EAST LANSING, Mich. — Do you want to know what the scariest thing was about the dominating performance Le’Veon Bell delivered Friday night?
It wasn’t that he rushed for 210 yards on a grueling 44 carries with the temperature reaching 84 degrees at kickoff.
And it wasn’t that Bell hurdled a would-be tackler, carried defenders and stiff-armed them, too.
What was truly scary about the Michigan State junior’s breakout game in a 17-13 win over Boise State was what Spartans tight end Dion Sims said about Bell afterward.
“He’s capable of way more than that,” Sims said.
It makes you wonder.
Is Eric Allen’s school rushing record of 350 yards set in 1971 in jeopardy?
Is Lorenzo White’s school benchmark of 56 carries against Indiana in 1987 destined to become toast?
Bell also caught six passes for 55 yards and threw a big block to protect quarterback Andrew Maxwell before he fired an 18-yard, third-and-seven completion that led to Bell’s go-ahead, 5-yard touchdown run with 8:12 remaining in the game.
Glib and dominating Spartans defensive end William Gholston summed up Bell best: “Dog is a dog. That’s what a dog does, and he did it.”
Bell gained 10 yards on a play late in the final, 52-yard, clock-killing drive to reach 200. Right guard Chris McDonald hugged him, and Bell was asked if it was in celebration of reaching a special plateau.
“I had no idea,” he said with a wide smile. “I was just out there running. I had no idea how many carries or yards I had. I was just out there running, trying to win the game.”
So, what was the hug for?
“We hug all the time,” Bell said. “We hug all the time, in the huddle, all the time.”
And who could blame them for holding hands and singing “Kumbayah” after this one?
The 13th-ranked Spartans are likely to move up in the rankings after beating No. 22 Boise State and keeping its vaunted offense out of the end zone. The Broncos’ lone touchdown came on a 43-yard interception return by Jeremy Ioane on a ball tailback Larry Caper tipped.
Still, without Bell, this one could’ve ended up in the loss column. He was money in the bank for Michigan State on a night when collateral was hard to come by in the passing game. Maxwell threw three interceptions — with two tipped by his own receivers — and none of the new wideouts were consistent.
Bell scored the game’s first touchdown, hurdled a defender on a 23-yard run, and had a 35-yard scamper that was made from nothing. Bell was stopped going to his right near his own end zone, but reversed field to leave Boise State grasping for air until safety Darian Thompson brought him down.
“MSU was playing him right in his wheelhouse,” said Broncos coach Chris Petersen, who is now 73-7 as the coach at his school. “He is one of those guys that if you keep giving him the ball, he is going to get stronger and eventually you are going to get worn out on defense.”
Spartans coach Mark Dantonio was asked what, among all the things Bell did, most impressed him.
“No fumbles,” Dantonio said. “He broke some tackles and had some big, explosive gains. He made something out of nothing. He surged with the ball. But you can’t underestimate it — (50) touches and not fumbling the ball.”
Bell was Superman on a big stage, and put on the kind of performance that will surely drop his name into the Heisman Trophy discussion. There’s a long way to go in determining that, but earning consideration is important at this stage.
As a sophomore, Bell rushed for 948 yards and 13 touchdowns, gaining steam at the end of the season. He had a career-high 141 yards against Western Michigan as a freshman, and three other 100-yard efforts.
But the 240-pound bruiser had done nothing close to what he did in this game.
What were his thoughts on becoming State’s first 200-yard rusher since Javon Ringer did it twice in 2008?
“That is the most I have ever had in my collegiate career,” Bell said. “It’s a great accomplishment for me, but I’ve still got things to work on and get better at."
He’s a coach’s dream.
Bell runs like a horse, has soft hands, blocks effectively and is about as likely to brag as a monk.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the offensive line,” he said. “The offensive line did a great job today. The receivers block on the edge — tight ends and fullbacks. Even Maxwell making checks at the line of scrimmage to get in the right play when they were showing blitz. You have to give a lot of credit to those guys.”
Bell stood on the podium, answering questions from reporters and deflecting credit as surely as he held onto the ball. Grass stains covered his white pants. Blood was splattered on his socks. Sweat soaked his jersey.
He was determination on display.
And, like Sims noted, what Bell did might just be scratching the surface.
Scary, indeed.
