Michigan State Football: 5 excuses used by Michigan fans to explain loss to Spartans

Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Joe Bolden (35) enter the stadium carrying a metal tent stake prior to a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

4. Joe Bolden wrongfully tossed

I will admit, the ejection for Michigan’s senior linebacker Joe Bolden was wrong. He was not intentionally trying to target Connor Cook with the crown of his helmet, he merely fell into the Spartan quarterback and happened to tap helmets with him.

Jack Conklin was in the middle of blocking the linebacker when Cook slid in behind him, the blocking ceased and Bolden tumbled into Cook. No malicious contact occurred, but the refs made a mistake and Bolden was ejected.

Although no one agrees with the call, it happened. The tides were looking as if they would be changing after Bolden fired up the crowd and got the Wolverines all riled up because of the wrongful ejection.

Because the Wolverines ended up losing, though, Bolden’s dismissal from the contest had to be the reason Michigan fell short. I mean, he’s the leader of the linebacking corps and he could have made all the difference in the world on the defensive side of things.

I’m not buying that excuse for a second, and neither should you. One player doesn’t make a difference, and if he did, the Spartans could say, well Ed Davis, Vayante Copeland, RJ Williamson and Darian Hicks were out, so that’s why MSU allowed yards. Just silly.

Sure, Bolden is an important piece to Michigan’s defense, but the Spartans’ run game was stuffed all day long even without him. The pass game was what was really hurting the Wolverines defense, so a guy with no sacks or pass deflections on the year cannot be the difference between a win and a loss. I’m sorry, but this excuse is also a no-go.

Plus, his ejection may just be karma for putting a stake in the Spartan Stadium field. Just a thought.

Next: 3. MSU roughed the center