buffalo was driving into FG range at the end of the game when a WR dropped a pass that was intercepted. Tough way to lose.

Wednesday
Toledo at Central Michigan. Dan Lefevour leads the potent CMU offense against Toledo. Toledo’s high water mark this year is probably their blow out win over Colorado. Central is trying to get to their 3rd MAC championship in four years with Dan as the starting QB. This year he became the MAC’s all time leader in offense during a win over Michigan State.

Thursday
Bowling Green at Miami and Ball State at Northern Illinois. BG/Miami does not have much interest. Ball State had the great run last year before choking in the MAC championship. Then their QB went pro and they only have 1 win this year. NIU had a great string of 1,000 yard rushers. They were not very good last year but have bounced back this year.

Friday
Temple at Akron. Temple is 7-2 and 5-0 in conference play. The fact that Temple has a winning record is mind boggling enough, but they could have been in a discussion for being the second best team in Pennsylvania if they had not been drubbed by Penn State earlier this year. Temple is on pace to meet CMU in the MAC Championship this year.

Saturday
Western at Eastern. Eastern is one of the winless teams in the NCAA. They have played really well, I am surprised they have not gotten a win yet this year.

Thursday Night
USF is at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights had shown a lot of promise a few years ago but have never lived up to the hype since then. Although Rutgers has 6 wins, they are not bowl eligible. They have two victors over FCS teams and only one can count. Kind of an odd scheduling. USF is 6-2 and is bowl eligible.

Friday Night
West Virginia at Cincinnati. Cincy had a close one last weekend and now hosts WVU. WVU has had problems with turnovers intermixed with an explosive offense all year. This should be a fun shoot out of a game with a Conference title and BCS games on the line.

ACC
FSU at WF. Christian Ponder is out for the year for FSU so the backup will be playing. FSU needs to win their next two games to become bowl eligible. Luckily those games are against WF and Maryland.

Miami at UNC. Butch Davis is trying to go 3-0 against his old team. UNC had started the year horribly but have played significantly better of late. Miami started the year on fire but have cooled down lately, but did blow out Virginia last week. I think this would be a great game to watch.

Big XII
There are 6 games this weekend in the Big XII, but only one is interesting. I think this is mostly due to the South being Texas and the rest. The North has the interesting game this weekend pitting Nebraska at Kansas. Kansas under the senior leadership of Todd Reesing stormed to a 5-0 mark before dropping 4 straight games in conference play. If this game was in Nebraska I am not sure it would be interesting, but on the road there is at least some intrigue. This will also be a game that puts Nebraska closer to the Big XII title game.

Big East
Notre Lame at Pittsburgh. Pitt is trying to keep its high ranking and establish itself as this year’s best team in Pennsylvania. Notre Lame is trying to salvage its season after a loss to Navy. Why anyone thought they’d be a great team is beyond me.

Big Ten
Minnesota tries to become bowl eligible against South Dakota State. Michigan does the same against Wisconsin. After starting out 4-0 the Lolverines have yakety saxed it to 5-5 with one turnover plagued game after the next. They did make an adjustment on defense putting out senior MLB and defensive liability Ezeh in favor of Fitzgerald, who is a liability because of his inexperience. I think this change is because the MLB can’t get much worse and it’ll help the defense next year. Michigan should lose this game, but can steal a win. Wisconsin isn’t an impressive club and has had to hang on this year to get a victory in a bunch of games. If Michigan is close they might rekindle some Forcier magic and still one in Madison.

Penn State recovers from last weeks loss by beating Indiana. I think they are going to play the game as a formality. Although Indiana can move the ball and score some points, they aren’t in league with PSU and unless the Lions quit, the 4th quarter will be all about killing the clock.

What would have been the marquee game for the Big Ten this week is Iowa at OSU. Stanzi is not listed on the depth chart and a RS Freshmen QB at the horseshoe is a recipe for disaster. Too bad for Iowa they ended up being cheated out of this big game. Technically this game is for an outright Big Ten Title.

Which leaves the big game as MSU at Purdue. A battle of two mediocre teams. What makes this interesting is the bowl implications. Purdue has to win their two last games to get to 6 wins. MSU needs one of two. An MSU win eliminates Purdue and helps keep Michigan alive for a bowl slot. Purdue has problems with turnovers while still being competitive in most of their games. If MSU holds onto the ball they should be able to notch a victory on the road.

C-USA
0-9 Rice is hosting Tulane. 2 win Memphis fired their head coach.

MWC
BYU is at 0-9 New Mexico. 8-1 Utah is at 9-0 TCU. Utah had a great season last year going undefeated and beat Alabama in a BCS game. This year they get a chance to prevent TCU from going to a BCS game. TCU is trying to keep their long shot odds of getting to the BCS NC game alive. A win over Utah would help their computer average.

Pac 10
As a change of pace, interesting games in the Pac 10. Stanford is at USC. The last time Stanford was at USC they were a 50+ point dog and won the game. Stanford is also coming off a huge upset over Oregon. Both teams need a W to keep their slim Pac 10 title hopes alive.

Arizona at Cal. Arizona is trying to keep pace with Oregon for the conference lead. There were rumors about firing Stoops last year, it looks like they made the right decision and kept him on for this season. Cal is a disappointment after how their year started. Their stud RB Best got TKO’ed last week and will probably still have cobwebs this week. I think the coaches intend to play him.

Oregon hosts Arizona state and should easily beat them. I am guessing those are going to be some pissed off Ducks after last weeks loss to a Christmas tree.

SEC
Kind of a dud of a week for the SEC. Florida is at South Carolina. Spurrier takes on his old program again. UF has been playing uninspired football all season. SC has played hard and lost some tough games. This should be a very interesting game.

Auburn at Georgia. I think both teams are actually in a rebuilding year even though Auburn has the new head coach. Georgia has been up and down. I’ll let Mike fill in the commentary about Auburn and what to expect out of this game.

Sun Belt
0-9 Western Kentucky at UL- Monroe. WKU fired their coach this week.

WAC
Idaho is at 9-0 Boise State. Although Boise should finish the season undefeated, they’ll probably keep dropping in the polls because they don’t play anyone else of consequence. I think they will need a lot of help to get to the BCS NC and a little help to get a BCS bid.

