Michigan State Holiday Wish List 2018: Wish No. 13 for Spartan fans

Michigan State’s 25 wishes list continues today and will run for the next two and a half weeks. What is the No. 13 wish for all Spartan fans?

Here is wish No. 13 on our Michigan State fan wish list as we count down to wish No. 1.

Wish No. 13

Four or more defensive touchdowns for 2019.

The Michigan State defense, with the exception of 2016, has been a top unit nationally of late, for every season in about the last decade.

This year’s defense is regarded by many to be a top-10 or at least a top-15 defense nationally. However, the last three seasons for the Spartans defense has lacked one major component of those who came before them whom had been be very successful, and that is, defensive touchdowns. They matter, and here’s why.

The last successful squad for Michigan State was the 2015 team. Even though the 2017 team won 10 games, it was not deemed as one of the elite Spartan teams of the past decade. Many will look at that 2015 team that won 12 games, a Big Ten Championship, and a berth in the College Football Playoff as one led by a dynamic offense. They are partially right, what they don’t realize is the defense that year accounted for 16 interceptions, 12 fumble recoveries and five defensive touchdowns that included the famous blocked punt returned for a touchdown to give the Spartans a come from behind victory in Ann Arbor.

To compare to this year’s Michigan State defense, the current Spartan defense has two less interceptions at 14, 3 less fumble recoveries at nine, and most importantly, only one defensive touchdown which was an interception by defensive back Shakur Brown against Indiana. Why do defensive touchdowns matter so much?

Two games stand out that if Michigan State were to have had one defensive touchdown during each of them, it would be playing in Florida in a New Year’s Day bowl as opposed to playing in the Redbox Bowl. Michigan State lost to Arizona State on a last second field goal and they lost to Nebraska by a field goal as well. In both games, the offenses struggled mightily and a defensive touchdown rather it have been a fourth down block punt returned for a touchdown, a pick six or a fumble recovery returned to the house, Michigan State would have won them those games and the Spartans would be 9-3 as opposed to 7-5.

Defensive touchdowns matter, plain and simple

Every Spartan remembers the muffed punt returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Jalen Watts-Jackson against Michigan giving the Spartans the 27-23 victory, but do they remember some of the other defensive touchdowns?

Against Penn State a couple of years ago in the second quarter, Michigan State only up 13-3, Demetrious Cox picked up and ran back a 77-yard fumble for a touchdown. Penn State scored before the half and if it wasn’t for that touchdown, Michigan State would only have been up by three, 13-10 at the halftime.

Against Maryland in 2015, tied 7-7 in the second quarter, Riley Bullough’s 44-yard interception return for a touchdown shifted momentum in a game Connor Cook got injured and only threw for 77 yards, one interception and no touchdowns.

Against Air Force that same year, with Michigan State up 7-0, R. J. Williamson returned a fumble 64 yards for a touchdown. Air Force would score a touchdown on the next drive, so without that defensive touchdown, it would have been a tied ball game at that point of the game. The other defensive touchdown that Michigan State that had that season had no impact which was a Malik McDowell 13-yard interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Nittany Lions.

Spartans fans forget that even though Michigan State won the Big Ten and had 12 wins that season, they won five games by four or less points.

To compare the other Spartan teams previously and after the 2015 team, the 2014 team had three defensive touchdowns and the 2013 defense had four. The 2016, 2017, and 2018 Spartan defenses had combined for only four defensive touchdowns total, which averages to just over one per season.

This year’s Spartan defense was good and there’s no doubt in that statement, but it could have been great had it only scored a touchdown in the Arizona State and Nebraska games.

I put the probability of Wish No. 13 on our wish list of coming true at 30 percent. Creating and getting four or more defensive touchdowns is not impossible as it was done in 2015 and 2013. However, this wish happening next season may not be likely but it does have a decent probability of coming true.