My 3-2-1 from Thursday's Dantonio press conference
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The 3-2-1: On Winter Football
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during Mark Dantonio’s press conference on Thursday, two questions and one prediction:
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. No staff changes.
Dantonio indicated near the end of the season that there would be no shake-ups on his coaching staff. He reiterated it on Thursday.
“In terms of our staff, there will be no changes made on my behalf on our staff,” he said. “It's the same staff we won the Big Ten championship with that everybody was celebrating last year. It's the same staff that won the Rose Bowl basically, same staff that went to the Cotton Bowl that had record-setting numbers in '14, and et cetera, et cetera.
“It's all inclusive. Everything is all inclusive. Doesn't mean we fire players or anything like that if they miss a tackle. So there will be no changes in that area. There will be no changes in terms of who's coaching what.”
My Take: This news didn’t surprise anyone, but it set off a storm of arguments on sports talk radio, and internet message boards, including SpartanMag’s Underground Bunker.
My opinion? Michigan State spent 40 years failing to establish a consistent, championship-level program. Dantonio finally got it done, with some high peaks between 2009 and 2015.
This season was horrible. Horrible players, horrible playing, horrible coaching, horrible results.
Do I believe MSU needs to sweep out some coaches, despite the fact that they are the only coaches who have ever won consistently at a championship level at Michigan State in my lifetime? Or am I more inclined to look at Dantonio’s list of 15 reasons why 2016 went down the drain and give them time to map out some solutions?
I’ll opt for the latter.
Forty years of football purgatory in East Lansing should help us realize we’re not talking about the Brazilian national soccer team here. Winning at Michigan State is not easy. And when a group of coaches has bucked a 40-year trend, I would be hesitant to dismiss the lead elements that ushered in the legendary successes of 2013, ’14 and ’15.
I think the wise choice is to stay the course and if you have another bad year in 2017, then you take a closer look at major alterations. But if you make major alterations now and have a bad year in 2017, then you might as well be Rich Rodriguez.
When Dantonio won 40 out of 45 games, he credited chemistry, continuity and senior leadership as the main building blocks of success. Let him try to rebuild with those three elements again, with continuity being the applicable piece in this argument.
Some people think the program is dying and/or dead. Those people might be proven right. But changing jockeys right now isn’t the right move toward repairing things. The right move is to first try to repair with the people who built it in the first place, if in fact the lead architect (Dantonio) believes that’s the right path.
He knows more about this building stuff than we do. It would be ridiculous for me to pretend I knew of a better way.
Most people that I talk to that want sweeping changes have no names in mind for successors. They just want change, almost for the sake of change, even if its a change to the nameless and faceless. These are emotional reactions, not practical ones.
Do I think coaches have been told within the walls of the Skandalaris Center that they had better damn well pick it up a few notches? Yes I do. Do I think there are coaches on staff that need to do a better job? Absolutely.
Does Dantonio think they’ll come through? Yes he does. I can’t argue with that, right now.
2. Montae Nicholson has not yet made a decision about next year.
Sources have told SpartanMag.com that Nicholson, a junior safety, is considering forgoing his senior year in order to enter the NFL Draft.
I asked Dantonio about Nicholson's status following Thursday's press conference.
Dantonio told me: “Like all of our juniors, they're getting evaluated. They're going through that pre-evaluation process with the NFL. They put their name in there to see what comes back. Everybody's done that. Shilique (Calhoun) did that, Connor (Cook) did that. They get evaluated and and wait and see what comes back."
Nicholson has not made a final decision?
"No final decision," Dantonio said.
Would Dantonio welcome him back in 2017?
"Absolutely," Dantonio said.
Nicholson started as a sophomore and junior at Michigan State in 2015 and '16, losing his starting status briefly in 2015 due to performance issues before regaining the job in the final month of the season. He started 10 games this fall, missing two games with an arm injury.
Nicholson ranked second on the team in tackles with 86.
3. Dantonio say sophomore Brian Lewerke is man to beat for the quarterback job with the completion begins (or resumes) in the spring (story by Paul Konyndyk).
3a. Dantonio penned a list of 15 main reasons for the failures of 2016.
“There are tangible things and there are intangible things,” he said.
Most of them are areas that were discussed and covered during the season. He listed only 10 of them on Thursday:
1. Turnover margin.
“Turnover margin usually allows you to win or make up deficiencies that you have,” he said. “We've led the Big Ten in turnover margin the last three years. Not this year. We ended up minus five.
