Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell (24) jumps into the end zone, leaving would-be Minnesota tacklers in his wake, on an 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, November 24, 2012. Michigan State won, 26-10, as Bell rushed for 266 yards on 35 carries. (Marlin Levison/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT) / MCT
MINNEAPOLIS -- Watching Le’Veon Bell and that Michigan State defense play today at TCF Bank Stadium, it was really amazing to think that both are part of a team struggling to get to 6-6 and a bowl game.
But that’s reality and at least the Spartans got there, 26-10 over Minnesota – thanks to Bell’s career-high 266 yards and a defensive effort that yielded 96 yards and three points while grabbing four interceptions.
They got there despite leading by just six points after three quarters, and despite a pair of costly picks from Andrew Maxwell. Maxwell played with a “severely bruised” bursa sac (elbow area) on his throwing arm, Mark Dantonio revealed after the game.
He got it on the hit he took last week against Northwestern, on the play that resulted in a pick for a touchdown. He was not able to throw in practice Tuesday, Dantonio said, and was finally able to throw fully on Thursday.
Of course, both of those picks were the results of bad decisions. Minnesota baited Maxwell into the first one on a blitz, with linebacker Aaron Hill dropping, grabbing the pass and taking it 33 yards for Minnesota’s only touchdown.
The second one was simply a bad idea, throwing to fullback Trevon Pendleton with multiple defenders around him.
But the Spartans survived them because of a Maxwell bullet that popped off the hands of Tony Lippett and into the hands of Bennie Fowler for a touchdown – a break!
And because of an Andre Sims Jr. 44-yard punt return to set up a short field-goal and a two-score advantage – a special teams play!
You haven’t seen many of either this season. Then the fourth quarter belonged to Bell, who ran as well today as I can recall in his MSU career. He ran behind an offensive line that clearly is developing some chemistry with the same lineup in place for a few weeks now.
So the Spartans are 6-6 and will play in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Dec. 29 in Tempe, Ariz., perhaps against Oklahoma State (this isn’t official but it is MSU’s expectation and nothing else really makes sense). This is miles short of the hopes and expectations of this team three months ago.
But imagine the alternative. A running back like that, and a defense like that, sitting at home on the holidays because the Spartans had so much trouble finishing so many games.
Today, MSU deserves some credit for backing up Dantonio’s “when we win” comment Tuesday.
“As I told our football team, this was the most important game of the year, right here,” Dantonio said. “Because this sets the tone. It's an end-of-the-year game, it put us into a bowl game. Lot of pressure on our football team to be able to do that.
“A lot of football teams would come and maybe squander a lead or fall apart when you have an interception for touchdown, or some of the things that have happened to us really throughout the season. But we stayed the course.”
And Max Bullough deserves some credit for essentially calling out the offense at the team hotel Friday, promising that the defense would do its job and imploring the offense to score some points.
“They took it like men and said ‘Thank you, we needed that challenge. That’s something that needed to be said to us earlier,’” Bullough said.
Well, count on Bullough saying things like that earlier and more often as a senior captain next season. He has emerged as “that guy” for the Spartans.
Don’t count on Bell being around to chase Lorenzo White’s career rushing record (he’s now just 1,686 behind him). But understand that today’s response and result gives MSU a better chance at a major bounce-back in 2013.