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

By Connor Muldowney

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Oct 17, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive back Jalen Watts-Jackson (20) is mobbed by teammates after scoring a touchdown as the clock expires in the fourth quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Michigan State 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

1. MSU didn’t win, Michigan just lost

Last, but certainly not least. The ultimate excuse. “Michigan State didn’t win, Michigan just lost and handed the Spartans a victory.”

Oh, OK.

That would be true if Michigan State rolled over the entire game and looked absolutely pathetic, but it didn’t. Multiple players played well enough to give MSU a chance to win and the Spartans didn’t look like anything less than the No. 7 team in the country throughout, despite not holding a lead.

Blake O’Neill technically did hand the Spartans the ball on a game-winning score, but what caused that to happen? Even if he did catch the ball cleanly and go in for the punt, there’s no guarantee that the Spartans’ 11-man punt block wouldn’t have gotten to the ball before the Australian rugby-style kicker got it off.

In fact, the Spartans reached O’Neill in 3.06 seconds on the botch and on his 80-yard punt earlier in the game, it took him about 2.8 seconds to get it off. Even if he fielded the low snap, it would have taken him at least 0.3 seconds longer to get off the punt, so MSU may have gotten to him anyways.

Either way, the rush made him nervous, and that can be attributed to Dantonio’s gutsy 11-man rush.

Michigan did not “hand” the Spartans anything, it was earned. Just like the 326 passing yards Connor Cook threw for and the three touchdowns that the Spartans scored — the first scores in the past three games against the Wolverines’ vaunted defense.

Excuses are for the poor. Be strong, avoid them.

Next: Report card for Spartans' win over Michigan

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