Sparty Can't Count, so Sun Devils Survive

Published on 15-Sep-2019 by Alan Adamsson

Football - NCAA    NCAA Football Daily Update

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Sparty Can't Count, so Sun Devils Survive

We always hear it, that a game can come down to one play.

Sure, it can swing on one play, but really, isn't it dependent on all the plays that came before it?

And doesn't that mean that the team in question had all sortsa chances to keep that game swinging on one play?

Dammit, where's Otter when you need him?

 

The point being: Michigan State was the master of its own disaster in its 10-7 loss to those tenacious Sun Devils of Arizona State. All they had to do, among other things, was:

  • Make any one of the three field goals they missed,
  • Finished any one of the six drives that made it into enemy territory,
  • Cut down on any one of ten penalties that stalled drives,
  • Didn't fumble away a probable touchdown, and/or
  • Learned how to flippin' count to 12.

 

This isn't necessarily a knock on Sparty -- OK, in this case, it is a knock on Sparty -- it's a reality in so many games where someone's looking for blame or an excuse.

More often than not, it's just the last mistake that sticks in minds.

Which, in this game, rounds down to the usual suspects:

 

Wait for it:

 

Check Arizona State's Cam Phillips -- Jersey No 15, to the right of the right upright -- taking a run-up to launch himself over the line. Can't do that.

Well, you can, especially if no one throws a flag. It's also not reviewable for whatever reason. And being real, it also didn't have a damn thing to do with the kick being missed.

Stuff just happens in the heat of battle, and if you're not prepared for any of it, well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

 

Following on with the logic of Otter's defense -- and maybe even Chaos Theory -- what could this very human series of events mean to the bigger picture of who gets white-listed to participate in the College Football Playoffs?

  • What if Sparty figures the rest of the season out and derails the Ohio State title charge?
  • What if this turns out to be a quality non-con victory that the Pac-12 so sorely needs?
  • What if a Pac-12 team runs the table or only has one loss?

 

Yes, there is that.

But there's also this:

 

Say this about Herm Edwards, or better yet, let ol' Herm say it himself for the 10,000th time:

 

OG may not always have the most talented team on the field, but if they've got a shot to win it, they're one of the most prepared teams on any field.

It was Michigan State that melted down in the waning moments after Arizona State put them in position to put up or shut up by ...

  • marching 75 yards in 11 plays,
  • taking 2:44 to ultimatel score the go-ahead TD
  • with 50 seconds remaining.

 

The Sun Devils beat a Big Ten team by playing Big Ten football. Who knows if that'll acutally have an effect on the eventual Pac-12 champion's CFP hopes?

What is known is it's proof yet again that excuses and omissions don't show up on the scoreboard or in a team's record. Either they control what they can  and do it better than their opponent or they live with the consequences.

Now, the fun comes in seeing what consequeces come outta this one.