Michigan State football having trouble handing past success

Michigan State football has enjoyed much success in the last three seasons but this year the team feeling the pain for their dominance.

Coach Mark Dantonio has said over the last several seasons that one of the keys to success in East Lansing has been his seniors. However, this season has been the exact opposite of that recipe for Michigan State football.

The Spartans lost many key seniors to graduation and the transition has been rocky. There are issues that have lingered with this team since last year. Dantonio-led teams have a reputation of being well-coached, protective of the pigskin and effective execution-wise.

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While Dantonio and his staff are some of the best in the Big Ten (even though many fans would like to fire Dave Warner and Harlon Barnett, many teams would love to have these coaches on their sideline), they have not executed well because of penalties and turnovers have been an Achilles heel this season. Spartan fans have a right to be upset because this is not the typical team they have become accustomed to.

In my opinion, Dantonio has stuck with Tyler O’Connor because Michigan State has one of the more complex offenses in the Big Ten. They run spread, power O and some option, among others. The playbook is vast and there might not be another quarterback on the roster who Dantonio might feel comfortable at this point running the show. The Spartans would have to simplify or change what they want to do, therefore, he is content to work with what he has, which isn’t much.

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Penalties have doomed this struggling offense. Last year, Connor Cook was able to overcome those same types of penalties with precision passing. However, this year O’Connor is average, at best, and the penalties have destroyed some good drives. MSU continues to shoot itself in the foot with a lack of focus.

The two culprits I have seen the most have been David Beedle and Josiah Price. The latter made some of these same mistakes last year. I can remember a blatant push off in the Michigan game that killed a really great MSU drive. Beedle is either in over his head or has lost focus. These penalties are uncharacteristic of Dantonio football and something needs to happen.

Moreover, the Spartans always seemed to have a chemistry to the team. In fact, Dantonio values this in the recruiting process and at times will not offer a player if they do not gel with the team. They have always made the big play or took advantage of a turnover or communicated well. This year there is not only an absence of leadership but of chemistry.

It’s not like this team does not like each, but there is something off with this group. Could it be that the team is not behind O’Connor at quarterback? Maybe, but that’s a baseless conjecture seeing as he was voted captain.

Could it be that they are all frustrated and have lost the fun of the game? I think that is more likely the answer. I’d also add to that: Michigan State is getting every team’s best. When they see MSU on the schedule it’s like their Super Bowl and it’ll be no different for BYU this Saturday.

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Losing does take away the fun, but players cannot be their best when they feel pressure. It’s the same thing that happened in 2012 with the wide receivers. The more pressure players feel, the more they will tighten up and are unable to be loose. Many of these players have not played together before and some this is their last season and first time starting.

The leadership is not there this year, which is why many, including myself, believe the youth movement needs to start now. However, for Dantonio, that might be like saying the season is over and he’s a competitor and doesn’t want to give up on this season just yet.