Around the Big Ten

[iam416]

Wisconsin has given up 29 points all year.

[WingsFan]

heh

[lineygoblue]

I can't stand Dantonio. IMO he's one of the most overrated coaches in America, .. but his answer to the reporter was spot-on.

[froot loops]

It's over for Dantonio unless he can bring in some different staff members. I think his answer was weak. He has to stop resting on his accomplishments. Beyond stale.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Froot, I think it might have been you that said with the right kind of power game, teams can still play that type of football. Wisconsin has done it and they remain an almost pure "pro-style" offense if you include the limited number of RPOs that I think Chryst has in his play-book. I don't watch close enough to know if the QB does ZRs.

I think what's missing in Dantonio's management is an OC that can upgrade the power brand of football he likes and wants to run. MSU is not likely to out-talent teams that recruit better than MSU but it certainly should be able to match everyone in the BT except osu.

Dantonio probably knows this. It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, he brings in on offense and then how, compared to Michigan, that guy is managed and the offense is upgraded.

[froot loops]

It's less about scheme and more about recruiting and hunger. As successful as Dantonio has been, his coaching staff has not recruited to what can be considered average for MSU. The first 5 or 6 recruiting classes were pretty good but it has been disappointing since. They made one swing for a big recruiter in Blackwell and the whole thing ended in scandal. When Izzo gets beat by more talented teams he redoubles the effort to recruit players. That isn't happening, it won't happen and they don't have a working athletic department to speak of.

[froot loops]

He will get to retire when he wants, it doesn't really matter if they beat Michigan. Who cares on that. It's if they are competing at the top level of the conference and they aren't.

[Hannibal]

Bad recruiting is coming home to roost on the offensive side of the ball.

[froot loops]

Some of that is the 2016 class. It was thought to be the step up in recruiting and a lot of the top recruits of that class are gone to due to conduct issues or transfers. 3 Big Ten titles in 6 years and that didn't result in on recruiting better players. Ultimately you need guys out there on the recruiting trail, a lot of that is relationships and pure hustle.

One thing a program like Wisconsin has over MSU is they consistently develop good offensive lineman. The Spartans are bad at that. Take out the Allen brothers and Jack Conklin and there isn't a great record of development.

[iam416]

Sparty was also leading a pretty charmed life in QB development for awhile. Or, maybe they were just doing a really good job of it. But, their QB play has been hit or miss at best. Lewerke definitely flashed against Ohio State, but that seemed above his raisin'. In any event, their QB play isn't great and the OL, as noted, has been mediocre for a host of reasons.

[Hannibal]

I wish that we had Lewerke. But he has no talent at all around him.

[iam416]

His WRs are fine. Well, except they oddly drop too many. I think Elijah Collins can be ok. But, man, the OL is really suspect.

[froot loops]

Stewart and White made a mark early in their careers, but they really haven't made the progress you would hope by this point. That's one of the big disappointments. Even during the lean years MSU always had good receivers with at least one looking to be an NFL receiver. That isn't the case now. Lewerke is kind of in the same spot where Stanton and Hoyer were by their senior year.

There's no excuse for the offensive line. Its been like this for 5 years.

Coaches have a shelf life. One of the curses of winning the Big Ten in 2013 was all of this offensive nonsense was going on early in the year but they turned it around by the middle of the season. I think the coaching staff expects that to happen again.

[hack]

Coaches certainly do have a shelf life. A lot like musicians, though also not at all like musicians. But in both cases, when it's gone it's gone.

[lineygoblue]

I wish that we had Lewerke. But he has no talent at all around him.

I think Patterson is at least equally as talented as Lewerke, and maybe moreso.

But with Patterson, he's saddled with an offense that's akin to making a fireman fight a fire with a squirt gun. It doesn't allow him to utilize the talent he has.