Spartan fans are not happy with MSU’s football team
What’s wrong with MSU football?
Coming off of a blow-out loss to Wisconsin, the Michigan State Spartans fell flat against the Indiana Hoosiers in an overtime loss that dropped the Spartans to 2-2. Up against what most people considered a decidedly inferior team, the Spartan faithful had been hoping for a bounce-back game. Instead, fans were left to wonder what is going on with their team that just last year made the playoffs. Since then the poor start has only snowballed, with MSU losing to the BYU Cougars and the Northwestern Wildcats.
Having been one of only four teams to make the playoffs the previous year, expectations were understandably high to begin the season. But even if our hopes were too high, it’s hard to explain how things have started this poorly – and every fan has their own opinion.
“The turnovers are the big issue,” said sophomore Caleb Chrisman. “How many interceptions did we throw against Wisconsin? A lot! Just fix that and I think we’d be fine.”
Others, like junior Joey Ritter, blame injuries. “There have been some injuries with John Reschke and… Riley Bullough. That really hurt our defense. We lost a lot of good leadership.
Perhaps the most popular claim, however, is that the offense is to blame.
“Quarterback play has been pretty poor,” said senior Max Johnston. “The offense in general has been pretty stagnant… but it’s not necessarily [O’Connor’s] fault. The offensive line has been pretty weak and the running game has been sporadic. You need both of those to at least function to have a really good passing game.”
Despite a clear consensus that something has gone wrong early, fans aren’t throwing in the towel just yet. As senior Ethan Keenan pointed out, “[Coach Mark] Dantonio has been able to pull a lot of magic in the last few years, so you never know. They could still figure things out.”
With the Maryland Terrapins next on the docket, MSU has got a great opportunity to prove that they will not buckle under when faced with adversity. Perhaps Joey Ritter said it perfectly.
“I think right now this is a big test for ourselves to see where we really are, and hopefully we get the job done. But I definitely do feel optimistic!”