Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from ugly win over Maryland
Michigan State football won a close, ugly game against Maryland in Week 12, and here’s what we learned about the Spartans in the process.
Sometimes wins don’t need to be pretty, and that’s been the theme for Michigan State football all season long. The Spartans are now 8-3 on the season, less than a calendar year after finishing 3-9 and having the worst offseason in recent memory.
The Spartans are playing the band of football that got them to where they are today. They’re tough, gritty and the defense is stingy — for the most part.
On Saturday, they handled Maryland for three quarters, but allowed the Terrapins to get back into the game with some conservative defense and questionable play calling and execution. The weather didn’t help matters, but the Spartans held on for the win.
What did we learn from the 17-7 win over the reeling Terrapins?
5. This team can be too conservative at the worst times
It seemed like the Spartans were on a mission from the start of the game. Sure, the passing attack wasn’t working with the weather conditions being as poor as possible, but Dave Warner did an excellent job of mixing in the run and even sticking with the hot hand.
However, things changed in the second half. The offense was trying to just do the same things over and over and Maryland caught on. Although the Spartans had gashed the Terrapins for 5.3 yards per carry all game, it seemed like the staff was playing it far too safe with a 17-point lead, and that got them in trouble.
No, 17 points is not insurmountable in college football, especially with how high-powered offenses can be. The offense essentially knew it wasn’t going to get first downs in the fourth quarter and was OK with three plays and a punt.
The conservative attitude wasn’t just reserved for the offense, though, but the defense was in that early mini-prevent coverage which allowed Max Bortenschlager to dink and dunk his way through the final couple of drives, setting up a touchdown and what should have been a made field goal, but it missed slightly to the right.
Can’t be content with close leads late in games. Sometimes you have to play to win and not just to not lose.