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

Hey Hey Hockey's Back

The best time of the year is here, it's October. College Football is getting into conference play, the NFL is in full swing, and ah yes, the NHL is back. The Red Wings began their season tonight, and did they look good or what? They dominated in a 4-0 win over the not Mighty anymore Ducks. Good way to start the season off, not only with a win, but a dominating performance on both ends of the ice. Let's take a look to see how that happened...

I would like to make a small side not here, in the player introduction, it was Mike Modano who got the biggest ovation. Welcome home bud.

But anyways I digress... Let's go about 5 minutes into the first period. Johan Franzen finds the back of the net on a drop off pass from Filpula. This goal was all Franzen, he scored on a tough angle and his quick release and fast shot found the back of the net. Mickey said it perfectly, by adding that "(Franzen) could be the next Wing 50 goal-scorer." I totally agree. Everything about the Mule screams goal scorer. His size, his puck handling, his quick shot, and his powerful shot. If he stays healthy, he will score 50.

Then about 26 seconds later, the Wings would find the net again. Dan Cleary had the puck in the middle of the ice, Duck's zone. While taking a hit, he dropped it off for Modano who sniped a quick writer past Jonas Hiller. Whata home coming for Modano. Didn't take him long to score his first goal as a Wing and he did it at home. Good for you Mike.

Second Period strolls along, it's 2-0 Wings. Zetterberg has the puck near the blue line, and he passes down to his Euro twin Pavel Datsyuk, who redirects it past Hiller from a weird angle. Pavel, instead of catching and shooting, angled his stick perfectly to redirect it. It was the only way he would score.

Then Dan Cleary had himself an interesting goal... Pavel threw the puck out front, as Cleary was crashing the net. The puck hit him, he crashed into Hiller. Net comes off, light goes on, ref says no goal. The play goes under review. Mick and the gang are analyzing the replays and see the same thing I do; the net coming off it's bearings before the puck crosses. But go figure, ref get's off the phone and tells JLA that it was a good hockey goal.

Oh and Pavel got a Gordie Howe Hat Trick... that was something. Pavel Datsyuk in a legit fight. He held his own against Coery Perry and the crowd loved it. Hell I loved it. It was great to see Pavel so feisty in that game. I hope to see that passion and drive from all the Wings this year.

The BEarded 3 Stars:
3rd Star Jimmy Howard
Oh Jimmy, how I ragged you last year, but yet through all that, people forget that I praised you and said you were the best starter we had, I just said you weren't there yet... But you are there now. I think this is Jimmy's year to be that star goalie that comes through our system we've never had in Detroit, not in a long time anyways. Jimmy got career shut out number four, adn hopefully there's more of that to come.
2nd Star Dan Cleary
Cleary had himself two points in the season debut, and he looked good all game long. Ripped a shot off the post, took a hit while delivering the pass to Modano for his goal. He had a Dan Cleary-esk game, and he gets the 2nd star for it.
1st Star: Pavel Datsyuk
When you get a Gordie Hat Trick, you know you had a good game. Pavel showed us something new tonight, he was aggressive, he was chippy, he got in a fight. I would love to see that the rest of the season. If he channels an aggressive style, he will become that much better of a player.

Pavel Fighting

Battle for Paul Bunyan's Trophy

Michigan and Michigan State square off tomorrow, in case you haven't heard, and it's a pretty big deal. Both teams go into this one undefeated and a lot riding on this game. Big Ten title hopes will be dashed for one side, and bragging rights are at stake. 1072 days and counting I believe? Tons of pressure on the Wolverines to end that streak. But before we go into the details of the game, lets take a look at the Bearded Top 3 games of the Michigan Michigan State Rivalry. (In my life and memory)

Number 3: Caper's OT winner.

This game was exactly like quite a handful of Michigan v State games. State gets a sizeable lead against Michigan, 20-6 in the 4th quarter. Michigan then rallied to tie the game at 20, including a touchdown on the last play of the game to tie it. Forcier in overtime would then throw an interception in OT, which was followed by Larry Caper's 24 yard touchdown winner.

