Andrew Maxwell, Hero

Bear with me for a minute as I do a little inside-sports riff here. Stick with it though, because this post is not about football.

My beloved Spartans finished a disappointing season last week with a come from behind win over the TCU Hornfrogs in the, ahem, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. After the game, in which starting quarterback and team co-captain, Andrew Maxwell was benched, I got a less than complimentary text about him from a perennial MSU-basher who shall remain nameless.

I didn’t respond to it at the time because the truth was that Andy didn’t have a good game. In fact, he had precious few good moments all season. He’s a junior so he’ll be back next season, but by no means is he guaranteed to be the starting quarterback again. After the game, he was asked how he felt about the benching:

This doesn’t have to turn into being about me. This night belongs to us. This night belongs to the Michigan State Spartans…I think everyone is so excited and so thrilled with how we won the game, there’s really no room to worry about how I’m feeling or who was playing quarterback. The bottom line is we won the game.

Good for you Andrew!

Here are the football facts as I see them and I am not alone in this view: Andy stepped into the shoes of the most successful, most accomplished quarterback in MSU history. No pressure there. What should have been a comfortable transition turned into a nightmare. His offensive line was riddled with injuries and couldn’t pass-protect. His young and talented receivers couldn’t catch a cold, and the one guy Andy could trust to catch the ball got hurt early on and was lost for several games. Although MSU had good running backs, they were of little help because the O-line couldn’t run-block either. The bottom line is that Andrew Maxwell had his confidence crushed early and often. Any wonder he struggled more and more as the year went on? How would you do in his place?

And here’s the point: it’s hard to be successful in life without confidence. Confidence allows you to get up after you fall and try again. Confidence lets you take on giants and monsters without fear. Confidence gives you the strength to pick up those around you who are faltering. Without confidence, you stop trying. You become afraid of your own shadow. You look the other way when you see the trials of others because you have no resources to help them.

By all accounts, Andrew is a young man of faith. He realizes that football is just a game and that what really matters is his relationship with God. I have no doubt that Andy will be back fighting for his job in the spring. Nevertheless, whether he ever takes another snap in Spartan Stadium, he will be one of my heroes, because he places his ultimate confidence in God.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.¹

Go Green!

¹Isa 40:31 NIV