2. Shortage of sacks.
Michigan State ranked dead last in the Big Ten in sacks with only 11. The 13th-place team in the Big Ten (Rutgers) had 21, dwarfing the last-place Spartans in this category.
“I think one out of every six sacks in the NFL results in a caused fumble,” Dantonio said. “Certainly makes it more difficult to move down the field. Sacks create pressure. It's not that we weren't there. We're there sometimes but guys get out of sacks or whatever the situation.”
3. Allowing big plays.
“That (lack of pressure on the QB) lead, I believe, to the big plays down the field defensively,” Dantonio said. “If you get (the quarterback) off the dime, off their intended area that they want to pass from, their percentages go down, way down. But if you allow the quarterback too much time or if you let him get out of trouble, if the quarterback creates or makes big plays down the field or whatever the case, you suffer.”
4. Red zone scoring.
“Missed opportunities, kicking too many field goals,” Dantonio said. “We’re leading in every football game, and inevitably when you look at them, too many missed opportunities in the red zone. You look at Michigan, at the Penn State game, too many opportunities missed in the red zone, and kicking field goals or not getting anything out of them.
“You look at the red zone at the two-point conversion against Ohio State, opportunity to at least go ahead in the game with 4:41 to go. But missed opportunities.”
5. Lack of senior productivity.
“You've got to ask yourself the intangible things: Did our seniors have their very, very best years? And that's up and down,” Dantonio said. “You have to have your best year as a senior if you're going to have a group of people moving forward to create great moments.
“Every football team is usually a senior-led team. I point down the road (at Michigan) and their seniors are having the best years of their careers. And you see the results of that. And that's a positive for them.”
6. Failing to win the fourth quarter.
“I don't think we ever stopped competing, but we didn't win the fourth quarter,” Dantonio said. “That's a tangible aspect of it. We were leading every game, either at halftime or at some point in the game, sometimes at the end of three quarters, but we didn't win the fourth quarter.”
Dantonio didn’t want to drag on and tell us all 15.
But he briefly mentioned:
7. Technique.
8. Leadership.
“You've got to have productivity to be a leader,” Dantonio said. “So as you go through this, your quarterback is knocked out of the game, with a foot, missed two games. We had some changes in there, giving other people some opportunities and he (Lewerke) did an outstanding job, an outstanding job in terms of leadership.
“You got our linebacker, Riley Bullough, who is out for three weeks with a fractured scapula, and then he comes back and he plays his first game and in the first quarter gets a helmet to helmet shot (and is ejected). So he's out basically four games. Those are tough situations. Both those guys raised up and led.
“Our senior group, guys are hurt, and they've got to have their best year but they’re in and out throughout the entire time.
“When you lose a football game, it's tough on everybody. It's tough on our captains. It's tough on your senior leadership. They did a tremendous job. If you're at practice every practice, they did a tremendous job. Practices are very competitive, they were very energetic. Had some fights. It's all good.
“So we got ourselves ready to play and our guys continued to work.”
Dantonio tried to end on a positive when talking about leadership, but clearly felt the team as a whole was running short on that intangible.
9. Leadership at the coaching level.
“It starts with me, but it trickles all the way down through our football program,” he said. “When you talk about leadership, you're talking about the head football coach, too. I have to walk in there every day, too, and make sure that I'm doing the best job that I can as well as our coaches.
“So we did what we could do. At the end of the day you’ve got to win. We had opportunities to win in a lot of games.”
10. Injuries.
The Spartans had 44 different starters in 2016. There weren’t a lot of season-ending injuries, but there was a rash of short-term injuries which upset the continuity of position groups.
“Quarterbacks obviously are a big part of everything and that's not to lay everything on our quarterback position, but all you’ve got to say is we played three quarterbacks this year. What would you expect? And all three of them were injury-related. Somebody got knocked out here, knocked out there. So that's not occurred since we've been here.
“We were hit with defensive linemen last year with four guys leaving due to graduation. And then we lost four other guys. You lose eight defensive linemen, what do you expect?
“Malik (McDowell) struggled with injuries all season long. (Demetrius) Cooper had injuries as well, so you’ve got guys that were not playing at their fullest. Eight of them weren't there.
