First, great to come out of the non-conference 4-0 and against 4 teams that are good and will win some games this year.
Western, definitely a unique obstacle going on the road and facing them in a game that is basically their superbowl or championship; biggest game in their stadiums history. They prepped all offseason for that game and brought their best effort.
Oregon, big time opponent with the revenge factor from last year, and the hype, attention, stars, media, etc were a lot to distract and play into the performance in that game. Still a good showing to build on.
Air Force, very unique offense that the coaches I'm sure are glad to not have to face again this year. It showed they were concerned about facing it with all the time they spent studying and working on it in the offseason. Air Force pulled some wrinkles and things we hopefully won't have to face this year. Aside from the offense, stacked 8, 9, 10 guys in the box to stop the run and put pressure on Cook. Was hard for the offense to get in a rhythm.
Central, to come off of all the prep on Air Force, the hype from Oregon and finally have a "week to relax" seemed to be some of the issue. Can understand that. Cooper Rush is a heck of a QB and made a lot of throws into tights spots. He could start at QB at a lot of Big10 schools this year. Again, this was Central's big chance to make a statement and be king in the state.
All that, think it's great to come out of the non-conference with 4 wins and all of the teams goals ahead of them, Big10 championship, playoff, national championship, etc.
Now we head into Big10 competition, knowing a lot of what we will see from the different teams. Also, this is where the coaches will start to open up the playbook. Maybe not this coming week with Purdue, but in the weeks after that there will be new things we haven't seen that will make this team look even better. Many have wondered why not more blitzing, maybe we start to see that more in the coming weeks. Anyway, this is where this team can start to separate themselves, prove their worth, and really get after it.
Certainly there are improvements to be made in many aspects of this team. If Connor Cook wants to separate himself and put himself in the Heisman conversation, he has to take the next step. If the offensive line wants to prove they are one of the best units in football, they'll start taking those steps (once healthy). Same with the defensive line. Secondary will continue to improve.
There are a lot of football games left to be played, and 4-0 is a good place to start. But it is only starting. There are 4 more Saturday afternoons in Spartan Stadium to enjoy watching one of the top teams in the nation. Fans need to represent and show that we're a top fanbase. Don't take any of this awesome success for granted, as it was not long ago that this sort of success wasn't even dreamed of for this program. It was more a hope of maybe we can get to a bowl game this year!
Welcome the Big10 season with excitement, expectation, and passion as this could prove to be a very very special few months ahead.
Western, definitely a unique obstacle going on the road and facing them in a game that is basically their superbowl or championship; biggest game in their stadiums history. They prepped all offseason for that game and brought their best effort.
Oregon, big time opponent with the revenge factor from last year, and the hype, attention, stars, media, etc were a lot to distract and play into the performance in that game. Still a good showing to build on.
Air Force, very unique offense that the coaches I'm sure are glad to not have to face again this year. It showed they were concerned about facing it with all the time they spent studying and working on it in the offseason. Air Force pulled some wrinkles and things we hopefully won't have to face this year. Aside from the offense, stacked 8, 9, 10 guys in the box to stop the run and put pressure on Cook. Was hard for the offense to get in a rhythm.
Central, to come off of all the prep on Air Force, the hype from Oregon and finally have a "week to relax" seemed to be some of the issue. Can understand that. Cooper Rush is a heck of a QB and made a lot of throws into tights spots. He could start at QB at a lot of Big10 schools this year. Again, this was Central's big chance to make a statement and be king in the state.
All that, think it's great to come out of the non-conference with 4 wins and all of the teams goals ahead of them, Big10 championship, playoff, national championship, etc.
Now we head into Big10 competition, knowing a lot of what we will see from the different teams. Also, this is where the coaches will start to open up the playbook. Maybe not this coming week with Purdue, but in the weeks after that there will be new things we haven't seen that will make this team look even better. Many have wondered why not more blitzing, maybe we start to see that more in the coming weeks. Anyway, this is where this team can start to separate themselves, prove their worth, and really get after it.
Certainly there are improvements to be made in many aspects of this team. If Connor Cook wants to separate himself and put himself in the Heisman conversation, he has to take the next step. If the offensive line wants to prove they are one of the best units in football, they'll start taking those steps (once healthy). Same with the defensive line. Secondary will continue to improve.
There are a lot of football games left to be played, and 4-0 is a good place to start. But it is only starting. There are 4 more Saturday afternoons in Spartan Stadium to enjoy watching one of the top teams in the nation. Fans need to represent and show that we're a top fanbase. Don't take any of this awesome success for granted, as it was not long ago that this sort of success wasn't even dreamed of for this program. It was more a hope of maybe we can get to a bowl game this year!
Welcome the Big10 season with excitement, expectation, and passion as this could prove to be a very very special few months ahead.