Big Ten Officiating

DrDetroit — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:07:32 -0000

What better way to celebrate a big win over Western than to go back and look at the Minnesota game.

Since last year during the Michigan game when Michigan was awarded a TD, the Big Ten officiating for football has been on my radar for being bad. I am sure everyone remembers the play, the receiver was in the air, hit the pylon with his foot and the play was called no catch on the field. The play was reviewed by the replay official and he awarded Michigan a TD. The pylon is out of bounds in the endzone, so when the player touched the pylon, he established himself as being out of bounds. How they screwed that one up is beyond me, but they did.

After that I have seen a few plays this year that were not exactly stellar calls, or really bad non calls. So, back to the Minnesota game.

This is the play where Michigan State gets flagged for delay of game. The first three images show that ball being hiked with the play clock still showing 1 second. The last image is after the play clock has gone to zero. You can clearly see that the ball has already been hiked. The officials got this call wrong. (The images cover a little over 0.1 seconds, so uh, yeah there is some sour grapes to this call, but seeing as I screamed at the TV when I was watching it live I think it is one that should not have been made.)

This isn't a sour grapes post about officiating screwing MSU. This is about the bad officiating in the Big Ten. It has been bad all year. It is not going to get any better. The Big Ten must address this issue and improve the officiating. If we are going to have quality football games being played the officials can not get calls wrong like the one above.

I am also iffy on the overturned fumble play against Minnesota. It is questionable if the Gopher caught the ball. He caught the ball, had two feet down and started to turn upfield when Brandon Denson punched the ball out of his hands. The receiver is in control of the ball until Denson knocks it out of his hands. I think this should be a fumble. On the field, this was ruled as a fumble. Replay over turned the call. Technically this is an iffy call. For it to be a catch, the reciever must maintain possession of the ball, have one foot down, and then make a football like move. In this case, the ball comes out when the receiver is making his football like move. The problem I have is that it is a judgement call. Replay overturns plays when they have indisputable evidence. The replay official overturned a judgement call with his own judgement call. That isn't exactly indisputable evidence. ~~Big Brother~~ Brian at MGoBlog discusses bad replay calls as well in a recent UV post.

Hopefully the Big Ten will go through and address this issue by hiring some full time officials and have better accountability for their work. For now this issue is on the President's of each University. They have to lean on the Big Ten commisioner to get him to make a change.

NCAA Football, November 7

DrDetroit — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:13:17 -0000

I had every intention of making a good thread this week but never had time. I normally try to write up what is going on with college football for the week with the most intriguing games. I have not had a lot of time lately with the MSUFRs. And I have also not had a lot of time for the MSUFRs either. Hopefully I'll be able to get one done soon. So, here is what I think is important this week.

ACC
Virginia at Miami. Miami should be able to get an easy W this week. Virginia has been all over the map this year but has never been a great team.

Florida State at Clemson. Clemson has been a surprisingly good team this year. FSU has been shockingly bad. FSU has to win to have th possibility of 7 wins this year. A loss means FSU will be at best 6-6 and on the edge for a bowl game.

Big XII
Not a lot of excitement this week. Texas has a non-conference game against UCF. Other than that, Oklahoma is at Nebraska. Nebraska had a great start to the season, but has really fallen apart after beating Missouri. It will be interesting to see how they play today and if its a bellweather for the rest of the season.

Big East
Only three games and two of them are duds. UConn is at Cincinnati. UConn has been a little dissappointing this year, but I guess that has to be expected after pumping a bunch of kids into the NFL. Cinncy has been a monster and looks to stay undefeated for a possible BCS NC appearance.

Big Ten
I think this week the Big Ten admitted that everyone sucks so they put all the games on at noon except for OSU at PSU. Michigan and MSU need wins to have a chance at a bowl game. Michgian hosts Purdue who has lost in fumble tastic fashion throughout the year but also beat Ohio State. I think this is UMs best chance to get to 6 wins this year. MSU hosts Western Michigan who was drubbed by Michigan to start the season. MSU has been out coached four times this year and it didn't exactly take a lot of effort from their opponents. MSU is trying to avoid losing to two MAC teams in one season.

Iowa hosts NW in a hugely surprising hate game. Iowa has dominated the games against NW but has ended up with an L at the end of the day. NW does have an offense that can attack the Iowa defense. I think the Hawkeyes had their stumble last week and get a W this week.

The only 3:30 game is OSU at PSU. Penn State's only loss this year was against Iowa. Iowa dominated PSU's o-line and put a beating on Daryll Clark. OSU has a better defense and defensive line. I think Clark will throw a couple of INTs this game and the PSU running game will be a dud. Defensively PSU isn't special but plays very disciplined. If they can get to Pryor at all he'll probably continue to make mistakes. I think this game will be low scoring and decided by turnovers. Whoever turns the ball over in the worst spot losses, and I think that will be Penn State.

C-USA
0-8 Rice is at SMU.

MAC
The MAC has already played 3 games this week. Bowling Green nicked Buffalo. Buffalo has fallen apart this year after winning the MAC last year. Temple beat Miami OH. Temple is 5-0 in conf play and 7-2 overall. I still can't believe that isn't a typo. NIU drubbed Eastern Michigan. EMU is 0-9 but has played some great games this year.

MWC
8-0 TCU is at San Diego State. TCU is well on their way to a BCS game but has to stay undefeated to get one. 0-8 New Mexico is at Utah.

Pac 10
Washington State at Arizona. Arizona is one of the teams still vying for a conference title. Oregon who is leading the conf is at Stanford. USC, whom I predicted would not be in the race for the Pac 10 this year, is at Arizona State. USC still has a slim chance of winning the Pac 10.

SEC
A lot of non-conference games in the SEC this week. Furman is at Auburn. An Auburn victory gets them to a bowl game. South Carolina is at Arkansas. Should be a shoot out.

The big one this week is LSU at Alabama. Bama has been lackluster a few times this year and if they don't put it together this week LSU could steal one. I think Alabama with their defense and LSU's lack of offense will be enough to have some 3 toothed hillbillies scream Roll Tide.

Sun Belt
Troy is at 0-8 Western Kentucky.