“Ed Davis had a knee surgery in May. He was rehabbing back from that. He never really could get back to what his former self was. And he was a phenomenal football player.”
He didn’t mention losing defensive starters Vayante Copeland and Jon Reschke to season-ending injuries.
“You’ve got to be able to maintain that excellence that we've had there,” Dantonio said. “There's a lot of positions that are like that.”
TWO QUESTIONS:
1. What is being done RIGHT NOW to begin to fix the problems of 2016?
“The basic thought process is that we'll restart this,” he said. “We're using this time right now to basically identify our leaders on our football team, establish who they are, look at our personnel, make sure our personnel is set in terms of what we need to continue to recruit, what we have coming back, things of that nature. Develop our chemistry, our attitude, our discipline, refocus on that aspect of it.”
Attitude and chemistry are things that are developed behind the scenes. Coaches swear that if attitude and chemistry aren’t good, and - worse yet - if they are poor, then they will manifest themselves in poor play at the line of scrimmage, in the backfield, in the secondary, on special teams, basically everywhere on the field.
Dantonio didn’t acknowledge problems with chemistry or attitude DURING the season. And Dantonio didn’t directly acknowledge it as a problem during Thursday’s press conference. But now that the season is over, his stating that there is a need to refocus on the development of chemistry, attitude and discipline speaks volumes.
Dantonio used to say MSU won with people, won largely with team-oriented intangibles. In 2016, the Spartans didn’t merely lack in those areas, sources say that Michigan State was flat-out bankrupt in those areas - and Dantonio’s listing this category high on the winter season to-do list is further indication that much work is indeed needed in this area.
2. What about changes in x’s and o’s, and on-field schematic philosophy?
Dantonio said those things are under review.
“That's always the big question: Do you change something that's been very successful for the sake of change or do you change something that needs to be changed because it wasn't successful this year or do you change something because it just needs to be changed?” Dantonio said. “And so there's a combination probably of all that as we move forward.
“I think the most important thing is that we identify problems, we focus on the solution, we solve the problem. And that's what we've always done.
“When you look at techniques, when you look at certain schemes, are you benefitting from the scheme that you're currently running whether it's defensively, offensively or special teams? Do you have to change things?
“All these things go into play when you're sitting here as we're sitting here. And that's why we need to take a very pragmatic approach to what's happened and recalculate where we're going and get there. And that's what we'll do.
“We look at our scheme, what we're doing, self-scout ourselves, self-scout our opponents, look at some of the things that we have dealt with this past season, what we can benefit from looking at, learn from, those type of things, and then move forward.”
This type of self-scout usually takes place after the bowl game. And it usually takes place with fewer crises to solve.
“So we are starting earlier than we normally start,” Dantonio said. “Usually we start doing these type of things in February with a little bit more smiley faces around us, but here we are in December dealing with this. So it's part of the situation moving forward.
“We have young players. We have good football players on this football team. We got people we can identify as play-makers on this team. We just have got to grow. Growth took place last year and it'll continue to take place.
“We've taken a step back. Now what's very important to me is that we put our foot in the ground and plant our feet in the ground and drive forward, and that's what we will do.
“And, to be honest with you, I've taken the approach of hey I'm a new coach coming in here, gonna fix the things that other guy did last year. And that's how I'm going to take the approach. I'm going to take the approach that I'm going to get this fixed. And this will be fixed.”
ONE PREDICTION:
1. A lot of sources have indicated that Nicholson is leaning heavily toward forgoing his senior year and opting for the NFL Draft. But I could see in Dantonio’s eyes on Thursday that the head coach wants him back. I’m not an NFL scout, but I think Nicholson could take a big jump with one more year in the program. I think Dantonio wants to get through to Nicholson and bring him back and I suspect that ultimately Nicholson will listen to Dantonio, after he receives what I am guessing will be a less-than-stellar review from NFL scouts, and return for his senior year. Just a hunch.
Edit
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during Mark Dantonio’s press conference on Thursday, two questions and one prediction:
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. No staff changes.
Dantonio indicated near the end of the season that there would be no shake-ups on his coaching staff. He reiterated it on Thursday.
“In terms of our staff, there will be no changes made on my behalf on our staff,” he said. “It's the same staff we won the Big Ten championship with that everybody was celebrating last year. It's the same staff that won the Rose Bowl basically, same staff that went to the Cotton Bowl that had record-setting numbers in '14, and et cetera, et cetera.
