This was the worst loss experience since '96.
Losing to UCLA in the '76 Rose Bowl shocked and baffled as I thought the decisive win over them in the regular season meant we were better -- terrible Rose Bowl where the opponent came out after the half and shut us down. '98 MSU was shocking but understandable in that we made many TOs and couldn't pass pro.
'96 saw us get into the RZ multiple three times -- behind O Pace -- and scored 9 points in the first half, then one big play breakdown on D and the O cratered in the second half.
This game was worse. Michigan team was worse (62 yards passing, zero TDs, 2 picks) -- the game plan was invisible -- outside of apparently believing that they had to run to win -- they didn't seem to pick up the actual thread of the game.
Maybe they felt they could keep banging into the middle of the line because they never fell far behind.
This is what I posted before the game, never really thinking that we were going to actually fall into the hole:
'Michigan has been evolving and had a recent game where they kind of came out, but we have also evolved, and the results have been the D has been disruptive, dangerous. They aren't going to pick us apart.
As long as we don't give up TOs AND a ST disaster, we will win. It won't be a runaway train -- the weather and the opponent won' allow for that -- but they will be facing the same weather, and their opponent is better than ours.
Our run game has not been dominant -- but we can run. Our OL made errors last week, but we overcame. We are going to make mistakes tomorrow. We are going to respond by making plays. We will crack them open eventually.'
I didn't think that we would have both TOs and a ST disaster. Then it happened and we did not snap to.
Sickens me. I haven't been able to think since.
Losing to UCLA in the '76 Rose Bowl shocked and baffled as I thought the decisive win over them in the regular season meant we were better -- terrible Rose Bowl where the opponent came out after the half and shut us down. '98 MSU was shocking but understandable in that we made many TOs and couldn't pass pro.
'96 saw us get into the RZ multiple three times -- behind O Pace -- and scored 9 points in the first half, then one big play breakdown on D and the O cratered in the second half.
This game was worse. Michigan team was worse (62 yards passing, zero TDs, 2 picks) -- the game plan was invisible -- outside of apparently believing that they had to run to win -- they didn't seem to pick up the actual thread of the game.
Maybe they felt they could keep banging into the middle of the line because they never fell far behind.
This is what I posted before the game, never really thinking that we were going to actually fall into the hole:
'Michigan has been evolving and had a recent game where they kind of came out, but we have also evolved, and the results have been the D has been disruptive, dangerous. They aren't going to pick us apart.
As long as we don't give up TOs AND a ST disaster, we will win. It won't be a runaway train -- the weather and the opponent won' allow for that -- but they will be facing the same weather, and their opponent is better than ours.
Our run game has not been dominant -- but we can run. Our OL made errors last week, but we overcame. We are going to make mistakes tomorrow. We are going to respond by making plays. We will crack them open eventually.'
I didn't think that we would have both TOs and a ST disaster. Then it happened and we did not snap to.
Sickens me. I haven't been able to think since.
