Michigan State Coaches Say Ohio State Gave Them Selectively Edited Game Tape

After Ohio State beat Michigan State today 17-16, the Spartans coaches' bellies ached loudly enough that reporters heard them and wrote that Michigan State's coaches were upset with Ohio State's coaches. Apparently the game film that Ohio State provided in advance of their game was not up to Big Ten conference standards. In fact it sounds like Ohio State sent over the video equivalent of paper dolls.

Here's the Detroit Free Press with the story. It used the word "doctored" to describe the game film, but that seems to confer an M.D. on every jerk who ever made a mix tape on a dual-cassette boombox.

MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi confirmed to the Free Press that MSU contacted the Big Ten and said Ohio State cut off pre-snap motions and shifts before plays on film of its four games before today's 17-16 OSU win at Spartan Stadium.

"We had tape cut off all week, where they changed the tape, I'm not gonna lie to you," Narduzzi said outside the MSU locker room. "They send you tape and they've got it all cut off and you don't get to see shifts or motions or anything else."

Big Ten teams are required to provide game film to each other before they play, with footage shot by their respective video staffs. Narduzzi said MSU contacted Ohio State's non-league opponents and got film from them.

"A few other teams we talked to that they played, and we compared what they were looking at on tape to what we were looking at," he said. "We're like ‘We don't see any of that. We see it on their tape but not on our tape.' So that's something I'm sure the Big Ten office will hopefully take care of."

Urban Meyer, pledging allegiance above, told the paper there wasn't an issue. But if that's the case, won't it be fascinating to see why the Spartans coaching staff would confirm (or reveal) to the media its complaint to the league office. Meyer's first Big Ten game was today. Who knows. Maybe it's a miscommunication. Or maybe Meyer's staff cut some corners knowing that it would get one freebie. Maybe the time Michigan State's defensive coaching staff spent fussing with subpar game film this week made a tiny, incremental difference in a one-point game. Regardless, history will show that on this day Ohio State began its conference schedule undefeated and the Spartans collected their second overall loss, placing them firmly on the path to nondescription.

Michigan State claims Ohio State doctored game film [Detroit Free Press]