Once is Luck, Twice is Skill... Thrice is Dominance

SO there was a big game played last Saturday, I don't know if you heard about it or not, but Michigan and Michigan State squared off as two undefeateds at the Big House. And also if you are unaware, State dominated this affair 34-17. Couches went ablaze as Denard Robinson was shut down.

That game could have gone so many different ways, We all like to play what ifs in sports, but I don't buy in to them, Because with every what if play, lets say what if Denard doesn't throw that bad pass in the endzone and Michigan gets a touchdown. That was at the beginning of the game. So many things could and would have gone differently if Michigan had a 7-0 lead. I can't say had that one play, or other plays, go differently Michigan wins, but I can say it would be a totally different game. So for arguments sake, let's play some what if...

What if Denard Robinson hit those three guys for Michigan scores? There are three plays that stand out to me in this one. Denard's first interception, him missing a wide open Darryl Stonum (which led to a field goal) and his second interception. All three of those could (and arguably) should have been touchdowns. That's 21 points folks. His picks were both thrown behind the receiver, and both were very catchable with a good pass. Denard didn't show up in the big game, and it cost Michigan.

In all of Michigan's victories, the story has been Denard, so it's no different in defeat. He didn't have a Denard-esque game. Credit the Spartan defense for containing him on the ground, but he still managed to throw for over 200 yards. And he threw three picks. People have tried to make the argument that he had a good game, I cannot say he did. I don't care what his stats say, considering 200 yards passing and he threw for a score and ran for one, but he didn't have a good game. Stats say he had a solid game, but reality is he made crucial mistakes that led to Michigan losing this one and threw three interceptions. Not the game of a heisman trophy winner.

I would be remiss if I didn't give credit where credit is due. State's front seven dominated the game and did an excellent job at containing Robinson. The secondary was questionable as always but it took advantage of bad throws by Denard. State took care of business. Dominated the trenches and was efficient on offense. The Spartans were a well-oiled machine and didn't make any mistakes. They deserved this win.

Where does this leave Michigan and State? One could run the table, or one could fall apart... but until next time, you'll just have to wait to find out why I think that...

* Credit goes to Sully for giving me the idea of the title in a smack talk comment on my pregame blog