Going into today's game, the Spartans knew that they would have to start quickly and shake off last week's battle wounds to take the first steps towards a victory. The initial challenge came in actually doing that, but after Minnesota's first drive ended in a missed field goal and MSU responded with an Edwin Baker score, they had provided just the response Spartan Nation needed.
MSU took care of businesss today by doing exactly what they've done so well in earlier games: outrushing their opponent and playing capable defense while limiting offensive mistakes (minus one late Kirk Cousins interception). It was encouraging to see Baker pile up yardage in big chunks on his way to 179 yards and four touchdowns, and it appears he has a chokehold on the starting spot. That's good news for a team that averaged under 80 yards on the ground in their past three contests, and even better for a team entering its last two Big Ten games this month.
It was also encouraging to see the offense score twice on fourth-and-goal gambles, while the defense came up big with a fourth-down stop of its own. Throughout the rest of the game, the Spartans held Gopher QB Adam Weber to 167 yards (55 below his season average),and picked him off once. Considering Iowa threw for three touchdowns against MSU last week, this is a great recovery by the State defense.
Across the board as well, the Spartans appear to have recovered. There were no major turnovers or penalties, long scoring drives by the opposition,or depleting mental mistakes, all of which cost them a shot at victory against the Hawkeyes.
Throughout the week, Coach Dantonio and his staff emphasized the need to bounce back against Minnesota, while improving in all areas of the game. In watching today's effort, it's crystal clear that this team did just that, and in a big way. They came out firing on all cylinders from the start, ran the football with abandon and unwavering commitment, and minimized every issue that morphed into a problem in Iowa City. These are all extremely positive signs going forward, and in particular, into battles with Purdue and Penn State.
But first, the Spartans get a week off. For now, glory will wait.
--Beau
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