Michigan State 26 Michigan 20

Number 2: "Little Brother"

Ah yes, the Little Brother game. Spartan fans hated Hart for his comments (now love him because State hasn't lost since.) Michigan dominated the first half, took a 14-3 lead to the third quarter. Everything was going according to plan. State scored the next 21 points and fell down 24-14 with 8 minutes left in the 4th. Chad Henne left one play with an injury, Mallett fumbled, Mike Hart recovered and got a first down, but Henne immediately returned, hobbling, and led Michigan on a touchdown drive to make it 24-21 State. After a defensive stop, Henne and the Wolverines got the ball back, and every Spartan fan had seen this before... A few minutes and plays later, Henne found Mario Manningham in the corner of the endzone for the game winning score with 2:30 left. Michigan 28 Michigan State 24.

Number 1: The Braylon Game

Who could forget what happened on October 30, 2004? One of the greatest football games I have ever seen. A tremendous comeback by the Wolverines, or collapse by the Spartans, depending on your perspective. Michigan State jumped out to a 27-10 lead with only 8:43 left in the 4th quarter. The game appeared out of reach; three scores with so little time. But this is the Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy we're talking about, it's never over til there's 0's on the clock.

But how could a true freshman (Chad Henne) lead a comeback in his first start in this rivalry game. Michigan drove down to get a field goal to make it 27-13 with 6:27 left in the 4th. Still a big hole to climb out of. Rivas then did a kangaroo kick (type of onside kick) and Michigan recovered. On the next drive, Michigan scored a TD on a jump ball to Braylon Edwards. Michigan forced State to punt and a good return gave them great field position. And Henne would throw it up for you know who and he did you know what, that's Braylon for the TD in case you don't... to tie the game at 27's with 2:59 left in the 4th. Dave Rayner couldn't make the 52 yard field goal to win, and this game was going to overtime.

But this game didn't just go to one overtime, this game went to three. First OT, both teams were held to field goals. Second OT State scored a touchdown and Michigan would answer on a tremendous catch by Avant. In triple overtime Michigan faked the deep fade to Braylon, and they ran a post to the exposed middle of the field for the score, and got the two point conversion when Henne found Massaquoi in the back of the end zone. State was unable to get into the endzone and Michigan's miraculous comeback was complete.

Michigan 45 Michigan State 37 3OT

But where will 2010 rank? Will it be a blow out or another instant classic? This match-up has the chance to be another classic in this rivalry. And who does the Bearded One having winning this one? Well let's take a look at who I give the edge to, shall we?

Defense: Push.

Both defenses are horrendous. MSU's defense as a group is probably better, but in this game both will be justa as effective. The D will be a difference maker in this one, if one can manage to get a big stop, but both secondaries are awful, Michigan's is ranked dead last. I can't give either side an edge on D in this game because their D's are just so bad. I think State's is slightly better but Michigan has a better chance of stopping State than the other way around. Mike Martin and Craig Roh will pressure Cousins and disrupt the running game. Greg Jones will make his pressence felt IF Michigan runs it up the middle. But if he has to chase Denard, sorry Spartans, he won't catch him. He is physically unable to chase down Denard if he is at full speed. No one on State is. If Denard gets past the front seven, he could get passed everyone.

On the flip side, Kirk Cousins will be able to throw at will against Michigan. Also the trio of backs (Baker, Bell, Caper) will all be effective against the Michigan D. I don't expect the Wolverines to be able to consistantly stop the Spartan attack if the Spartans do a good job at mixing in run and pass.

Offense: Michigan.

I have to give the edge to the Wolverines on this side of the ball. Denard puts up more yards per game than most FBS teams. I have never seen such a dynamic and electric player. I refuse to play the "YEAH BUT GREG JONES GONNA INJURY HIM!!!!" game because that's not how a journalist should base a prediction. Can Greg Jones even get a clean shot at a player as fast and as elusive as Denard? I doubt it... Even if Denard goes down, Tate proved he can be efficient enough throwing the ball to move the offense. State's secondary is terrible, and if Tate has to come in, he will tear up the secondary. Michigan's wideouts are way faster than States corners. Michigan will score.

