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V-Cast: Can Michigan State continue to get off the mat as tough losses pile up?

On3 imageby:Paul Konyndyk•10/14/23•

PKonyndyk

Michigan-State-Rutgers-V-Cast

Piscataway, NJ – Michigan State doesn’t need a moral victory. The Spartans need a victory, period. And they would have gotten that victory on the road and in the rain at Rutgers if they hadn’t had costly errors on special teams. Those errors allowed the home team to rally from an 18-point deficit and post a 27-24 homecoming win.

Afterward, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk check in from SHI Stadium with the latest V-Cast.

V-CAST TOPICS

Special Teams: Michigan State continues to get stung by poor play on special teams. Two weekends after the Spartans lost at Iowa largely as the result of gaffes in the punt game operation, special teams made two critical fourth-quarter errors to ignite a RU comeback. Special teams were only part of the problem for Michigan State in it’s fourth-quarter meltdown against Rutgers, but without those mistakes, the Scarlet Knights likely would not have overcome an 18-point deficit. Teams mired in turmoil the way the Spartans have been this season find ways to lose, and that was certainly the case for this team in New Jersey.  

Katin Houser: Redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser played well in his debut as a starter for the Spartans. Houser engineered touchdown drives at the start of each half and accounted for three touchdowns on the day. Houser threw two touchdown passes, and ran for a third. Against a good defense, this was a solid showing for a second-year player. Houser did his part for Michigan State.

Can they keep picking up the pieces? Michigan State has done an admirable job of continuing to play hard in the face of adversity, but how much longer can the Spartans keep it up? That is one of the big questions ahead of next weekend’s rivalry game against the Wolverines. There is no doubt that the Wolverines will be looking to embarrass the Spartans in East Lansing. So can Michigan State saddle up once again in the face of adversity and continue to scrap?

At this point in the season, nobody should question the resiliency of this Spartan football team. Team leaders like Tre Mosley and Aaron Brule indicated after this game that there would be no quit in their football team moving forward. I believe them, but even if the Spartans continue to fight, with the schedule they have ahead of them, even their best effort may not amount to much against Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. As mental fatigue sets in, games against lesser opponents such as Minnesota and Nebraska may not be as winnable as they appeared on paper before the season.  

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