Leidner has been very solid in conference play. We don't ask him to do a lot, just take care of the football and make the throws he's supposed to make. Although against a team like the Buckeyes he may need to do more I would imagine.
Always an interesting perspective from a fan. I think everyone from the fans to the media are concerned with our ranking, etc. I am betting though that the team is clear on their mission and they know better than anyone what is at stake the rest of the way.
The weather is a advantage for no one IMO. The gophers practice indoors later in the year as do the buckeyes and high school football here is over by the last week of November Where yes it's cold but not normally 25 as a high. You factor that with a lot of the roster not being from Minnesota and you have a game that will be equally miserable for both teams.
I think a few factors played into these games, rather simply playing a "crappy PSU team" and an "excellent MSU team". PSU has a pretty solid defense...it's their offense that totally sucks and is keeping PSU from being a pretty decent team. Plus the game was their "Super Bowl" for the year, even though they are now allowed to play in a bowl. Couple that with it being Barrett's first prime-time night game on the road with 100,000 rabid Pedsters, and it's easy to see why he struggled, especially in the second half of regulation. Michigan State's defense isn't that much better, their crowd isn't nearly as large, Barrett had the PSU game under his belt, and most importantly OSU had the revenge factor.