However, the Spartans will put up their fair share of points. Cousin's is a very good, and underrated, quarterback who will have a field day against the Michigan secondary. The ground game will be efficient as well. However, it is not enough for me to give Sparty the edge here, Denard is just that good. No one has stopped him, and I don't see anything in State's D that screams "Denard Stopper."

Special Teams: Michigan State

Okay quick and short. MSU has a good returner, Michigan doesn't. MSU has a kicker, Michigan doesn't. MSU has a punter, Michigan doesn't. That pretty much covers special teams...

The Bearded Edge: Michigan Wolverines.

I'm going with the Winged Helmet in this one. Denard is too good, and I don't see State stopping him. He will put up 150 rushing and 150 passing at least. Greg Jones is one guy who can't stop Denard every single play. Denard will have a prototypical Denard Robinson day. It will be a shootout, but I expect Michigan to pull this one out.
Michigan 42
Michigan State 38

ESPN Slaps Michigan in the face... Twice

ESPN made two decisions that they must know are complete slaps in the face to every Michigander who even knows what football is. People need to be up in arms about this, and I am bringing it to the attention of all three readers... ESPN, this is just not cool...

First off, they sent College Gameday to Alabama vs South Carolina instead of Michigan vs Michigan State. that's a joke right? Undefeated, top 20 rivals isn't as good as the number one team vs an unranked conference opponent? That's a joke, that's not even a good game. This is the game of the week, but not according to ESPN. That SEC biased has never appeared so true than it does right now. Theres no way that Bama Sou Car is better than the Battle for Paul Bunyan's trophy. As a football fan living here, I take it personally that they chose that location over ours. It's a joke. Shame on you ESPN...

And as if that wasn't enough, the ESPN/ABC masterminds made another great decision. If you, like me, cannot go to the game, you will be treated to the soothing sounds of Matthew Millen. The man that single-handily drove our football franchise into the ground, is coming to Michigan to commentate and give his "expert opinion" on our state's biggest game. If that's not a slap in the face then I don't know what is.

I just want to bring attention to all of those who were ignorant of the travesties that occurred. It's a shame what ESPN has done to Michigan, and I, for one, am not going to be silent about my displeasure.

Ducks Hunted

Keeper Dave Cobb on the ground after ankle injury

It was a rough weekend for the Mighty Ducks. The Coed starting things off Sunday, and only eight players showed. The Ducks played almost the entire game with down a man. The Ducks had a lot to overcome, but it looked like they were going to do it. The Liz scored the first goal of the game when a cross found it's way over the keeper's head and into the net. Down a man, the Ducks managed to get a 1-0 lead early. But late in the first half, Keeper made a very costly mistake, turning the ball over resulting in a goal. In a game that would be so difficult to win, he makes a crucial error costing the Ducks the lead.

The second half, the tired Duck team was dominated. Cobb made save after save as the Ducks could not get anything going. There were mad scrambles in front of the net constantly, but somehow the ball never went in. Conor Milroy, a former keep, sacrificed his body making a leaping save on a wide open net. Cobb made a bad run at the ball. Conor injured himself on the play, but later returned. The game finished a 1-1 tie.

It was a success for the Ducks, getting a tie when down as many as two men, but in the eyes of the keep, it was a failure. "That score should be One nil... I blew it."

Perhaps the young keep was too harsh on himself... He made a countless number of saves, including a couple charging and diving saves. He kept that game 1-1, but in his words, "I may have kept it a tie, but I also made it a tie. I gave them that goal."

In the night cap the Mighty Ducks would be taking on Flints finest, and sparks flew right off the bat. "You could tell just right from the start the way they were going at us, and us them, that it was going to get chippy. I said that to myself after the first foul I saw, I could tell," said Cobb after the game.

But chippy doesn't even begin to describe what happened. Not even five minutes into this match, a Flint player made probably the worst tackle I have ever seen in a game I was apart of. It was late, it was from behind, it got zero ball, and on top of that, it got no cards. Oh, and it injured Duck midfielder Ryan Williams, forcing him to leave the game.

"It was dirty, it was cheap, and it was ****ing bull ****! It should have been a red, no doubt," said midfielder Joshua Andaloro when asked about the tackle. And he's right, it was at the very minimum a yellow. I don't care if it was early, it was a bad tackle that injured a player.