WAC
9-0 Boise State beat La Tech last night 45-35.

MSUFR Defense at Illinois

DrDetroit — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:14:18 -0000

[Rebumped due to added content. -KJ]

FInally. So, upgrades from last time. I added the new metric that KJ came up with for the defense. I also cut up videos so that there are several through as opposed to just one at the end. I will probably be adding a few more in the future so check back after Tuesday for a few more.

I will be fixing errors and adding updates as time allows this weekend.

Updated: Added the metrics and Nickel vs Base discussion.

Play by play courtesy of ESPN.

Time	Quarter	Down	LOS	Offense	Defense	Result
11:37	1	N/A	MSU 30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Brett Swenson kickoff for 65 yards returned by Arrelious Benn, tackled by Greg Jones for 27 yards to the Illin 32, tackled by Greg Jones.
The coverage unit does a good job of surrounding the KR and making a nice tackle.
11:32	1	1st and 10	ILL 32	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush right for 1 yard to the Illin 33, tackled by Chris L. Rucker.
70 Wilson and 58 Anderson flow with the play down the LOS. Anderson keeps outside contain forcing the HB to cut up the field where Wilson, 53 Jones, 11 Hyde and 34 Denson all miss tackles before 29 L. Rucker brings down the runner. 29 L. Rucker +1, 70 Wilson -1, 53 Jones -1, 11 Hyde -1, 34 Denson -1 DM 0/1
11:00	1	2nd and 9	ILL 33	Ace 3WR	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush over right tackle for 1 yard to the Illin 34, tackled by Trevor Anderson and Jerel Worthy.
Illinois runs a straight forward blocking scheme on this run. 99 Worthy gets off his block to combine with a tackle with 58 Anderson. 99 Worthy +1, 58 Anderson +1 DM 0/2
10:35	1	3rd and 8	ILL 34	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	Nickel	Eddie McGee pass incomplete to Jarred Fayson, hurried by David Rolf.
MSU is in the nickel set. The defense blitzes a LB, 53 Jones, and drops everyone else into coverage. The coverage is Cover 2 Man. So the safeties are in a deep zone and everyone else is in man coverage. 53 Jones beats the RG and forces the QB out of the pocket and into pressure from 54 Rolf. The secondary had everyone covered. 53 Jones +1, 54 Rolf +1, Secondary +1 DM 1/3
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 3 plays 2 yards, 00:00 ILL PUNT
3:39	1	N/A	MSU 30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Brett Swenson kickoff for 58 yards returned by A.J. Jenkins, tackled by Andre Anderson and Danny Fortener for 18 yards to the MchSt 30, tackled by Andre Anderson and Danny Fortener, ILLINOIS penalty 10 yard holding on Nate Bussey accepted.
Spartans continue to do a great job of swarming to the ball preventing a big return.
3:39	1	1st and 10	ILL 20	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush over right tackle for 8 yards to the Illin 28, tackled by Danny Fortener and Marcus Hyde.
Illinois release the LT and C after the MSU LBs. 43 Gordon gets blocked by the C, 53 Jones by the LT. 34 Denson is the first to arrive on the tackle. 89 Neely was unblocked, but could not get to the HB. 33 Fortener +1, 11 Hyde +1, 53 Jones -1, 43 Gordon -1 DM 1/4
3:11	1	2nd and 2	ILL 28	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Eddie McGee pass complete to Arrelious Benn for 10 yards to the Illin 38, tackled by Danny Fortener and Greg Jones for a 1ST down.
43 Gordon goes on a delayed blitz, he gets pressure. MSU looks like they are in a Cover 1 Zone, so 53 Jones and 11 Hyde are in zone coverage in the center of the field while everyone else is in man. 34 Denson and 33 Fortener cover the same guy leaving Benn open (seriously? Benn?) 33 Fortener makes the tackle. 43 Gordon +1, 33 Fortener +1, 33 Fortener -1, 34 Denson -1 Link to Play DM 1/5
2:40	1	1st and 10	ILL 38	Shotgun 3WR	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush right for 3 yards to the Illin 41, tackled by Jeremy Ware
Illinois runs the option. 58 Anderson hits the QB. The HB fumbles the pitch and 9 Ware hits him in the backfield, but he falls forward for a small gain. 34 Denson is blocked by a WR. 9 Ware +1, 34 Denson -1 DM 1/6
2:07	1	2nd and 7	ILL 41	Shotgun 3WR	4-3	Eddie McGee screen pass incomplete to N/A, hurried by Greg Jones.
MSU shows blitz with 2 LBs. 53 Jones gets their right away forcing a bad throw by the QB. Illinois had the right call on as this was a screen. If the pass was better it could have been a huge gain. 53 Jones +1 DM 2/7
1:53	1	3rd and 7	ILL 41	Shotgun 3WR, Trips L	Nickel	Eddie McGee crossing pass complete to Chris Duvalt for 21 yards to the MchSt 38, tackled by Danny Fortener out-of-bounds for a 1ST down.
MSU sends 34 Denson on a blitz that is picked up. There is no pressure on the QB. MSU is in zone and a WR runs to an open spot and gets a first down. 55 Decker -1, 34 Denson -1, 58 Anderson -1, 57 Strayhorn -1 Link to video DM 2/8
1:29	1	1st and 10	MSU 38	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Eddie McGee rush left for 11 yards to the MchSt 27, tackled by Greg Jones for a 1ST down.
Illinois runs a zone read keeper. 89 Neely is unblocked on this play and attacks the HB. The QB sees Neely, keeps the ball and runs upfield for a first down. 34 Denson saw the play develop too late and could not make a tackle on the QB. 53 Jones avoids blocker to make the tackle. Since MSU is not scraping on these plays, I think 89 Neely has to maintain outside contain. This is the same thing that MSU did not do during the Michigan game. 53 Jones +1, 89 Neely -1 Link to Video DM 2/9
1:05	1	1st and 10	MSU 27	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	Eddie McGee rush up the middle for 2 yards to the MchSt 25, tackled by Greg Jones.
Illinois motions a WR into the backfield and runs another zone read. 89 Neely takes the WR on the fake thereby keeping outside contain. 53 Jones reads the play and attacks up the field and makes the tackle for a short gain. 99 Worthy and 70 Wilson stunted on this play, they failed miserably at their attempt. 43 Gordon avoided a blocker on this play. 53 Jones +1 DM 2/10
0:28	1	2nd and 8	MSU 25	Shotgun, HB Strong	4-3	Eddie McGee rush over left end for 1 yard to the MchSt 24, tackled by Colin Neely and Jerel Worthy.
Illinois runs an option to the strong side. 89 Neely is unblocked, he reads the play and attacks the QB like he is supposed to. I think the QB should have pitched the ball, but instead he cuts up the field where he is tackled. 99 Worthy beats his blocker and is in on the tackle with Neely. 89 Neely +1, 99 Worthy +1 DM 2/11
15:00	2	3rd and 7	MSU 24			ILLINOIS penalty 5 yard false start on Randall Hunt accepted.
15:00	2	3rd and 12	MSU 29	Shotgun 4WR	2-3-3-3	Eddie McGee sacked by Eric Gordon for a loss of 7 yards to the MchSt 36.
MSU only has 2 defensive linemen in on this play. MSU blitzes 6 on this play. 43 Gordon and 55 Decker stunt from the side of the field with no downlineman. The LG lets 43 Gordon by to pick up 55 Decker. He did the right thing, you block a blitz inside out. No one picks up 43 Gordon and he gets the sack. 58 Anderson was asleep when the ball was snapped. 43 Gordon +1 Link to Video DM 3/12
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 9 plays 44 yards, 03:44 ILL PUNT
8:18	2	4th and 11	ILL 41	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 32 yards, fair catch by Jarred Fayson at the Illin 9.
Bates does a great job of kicking the ball high and short of the endzone. The kick allows the coverage to get downfield and force the PR to make a fair catch. Bates +1
8:04	2	1st and 10	ILL 9	Shotgun 3WR	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush over right tackle for 4 yards to the Illin 13, tackled by Kevin Pickelman and Marcus Hyde.
Another zone read. This time 89 Neely maintains outside contain and the QB gives the ball to the HB. I think 89 Neely needed to go upfield on this play, but it worked out fine. 96 Pickelman does a great job of attacking the HB while being blocked. He drags down the HB with one arm. 96 Pickelman +1 DM 3/13
