First off, I have to say that I did not have a chance to watch the game on Saturday. I was in Louisville, Kentucky visiting with friends (and watched the Cardinals pull off an upset over Southern Mississippi), and I was tailgating while the MSU game was going on. So I’m not going to pretend like I was watching, I’ll just share what I’ve learned so far and try to add my perspective.
Everyone who asked how Michigan State would play after an emotional victory against Michigan got a pretty resounding affirmation that yes, MSU could put two solid games in a row together and no, it wasn’t just over-preparation for U-M that was the reason the Spartans shut down the Wolverines.
Nichol started the game at quarterback, as Kirk Cousins was still hobbling a little bit after injuring his ankle the previous week. Coach Dantonio said that Kirk was probably 85% and could have played if necessary, but by giving Keith the start it gave Kirk an extra few days to let the ankle heal a bit more. The stat line looked decent for Nichol:
- 13-25, 179 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
From what I heard, the accuracy was off at times, and that the decision making wasn’t always the best. But he lead the team to victory, and that’s what matters.
The major story coming out of the game though was injuries. Nichol sustained what appears to have been a dislocated elbow injury late in the game, which after looking at the replay looked pretty nasty. Dantonio said that it isn’t as bad as it appeared on the field, and that Nichol is day-to-day (although it sure seems like this is the type of thing that could last for a couple of weeks). In addition, Glenn Winson suffered a torn ACL injury after his knee turned in a direction that human knees are not supposed to go. This one I haven’t seen a replay of, but sounds like it was pretty obvious that he would be out for the season when he went down. Larry Caper got dinged, but is alright and should be ready to go against Northwestern.
Those are tough injuries all around. Kirk should be ready to go at quarterback, but one would have to think that he’s going to be less mobile (and let’s face it, he’s already not particularly mobile despite some good runs against Michigan). Let’s say Kirk was to get hurt, then we’re looking at bringing in true freshman Andrew Maxwell who we were looking to redshirt this year.
At the running back spot, this means more carries are going to have to fall on Larry Caper. Caper has played well, but I felt like Winston had done a better job hitting the hole with authority. It also means someone else is going to have to step in and get some carries. Caulton Ray perhaps? Or Ashton Leggett? It’s anyone’s guess right now.
If you’re looking for some more breakdown, check out what they guys over at TOC put together.
Related posts:
Facebook Comments