Captain Dave Cobb could be seen on the other side "conversing" with the ref after the tackle. "I said to him, 'What the hell is that? Why is he not gone? Why is he still playing?' he just said 'his call, not mine,' and I said back to him 'this is a joke, you're a joke' then he yellowed me. Of course I get yellowed, and the other guy doesn't, I wasn't happy."

It set the tone for the rest of the match, every foul call went against the Ducks, the players out cried, and the refs weren't having it. Erik Grodus got threatened with an ejection for shouldering a player. It was bad, and the Ducks played with anger and fire. The game went tied at 0's to the half.

Second half was a different story, the Ducks still played feisty, but not smart. Costly turnovers led to two goals for Flint's Finest. The officiating was still poor. And Obscene geasture, in the rulebook an automatic red, was made at Duck midfielder Grodus that went "unseen."

It was later learned that the refs were friends with the Flint Douchbags... Captain Cobb called IM services the next day complaining and calling protest.

"It's not fair to us that they get let off the hook because they know the refs. I just want a fair ruling. They played better, but the officiating was biased and terrible. All we want as a team is a fair match. That was anything but."

The protest is pending, waiting word from IM services.

Ilitch to Buy Pistons

Fresh of Larry Lage's Twitter feed this morning, the Bearded One learned that Mike Ilitch, Little Caesar's founder, will be the new owner of the Detroit Pistons. We all know that by now, I just wanna throw my two cents in on it.

Personally, I like it. Ilitch turned the Dead Wings into the powerhouse franchise it is today. The Tigers were miserable for awhile but now have only had one losing season in the past five. This will be good for the Pistons, there are for sure staying in Michigan, and probably getting a downtown arena with the Wings. A much needed arena for the Wings and also get the Pistons in the Detroit area.

The one concern that I have, and everyone has, is will he be able to spend on all three teams without one being thrown to the way-side? Well to be honest, I don't think it's possible for him to spend evenly. The Red Wings used to get his biggest investment, until the cap was made, then the Tigers finally got money put into them. If a team gets shafted, it will most likely be the Pistons. But Ilitch is a terrific sport's owner and I don't think there is a better local man that could have bought the team.

Big Ten Play Begins

Big Ten got underway Saturday, and the important part of the season begins. No more cupcakes, no more scrubs, just conference play left to go. The conference opener is always an important game. You never want to start things off on the wrong foot. Both of our local squads would have games that would test their grit. The Wolverines start things off on the road against the pass-happy Hoosiers, and the Spartans hosted the #9 Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams could easily start things off with a loss, but both passed the test.

The Wolverines defense would be tested by the air-raid offense of the Indiana Hoosiers, and it was not up to the test. The Hoosier quarterback Ben Chappel had 65 pass attempts, including 480 passing yards and three touchdowns. But luckily for Michigan, Denard Robinson has been a bit unstoppable. He had himself another 200-rush and 200-pass yard day, and five touchdowns on top of that. It was back and fourth, no team had a bigger lead than seven. Indiana tied it late on a 19 yard touchdown on 4th and 5, then Denard led the game winning drive. Rich Rod said the touchdown play was supposed to be up the middle to set up the game winning field goal. A win is a win for Michigan, but that defense will be their Achilles heel.

The Spartans hosted the favored and #9 Wisconsin Badgers in their Big Ten opener. It would be a tough test for the Spartans to see if their D could stop the Wisconsin ground game. The Badgers are notorious for their ability to swap runningbacks in and out, with guys like John Clay. MSU played great defense and held the Badger backs in check. They turned the ball over three times, and still won the game. The offense was efficient, and the defense held tough when it had to. The key play was a 4th and 1 touchdown on a play action pass to seal the victory for the Spartans.

So with both teams winning, this sets up a great match-up this Saturday. The annual game for Paul Bunyan's Trophy. Both teams are 5-0, both teams have high hopes. This is a huge game for both, but a tad bit bigger for Michigan. Rich Rod's job could hinder on this game, and if Michigan loses, who know where the season could turn? The Spartans want to keep "big brother" down, and would love to spoil the Denard hype.

But who's gonna win? Well you'll have to read that later...