7:38	2	2nd and 6	ILL 13	Shotgun 3WR, HB Weak	4-3	Eddie McGee sideline pass incomplete to Arrelious Benn.
It looks like the secondary is in man coverage, but the LBs are in zone. MSU does get pressure with just the defensive line. The WR just dropped the ball. 58 Anderson +1, 89 Neely +1, 96 Pickelman +1 DM 3/14
7:31	2	3rd and 6	ILL 13	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Eddie McGee sacked by Johnathan Strayhorn and Brandon Denson for a loss of 2 yards to the Illin 11.
Looked like the base defense because 34 Denson was on the line. He blitzes and stunts with 55 Decker who is lined up as a DE. There is pressure forcing the QB to step up and 34 Denson pounces on him as he does. 34 Denson +1, 55 Webber +1 DM 4/15
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 3 plays 2 yards, 00:00 ILL PUNT
5:11	2	1st and 10	ILL 2	Ace 3WR	4-3	Jason Ford rush over left tackle for 3 yards to the Illin 5, tackled by Greg Jones and Eric Gordon.
Illinois runs to the weak side. 43 Gordon reads the play and blitzes and gets picked up by the LG. 53 Jones misses the tackle, but there are so many Spartans in the area the HB has no where to go and half the defense is there to make the tackle. 53 Jones -1, 43 Gordon -1 DM 4/16
4:41	2	2nd and 7	ILL 5	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Jason Ford rush over right guard for 4 yards to the Illin 9, tackled by David Rolf.
Zone read. 54 Rolf is unblocked. Which was lucky for him because he was asleep when the ball was snapped. Rolf keeps the outside so the QB hands to the HB who has to cut back into Rolf because of the MSU LBs. 43 Gordon gets blocked on the play. 53 Jones is just great at avoiding blockers. 54 Rolf -1, 43 Gordon -1 DM 4/17
4:10	1	3rd and 3	ILL 9	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Eddie McGee sideline pass incomplete to A.J. Jenkins.
MSU sends 43 Gordon and 53 Jones on a blitz. The blitz is picked up but the QB is hurried and throws a one hopper to the WR. 43 Gordon as blocked by the HB. It looks like 34 Denson was supposed to have coverage on this play. 34 Denson -1,43 Gordon -1 DM 5/18
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 3 plays 7 yards, 00:00 ILL PUNT
15:00	3	N/A	MSU 30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Brett Swenson kickoff for 69 yards returned by Troy Pollard, tackled by Danny Fortener and Ross Weaver for 23 yards to the Illin 24, tackled by Danny Fortener and Ross Weaver.
Swenson does a great job of putting the ball where MSU wants it. The KR receives the ball about 5 yards from the sideline on the 1 yard line. A few players were blocked or this could have been held to a 20 yard gain. Swenson +1
14:54	3	1st and 10	ILL 24	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	Eddie McGee pass incomplete to Jarred Fayson, hurried by Trevor Anderson.
58 Anderson gets pressure forcing the QB to throw the ball away. At least I was hoping he threw it away. 58 Anderson +1 DM 6/19
14:49	3	2nd and 10	ILL 24	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush over right tackle for 8 yards to the Illin 32, tackled by Brandon Denson and Marcus Hyde.
43 Gordon and 53 Jones blitz. Both are picked up by blockers allowing the HB to get upfield. 89 Neely was unblocked on this play, but had to maintain outside contain, thereby taking himself out of the play. 53 Jones -1, 43 Gordon -1 DM 6/20
14:21	3	3rd and 2	ILL 32	Shotgun 3WR	Nickel	Eddie McGee rush over right end for 6 yards to the Illin 38, tackled by Marcus Hyde and Brandon Denson for a 1ST down.
MSU has the DBs up in tight coverage and shows blitz. 11 Hyde walks up to put a 7th man in the box. 53 Jones is lined up as an OLB and blitzes, he is picked up by the HB. The LG pulls and can't decide who to block so he blocks no one allowing 34 Denson and 11 Hyde to make the tackle. 53 Jones -1 DM 6/21
13:50	3	1st and 10	ILL	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	38 Eddie McGee screen pass incomplete to Chris Duvalt.
It is a WR screen that the QB makes a horrible throw on. 34 Denson gets blocked by a WR on the play. The DTs stunted. 58 Anderson was unblocked and puts a hit on the QB. 89 Neely just missed knocking down the pass. 58 Anderson +1, 34 Denson -1 DM 6/22
13:43	3	2nd and 10	ILL 38	Shotgun 3WR	4-3	Eddie McGee pass intercepted by Danny Fortener at the Illin 45, returned for 45 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
MSU has the DBs up tight. They show blitz with 34 Gordon but do not come. MSU is in a man coverage, but I am not sure which one. On the replays it does not look like 11 Hyde covers anyone and the LBs do not blitz. So, I am not sure what is going on. 33 Fortener picks it off and returns it to the house. 33 Fortener +2 DM 7/23 Link to Video
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 5 plays 14 yards, 01:28 ILL INT PICK 6
13:32	3	N/A	MSU 30	Kick Return	Kick Coverage	Brett Swenson kickoff for 67 yards returned by A.J. Jenkins, tackled by Drew Stevens for 6 yards to the Illin 9, tackled by Drew Stevens.
The KR muffed the kick and 48 Stevens made a nice open field tackle to force Illinois to start inside their own 10. 48 Stevens +1
13:25	3	1st and 10	ILL 9	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Daniel Dufrene rush left for 1 yard to the Illin 10, tackled by Danny Fortener.
MSU is in press coverage. Illiniois runs a trip option. It is a read option up the middle and the QB keeps the ball and the other HB follows him for a normal option to the wide side of the field. 89 Neely gives up outside contain. 34 Denson gets chipped by a WR. I guess the QB thought Denson would tackle him so he pitches it and 33 Fortener makes a great open field tackle. 33 Fortener +1, 34 Denson -1, 89 Neely -1 DM 7/24
12:58	3	2nd and 9	ILL 10	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Eddie McGee screen pass incomplete to Jason Ford.
Wow, this doesn't look like a screen pass. I had to watch the play twice to figure out that it was. Illinois is just horrible on execution. Two o-lineman cut block, one of them misses. 34 Denson is blocked by a WR. The QB just threw the ball poorly into the flat. 34 Denson -1 DM 7/25
12:24	3	3rd and 9	ILL 10	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Eddie McGee middle pass incomplete to A.J. Jenkins.
MSU runs a zone blitz. Prior to the snap, 34 Denson drops back into deep coverage. He is behind the safeties. This is an odd play so I'll post a video and a picture. MSU ends up with 4 defenders in the middle of the field not really guarding anyone. 53 Jones blitzed and was picked up by the HB. 53 Jones -1 DM 7/26
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 3 plays 1 yards, 00:00 ILL PUNT
11:54	3	4th and 5	ILL 48	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 48 yards for a touchback.
Bates -1
11:46	3	1st and 10	ILL 20	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	Juice Williams deep pass incomplete to Arrelious Benn.
29 L. Rucker is in press coverage, but the other DB is 8 yards off. The DTs stunt. 58 Anderson almost gets pressure but the QB never sees or feels him. The QB misses a wide open WR. 54 Rolf gets held on the play, so I won't give him a negative. The LBs are in zone underneath and release the WR to the safeties, who never pick him up. 39 Robinson -1, 33 Fortener -1, 58 Anderson -1, 70 Wilson -2, 96 Pickelman -2, 54 Rolf -1 Video DM 7/28
11:40	3	2nd and 10	ILL 20	Shotgun 5WR	4-3	Juice Williams sacked by Trevor Anderson for a loss of 1 yard to the Illin 19, ILLINOIS penalty holding declined.
Evidently my DVR hates 58 Anderson. I can't see anything. 58 Anderson +1 DM 8/29
11:10	3	3rd and 11	ILL 19	???	???	Juice Williams sideline pass incomplete to Jarred Fayson, broken up by Chris L. Rucker.
29 L. Rucker +1 DM 9/30
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 3 plays -1 yards, 00:50 ILL PUNT

