Not to belabor the point, but there is one factor that likely played into the loss to ASU that I honestly don't recall anyone bringing up directly. That is, the added pressure that the team felt due to the possibility of Coach D breaking the MSU record.
Think about it. Lots of former players were back, there was clearly a post-game party planned. MSU even (it is rumored) changed the uniform schedule to wear the neon jerseys against Western so that they could wear the more traditional unis when Coach broke the record.
In a close, grind it outtype game, the pressure kept building on MSU to not screw this up for their coach. For the defense, specifically, this pressure would have been a bit larger, since everyone knows Coach D is a defensive coach. I have to wonder if this added pressure was another straw on the camel's back.
It obviously wasn't the ONLY factor, but I think it contributed, potentially more than we realize. Both the players and coaches seemed to be pressing a bit, and I think this is the main reason why. The good news is that once coach breaks the record, this pressure completely goes away. Playing a game on the road might be just what the doctor ordered.
That said, I would feel a lot better this week if we were not playing the one middle tier Big Ten team that has consistently given us problems. While I think MSU is the better team and should win this weekend, there is a clear path to disaster. MSU needs to be sharp.
Think about it. Lots of former players were back, there was clearly a post-game party planned. MSU even (it is rumored) changed the uniform schedule to wear the neon jerseys against Western so that they could wear the more traditional unis when Coach broke the record.
In a close, grind it outtype game, the pressure kept building on MSU to not screw this up for their coach. For the defense, specifically, this pressure would have been a bit larger, since everyone knows Coach D is a defensive coach. I have to wonder if this added pressure was another straw on the camel's back.
It obviously wasn't the ONLY factor, but I think it contributed, potentially more than we realize. Both the players and coaches seemed to be pressing a bit, and I think this is the main reason why. The good news is that once coach breaks the record, this pressure completely goes away. Playing a game on the road might be just what the doctor ordered.
That said, I would feel a lot better this week if we were not playing the one middle tier Big Ten team that has consistently given us problems. While I think MSU is the better team and should win this weekend, there is a clear path to disaster. MSU needs to be sharp.
