In a cold and stunned stadium, the fans sit in the Big House starring in disbelief as just a few seconds earlier they cried out in delirium watching as the Wolverines were just seconds away from a huge win at home. Since the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as Head Coach , there was renewed hope and optimism and after winning 5 games in a row with 3 straight shutouts and an epic battle and rivalry with the Spartans for bragging rights in the State of Michigan, but also the winner would take a big step towards the B1G Championship game and a show down potentially with the Buckeyes. Fans, Alumni, Sports Pundits and the Media had for a long time been drinking the Harbaugh Kool Aid. But reality came a calling and on a play that will go down in history of all sports, a muffed punt on a questionable play call by Coach Harbaugh cost the Wolverines a win and stunned 100,000+ at the stadium and millions watching the game. Give Harbaugh credit for re establishing a winning tradition at Michigan and turning around a program that for years always had good to great talent but poor coaching to bring it out. Michigan has a great defense this year and the three straight shutouts as impressive as they were, we now see they were against average at best teams. Outside of Utah in the first game of the year, none of the next 5 teams Michigan played really offered a challenge to them. Michigan didn't have to play a full 60 minutes in a close game this year at all. Both BYU and Northwestern were nowhere as good at their records suggested and were easy fodder for Michigan and their stout defense and with just enough offense was all they needed.
Into town comes the #7 ranked MSU Spartans, heavily banged up with injuries to many starters but still undefeated and the winner of many close games. The #12 Michigan Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh had been waiting all season for this game and suddenly the Spartans were 8 point underdogs to an unproven but 5-1 Wolverine Team. All including the media jumped on the Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines bandwagon as the hottest College team in the Country, who no one could beat and Michigan was back on top of the B1G and also in the State of Michigan! Everyone was excited, the stadium filled, the State divided and rooting for their favorite team and ESPN College Game Day came into town for the Epic Battle at the Big House! Before the game even began if you listened to Michigan fans, alumni and the media, MSU didn't even need to bother to play, for the Wolverines were going to crush them and their defense would probably record their 4th straight shut out. Watching the game and listening to the biased announcers who for some reason kept talking about the Wolverines and Coach Harbaugh the whole game of turning the tide and Big Brother and Little Brother and how the Rivalry now meant something had no clue what they were talking about at all! Yes, Michigan played good for most of the game, the defense was good but not great, the offense is average when the run game is taken away from them but the Coaching was suspect at best. Harbaugh knows that even though the punter muffed the snap to him, Harbaugh had many other options that to punt the ball at the end of the game. He relied on his defense to win the game and they did what was needed but the call to punt by Harbaugh is what cost the Wolverines this game!
Coach Mark Dantonio had his Spartans well prepared for this game. They played with great composure, great resolve, overcame all adversity, played though numerous injuries as they have all year but most of all they played for 60 minutes as they have all year! They ran the ball when they had too against a run stop defense and threw the ball all over the field. Senior QB Connor Cook showed why He will be a High Pick in next years NFL Draft. He completed passes when He needed to and had a few passes dropped that would of put this game away earlier in the second half. The biggest difference in this game was that Coach Dantonio trusted his QB to throw the ball and Coach Harbaugh did not trust his QB enough and it cost him dearly. MSU as it has done the past 4 years has won close games, Cook is now 31-3 as a QB and the team continues to find ways to win games. As I am writing this post, MSU is now 7-0 and back into the Top 4 in the CFBTop25, Coach Dantonio is back in East Lansing smiling ear to ear knowing He has the best team in State of Michigan, He continues to beat the Wolverines and has firmly established a football powerhouse at MSU which not only consists of great athletes but athletes that fit his teams vision and chemistry and plays hard each and every down. Michigan is 5-2 and will drop back to 16 in the CFBTop25. MSU controls its own destiny again while Michigan is virtually all done this season and can look forward to a warm climate to go for a bowl game but it won't be a big bowl game this year! Coach Harbaugh throughout the years has never been a gracious loser and last night was nothing new, he was whining and complaining as usual and making excuses and blaming others, He knows deep down inside He lost this game for the Wolverines and no matter how he tries to spin it or deflect criticism away from himself and his team, He owns this loss. The Michigan fans and alumni and media will continue to drink the Harbaugh Kool Aid and continue to shower Harbaugh with praise and boost his ego, but Harbaugh knows He blew his chance to stop the dominance of MSU and just like it was in Stanford and also with the 49ers, He will win some big games but at the end of the day in the near future He will ride into the sunset and move back into the NFL leaving Michigan in his dust as Harbaugh and His ego clamor to be back in the almighty NFL!!! @cupofjoeinthed
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