8:18	3	4th and 8	ILL 46	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 33 yards, fair catch by Jarred Fayson at the Illin 13.
Bates booms a high punt that allows the coverage time to get downfield and force a fair catch inside the 20. Bates +2
8:13	3	1st and 10	ILL 13	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Juice Williams rush up the middle for 11 yards to the Illin 24, tackled by Danny Fortener for a 1ST down.
MSU drops back into a Cover 2 Man defense. The d-line gets no pressure and the QB runs for a first down. 99 Worthy and 93 Treadwell miss the QB as he scrambles. Terrible spot on the play, the QB is down at the 22.5 and the ball gets marked at the 24. 58 Anderson -2, 99 Worthy -3, 93 Treadwell -3, 54 Rolf -2 DM 9/31
7:51	3	1st and 10	ILL 24	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Juice Williams flag pass incomplete to Arrelious Benn, hurried by Greg Jones, broken up by Brandon Denson.
MSU has the DBs in tight coverage. 53 Jones blitzes on the play as Illinois rolls the pocket to the L. 53 Jones has pressure as the ball is thrown. It goes right through the hands of 34 Denson. The secondary had everyone covered. 53 Jones +1, 34 Denson +1, 29 L. Rucker +1, 33 Fortener +1, 39 Robinson +1, 9 Ware +1 DM 10/32
7:44	3	2nd and 10	ILL 24	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Juice Williams rush right for 10 yards to the Illin 24, tackled by Trenton Robinson out-of-bounds, ILLINOIS penalty 10 yard illegal block on Jack Ramsey accepted.
Penalty, so no review. This is the second time MSU gets boned on this this year. Penalty on Illinois, they get the down over.
7:44	3	2nd and 10	ILL 24	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	4-3	Juice Williams middle pass incomplete to Arrelious Benn.
MSU stunts the DEs with the DTs. 99 Worthy gets pressure. The throw is almost intercepted. 99 Worthy +1 DM 10/33
7:19	3	3rd and 10	ILL 24	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams sideline pass complete to Arrelious Benn for 20 yards to the Illin 44 out-of-bounds for a 1ST down.
34 Denson blitzes and is pickd up by the RT and HB. 58 Anderson slips on the play. 57 Strayhorn is controlled by the C. 55 Decker is blocked by the RG. 9 Ware has good coverage as does everyone else in the secondary. Its just a good throw and catch by Illinois. 34 Denson -2, 55 Decker -2, 57 Strayhorn -2, 58 Anderson -2 Video Included DM 10/34
7:14	3	1st and 10	ILL 44	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Juice Williams sideline pass incomplete to Jarred Fayson.
MSU has press coverage on the single WR, and is loose on the trips. MSU sends a LB and CB on the blitz. Both miss the QB who gets outside to throw the ball to a WR who drops it. 29 L. Rucker -1, 43 Gordon -1 DM 10/35
6:57	3	2nd and 10	ILL 44	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Mikel LeShoure rush up the middle for 6 yards to the 50 yard line, tackled by Blake Treadwell.

MSU has both CBs in press coverage. 57 Strayhorn is unblocked but can not make a play. The C blocks 43 Gordon. 93 Treadwell is able to move enough on his block to get an arm on the HB and bring him down. 43 Gordon -1 DM 10/36
6:20	3	3rd and 4	ILL 50	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Juice Williams sacked by Jerel Worthy for a loss of 2 yards to the Illin 48.
99 Worthy just blows by his man to get the sack. 99 Worthy +1 DM 11/37 Play and Replay 1:22:12
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 8 plays 35 yards, 02:43 ILL PUNT
4:10	3	1st and 10	MSU 30	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Jason Ford rush left for 27 yards to the MchSt 3, tackled by Danny Fortener out-of-bounds for a 1ST down.
43 Gordon gets blocked by the HB. 53 Jones misses a tackle after avoiding a block. It looks like Jones doesn't know where the ball is. It was a CB blitz, so 11 Hyde is watching the WR and never looks for the HB until it is too late. 33 Fortener hustles over and prevents the TD. 33 Fortener +1, 43 Gordon -1, 53 Jones -1 DM 11/38 Play and replays..
4:09	3	1st and Goal	MSU 3	Ace 3WR	4-3	Mikel LeShoure rush over right guard for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
MSU has everyone on the LOS. 58 Anderson is blocked by a WR. 34 Denson is blocked by the RT. 53 Jones reads and attacks the play, but the HB sees him and cuts back putting Jones out of hte play. 58 Anderson -1, 34 Denson -1 DM 11/39 Play and replays, ground level.
Illinois shows the swinging gate on the PAT but adjusts based on MSUs set. MSU does not go after the kick.
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 2 plays 30 yards, 00:37 ILL TD
1:30	3	4th and 2	MSU 41	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 59 yards for a touchback.
Bates drops the ball at the 3 yard line but 37 Weaver gets all but tackled by the PR to prevent him from downing the ball.
1:15	3	1st and 10	ILL 20	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Juice Williams deep pass incomplete to Jeff Cumberland, broken up by Chris L. Rucker.
Wow. What a play by 29 Mr. Chris L. Rucker. No pressure from the d-line. Wow. Was that luck for MSU. 9 Ware had dropped coverage of his man who was wide open. MSU is lucky that the QB through it at Rucker. On the second replay, watch the right half of the screen for 9 Ware. 29 L. Rucker +2, 9 Ware -1, 58 Anderson -1, 99 Worth -1, 70 Wilson -1, 89 Neely -1 DM 12/40
1:08	3	2nd and 10	ILL 20	Shotgun 3WR, Trips R	4-3	Juice Williams sacked by Colin Neely and Trevor Anderson for a loss of 5 yards to the Illin 15.
89 Neely beats his man and devours the QB. 89 Neely +1 DM 13/41
0:33	3	3rd and 15	ILL 15	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams sideline pass complete to Arrelious Benn for 8 yards to the Illin 23, tackled by Ross Weaver out-of-bounds.
MSU shows blitz by putting 2 LBs on the LOS along with the Nickel back. The CBs back off the line. All 6 go after the QB, no one gets there. The pass is in the flat and the coverage prevents the WR from getting the first down. 37 Weaver makes the tackle. 37 Weaver +1 DM 13/42
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 3 plays 3 yards, 01:21 ILL PUNT
12:17	4	4th and 4	ILL 46	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 31 yards, returned by Jarred Fayson for 6 yards to the Illin 46, tackled by Marcus Hyde and Greg Jones, ILLINOIS penalty 10 yard IB on Aaron Gress accepted.
Bates has a nice punt but he kicked it a little too short and the coverage over ran the ball allowing the PR to get upfield.
12:07	4	1st and 10	ILL 11	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Jason Ford rush left for 6 yards to the Illin 17, tackled by Danny Fortener and Brandon Denson out-of-bounds.
89 Neely is unblocked, but can not stop the QB from pitching the HB on the option. 34 Denson is blocked by a WR allowing the HB to turn upfield for yards. 33 Fortener makes a nice openfield takle. 33 Fortener +1, 34 Denson -1 DM 13/43
11:35	4	2nd and 4	ILL 17			ILLINOIS penalty 8 yard pass interference on Jason Ford accepted, no play.
11:00	4	2nd and 12	ILL 9			MICHIGAN ST penalty 5 yard offside on Trevor Anderson accepted.
Too bad it was on 99 Worthy. 99 Worthy -1
10:50	4	2nd and 7	ILL 14	Shotgun 3WR, 2HB	4-3	Juice Williams rush up the middle for 12 yards to the Illin 26, tackled by Greg Jones and Chris L. Rucker for a 1ST down.
93 Treadwell does not maintain his lane opening up room for the QB to run. 43 Gordon doesn't break down and allows the QB to cut behind him. I was going to compliment 29 L. Rucker, but he goes for a hit instead of tackling. 43 Gordon -1, 93 Treadwell -1 DM 13/44 Play and replay
10:16	4	1st and 10	ILL 26	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Juice Williams rush left for a loss of 1 yard to the Illin 25, tackled by Eric Gordon.
The DTs stunt. 93 Treadwell gets to the QB because of that, but misses the tackle. 43 Gordon avoids a tackler get a TFL. 43 Gordon +2, 93 Treadwell -1 DM 14/45
9:37	4	2nd and 11	ILL 25	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	4-3	Juice Williams sideline pass complete to A.J. Jenkins for 6 yards to the Illin 31, tackled by Johnathan Strayhorn.
MSU blitzes 43 Gordon and 53 Jones and drops both DEs into zone coverage. 43 Gordon is picked up by the HB. The pass is into the flat where 34 Denson misses a tackle. 43 Gordon -1, 34 Denson -1 DM 14/46
9:00	4	3rd and 5	ILL 31	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams sacked by Greg Jones for a loss of 6 yards to the Illin 25.
MSU is in a Cover 2 Zone. 58 Anderson splits the RG and RT forcing the QB to step up and into 53 Jones. 53 Jones +1, 58 Anderson +1 DM 15/47
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 5 plays 14 yards, 03:43 ILL PUNT

6:27	4	4th and 1	MSU 45	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 30 yards, returned by Jarred Fayson for 5 yards to the Illin 30, tackled by Brandon Denson.
34 Denson does a great job of tracking the PR and making a tackle after only a short PR.
6:14	4	1st and 10	ILL 30	Shotgun 4WR	4-3	Juice Williams rush right for a loss of 5 yards to the Illin 25, tackled by Trevor Anderson.
The QB tripped over the foot of 58 Anderson. 58 Anderson +1 DM 16/48
5:48	4	2nd and 15	ILL 25	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Juice Williams sideline pass incomplete to Chris Duvalt.
MSU stunts 58 Anderson and 57 Strayhorn. The d-line gets no pressure and the QB just throws the ball poorly to the sideline. 54 Rolf -1, 58 Anderson -1, 57 Strayhorn -1, 53 Jones -1 DM 16/49
5:36	4	3rd and 15	ILL 25	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Juice Williams rush right for 11 yards to the Illin 36, tackled by Greg Jones and Trevor Anderson.
MSU only sends 3, but gets pressure with 58 Anderson beating the RT. The 3 man line allows a huge running lane for the QB to get a lot of yards. 58 Anderson +1 DM 16/50
4:55	4	4th and 4	ILL 36	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Mikel LeShoure rush left for 13 yards to the Illin 49, tackled by Danny Fortener out-of-bounds for a 1ST down.
54 Rolf is unblocked and forces the QB to pitch the ball. 43 Gordon gets blocked by a WR. 9 Ware gets blocked by a WR. 33 Fortener makes the tackle. 33 Fortener +1, 43 Gordon -1, 9 Ware -1 DM 16/51
4:35	4	1st and 10	ILL 49	Shotgun 4WR	Unprepared	Juice Williams deep pass incomplete to Jeff Cumberland.
MSU has players looking at the sideline on this play and doesn't call time out. The Seniors need to see this and get a TO called. The QB overthrows the WR. DM 16/52 Include Video
4:27	4	2nd and 10	ILL 49	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	Nickel	Juice Williams crossing pass complete to Chris Duvalt for 12 yards to the MchSt 39, tackled by Jeremy Ware out-of-bounds for a 1ST down.
MSU blitzes 34 Denson out of the nickel package and he gets through quickly. Too bad the QB got the ball out to an open WR. 9 Ware should have had coverage but he was slow to react. 9 Ware -1 DM 16/53
4:09	4	1st and 10	MSU 39	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams sideline pass incomplete to Jarred Fayson.
MSU stunts the DTs who get no where. The QB has time to throw but the throw is out of bounds. 29 L. Rucker had great coverage and jacks up the WR after the ball arrives. 29 L. Rucker +1, 53 Jones -1, 54 Rolf -1, 96 Pickelman -1, 93 Treadwell -1 DM 16/54 Include Replay
4:02	4	2nd and 10	MSU 39	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams rush left for 5 yards to the MchSt 34, tackled by Eric Gordon.
MSU blitzes two LBs, but the play is away from the blitz. 43 Gordon avoids a WR block and makes the tackle. 43 Gordon +1 DM 16/55
3:38	4	3rd and 5	MSU 34	Shotgun 4WR, Trips R	Nickel	Juice Williams sideline pass incomplete to Chris Duvalt, hurried by Trevor Anderson.
MSU sends 2 LBs and CB on a blitz. The QB rolls away from the blitz. 58 Anderson and 29 L. Rucker are on him when the QB throws the ball away. 58 Anderson +1, 29 L. Rucker +1 DM 17/56
3:28	4	4th and 5	MSU 34	FG	FG Block	Matt Eller 51 yard field goal MISSED.
MSU does not attempt to block the kick. The kicker misses the FG.
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 10 plays 36 yards, 02:52 ILL FGA
2:26	4	4th and 2	MSU 42	Punt Return	Punt Coverage	Aaron Bates punt for 34 yards, returned by Jarred Fayson for 9 yards to the Illin 33, tackled by Andrew Hawken and Eric Gordon.
Illinois has a lot of blockers back allowing the PR to get the ball and start running. 96 Pickelman misses a tackle. Eventually Spartans swarm the PR and make the tackle. 96 Pickelman -1
2:14	4	1st and 10	ILL 33	Shotgun 4WR, Bunch R	Nickel	Juice Williams slant pass complete to Jack Ramsey for 8 yards to the Illin 41, tackled by Greg Jones.
MSU looks like they are in a prevent defense. The d-line starts to get penetration before the ball is away. The secondary allows the WR to catch the ball, then tackles him short of the first down keepign the clock running. DM 17/57
1:59	4	2nd and 2	ILL 41	Shotgun 4WR	Nickel	Juice Williams rush right for 4 yards to the Illin 45 for a 1ST down.
The QB has all day to throw. 80 Sims makes a nice spin move on the RT but can't get to the QB. The QB leaves the pocket and runs for a first down. I guess Sims is doing some time at DE. 80 Sims +1 DM 17/58
1:48	4	1st and 10	ILL 45	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams crossing pass complete to Chris Duvalt for 14 yards to the MchSt 41, tackled by Greg Jones and Eric Gordon for a 1ST down.
There is no pressure and the QB gets the ball away to a WR who splits 53 Jones and 43 Gordon to get first down yardage. DM 17/59
1:34	4	1st and 10	MSU 41	Shotgun 4WR, Trips L	Nickel	Juice Williams screen pass complete to Mikel LeShoure for 41 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.
MSU blitzes 53 Jones and the QB jsut dumps the ball to the HB in the flat who turns upfield, puts move on 34 Denson and goes into the endzone. 34 Denson -1 DM 17/60
DRIVE TOTALS: ILL drive: 4 plays 67 yards, 00:50 ILL TD

KJ's Defensive Metric

KJ had the super idea to come up with a new metric for the defense. I included this as DM X/XX. Whenever teh defense prevented the offense from gaining yardage the numerator is increased by 1. Every defensive play increases the denominator. So I saw against Illinois MSU disrupt 17 of 61 60 plays that Illinois ran. KJ's analysis was 15/60. So, offhand I would say that just the box score is a very good comparison to what I saw on film.

Player	Plus	Minus	Total
Defensive Line
70 Wilson	0	3	-3
58 Anderson	9	9	0
99 Worthy	4	5	-1
54 Rolf	1	6	-5
57 Strayhorn	0	4	-4
89 Neely	3	3	0
96 Pickelman	2	2	0
93 Treadwell	0	6	-6
80 Sims	1	0	1
Total	20	38	-18

Well, that's ugly. Wilson was invisible all day. Treadwell looks like he should have kept his readshirt, although this experience will help him a lot for next year so its probably a good idea to get him playing time. The d-line was inconsistent. A lot of time there was pressure and the disruption of plays in the backfield, but it was offset with no pressure and bad reads. The line will need to be more consistent to beat better teams.

Player	Plus	Minus	Total
Linebackers
53 Jones	6	9	-3
34 Denson	2	14	-12
43 Gordon	4	11	-7
55 Decker	1	3	-2
Total	13	37	-24

And even uglier. The front seven played a bad game. Jones once again has enough positive plays to show why he is up for so many awards. Gordon continues to get hammered by blockers and it still looks like MSU throws whomever out for the 3rd LB.

Player	Plus	Minus	Total
Secondary
29 L. Rucker	8	1	7
11 Hyde	2	1	1
9 Ware	3	3	0
33 Fortener	10	2	8
38 KDC	1	0	1
39 Robinson	1	1	0
37 Weaver	1	0	1
Total	26	8	18

The secondary gets a lot of kudos from tackling everyone the front 7 missed. Fortener had a huge game and the pick 6 ends up being the reason MSU gets a 10 point win rather than a nail biter. 29 Chris L. Rucker continues to kick butt all over the field. He is MSU's best cover guy.

Formation	Plays	Yards	Average	3rd Downs	Conversions	Yards	3rd and 7+
Defensive Formations
Base 4-3	37	114	3.1	2	0	-2	0/0
Nickel 3-3	20	148	7.4	11	3	51	2/7
4-3 Totals	79	253	3.2	8	3	59	0/0
3-3 Totals	38	262	6.9	20	7	120	6/15

This is the totals from the last two games, Michigan and Illinois. The average amount of yards MSU is giving up ond 3rd down against the Nickel is huge. That includes incomplete passes. The 60 yard TD pass Michigan had was on 3rd and 1 against the base defense accounting for most of the yards the defense has given up on 3rd down against the base defense. The most troubling aspect of this for me is that teams are converting a lot of 3rd and longs. The horribleness of the 3 man line is really showing and this is only accounting for two games. I really can not understand why MSU would continue with this defensive set.

Good News? Could be.

DrDetroit — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:14:19 -0000

Looking ahead the rest of this season has teams on the schedule that have now started playing teams the Spartans have played. Iowa beat Michigan and Penn State so far this year. Is that good news for the Spartans?

These things don't always work out, but looking at the results from Michigan/MSU and UM/Iowa, it is hard not to start thinking positively.

Michigan had something like -20 yards rushing until the last drive of the game and OT against the Spartans. Michigan ran for almost 200 yards against Iowa.

So, why is that good news? Iowa plays the same defense that Pat Narduzzi runs. MGoBlog Pictures. 3 LBs on the field against 4 WRs. One LB split wide. If they can't stop Michigan with the same defense we run, doesn't that bode well for our defense the rest of the year? Off hand I have to say yes.

The Iowa d-line dominated PSU in their win earlier this year. I don't know that we can expect the same from the Spartans, but right now I have to wonder if the d-line is either really improving throughout this year. That would make sense since 99 Worthy is a freshmen. After the MSUFR I might know more, but I am now shifting towards positive for the rest of this year.

2008 Defensive Scheme

DrDetroit — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:32:50 -0000

We have all been wondering about the defensive scheme that was run last year. I am trying to find video of MSU last year to verify what the defense was doing. So far, I have one of the Michigan game and the few plays that are shown indicate the defense is the same as last year. I will link the videos and post more if/when I find them.

First video is of the 2008 game at Michigan. There are only a few plays shown, but they show the 3 man line and looks like there are always 3 LBs on the field.

Notre Dame game. 3:41 is the start of the relevant plays. MSU has 3 LBs on the field. The end of the game, ND is in a shotgun set with 4WRs and MSU has 3 LBs on the field.

2007 Notre Dame. They don't show the ND TDs, but there is a play at the 6 minute mark where ND is three wide and MSU has 3 LBs on the field.

And this is all I need to know. Michigan 2007. About halfway through it skips to the 4th quarter and Michigan's big comeback. You'll see MSU have the base defense in against Michigan as they go to 3WR sets and passing the ball. Watch the last Michigan TD and carefully note the 3 man rush. Yup, this is what Pat's defense is, was and appears to be for all the future.

Now can we openly start calling for him to be fired?

Edit: I was thinking about this and I became even more upset. Imagine MSU is playing a great game, they have an awesome first half and go into the locker room up 24-3. What do you think the other team is going to do in the second half? They will abandon the run and throw the ball. By virtue of MSU building up a lead they force an opponent to throw the ball, thereby attacking the weakness in this defensive scheme. This defensive scheme is designed for MSU to blow leads. It is designed to allow opponents to run two minute drills. It is built to fail.