“It's all inclusive. Everything is all inclusive. Doesn't mean we fire players or anything like that if they miss a tackle. So there will be no changes in that area. There will be no changes in terms of who's coaching what.”
My Take: This news didn’t surprise anyone, but it set off a storm of arguments on sports talk radio, and internet message boards, including SpartanMag’s Underground Bunker.
My opinion? Michigan State spent 40 years failing to establish a consistent, championship-level program. Dantonio finally got it done, with some high peaks between 2009 and 2015.
This season was horrible. Horrible players, horrible playing, horrible coaching, horrible results.
Do I believe MSU needs to sweep out some coaches, despite the fact that they are the only coaches who have ever won consistently at a championship level at Michigan State in my lifetime? Or am I more inclined to look at Dantonio’s list of 15 reasons why 2016 went down the drain and give them time to map out some solutions?
I’ll opt for the latter.
Forty years of football purgatory in East Lansing should help us realize we’re not talking about the Brazilian national soccer team here. Winning at Michigan State is not easy. And when a group of coaches has bucked a 40-year trend, I would be hesitant to dismiss the lead elements that ushered in the legendary successes of 2013, ’14 and ’15.
I think the wise choice is to stay the course and if you have another bad year in 2017, then you take a closer look at major alterations. But if you make major alterations now and have a bad year in 2017, then you might as well be Rich Rodriguez.
When Dantonio won 40 out of 45 games, he credited chemistry, continuity and senior leadership as the main building blocks of success. Let him try to rebuild with those three elements again, with continuity being the applicable piece in this argument.
Some people think the program is dying and/or dead. Those people might be proven right. But changing jockeys right now isn’t the right move toward repairing things. The right move is to first try to repair with the people who built it in the first place, if in fact the lead architect (Dantonio) believes that’s the right path.
He knows more about this building stuff than we do. It would be ridiculous for me to pretend I knew of a better way.
Most people that I talk to that want sweeping changes have no names in mind for successors. They just want change, almost for the sake of change, even if its a change to the nameless and faceless. These are emotional reactions, not practical ones.
Do I think coaches have been told within the walls of the Skandalaris Center that they had better damn well pick it up a few notches? Yes I do. Do I think there are coaches on staff that need to do a better job? Absolutely.
Does Dantonio think they’ll come through? Yes he does. I can’t argue with that, right now.
2. Montae Nicholson has not yet made a decision about next year.
Sources have told SpartanMag.com that Nicholson, a junior safety, is considering forgoing his senior year in order to enter the NFL Draft.
I asked Dantonio about Nicholson's status following Thursday's press conference.
Dantonio told me: “Like all of our juniors, they're getting evaluated. They're going through that pre-evaluation process with the NFL. They put their name in there to see what comes back. Everybody's done that. Shilique (Calhoun) did that, Connor (Cook) did that. They get evaluated and and wait and see what comes back."
Nicholson has not made a final decision?
"No final decision," Dantonio said.
Would Dantonio welcome him back in 2017?
"Absolutely," Dantonio said.
Nicholson started as a sophomore and junior at Michigan State in 2015 and '16, losing his starting status briefly in 2015 due to performance issues before regaining the job in the final month of the season. He started 10 games this fall, missing two games with an arm injury.
Nicholson ranked second on the team in tackles with 86.
3. Dantonio say sophomore Brian Lewerke is man to beat for the quarterback job with the completion begins (or resumes) in the spring (story by Paul Konyndyk).
3a. Dantonio penned a list of 15 main reasons for the failures of 2016.
“There are tangible things and there are intangible things,” he said.
Most of them are areas that were discussed and covered during the season. He listed only 10 of them on Thursday:
1. Turnover margin.
“Turnover margin usually allows you to win or make up deficiencies that you have,” he said. “We've led the Big Ten in turnover margin the last three years. Not this year. We ended up minus five.
2. Shortage of sacks.
Michigan State ranked dead last in the Big Ten in sacks with only 11. The 13th-place team in the Big Ten (Rutgers) had 21, dwarfing the last-place Spartans in this category.
“I think one out of every six sacks in the NFL results in a caused fumble,” Dantonio said. “Certainly makes it more difficult to move down the field. Sacks create pressure. It's not that we weren't there. We're there sometimes but guys get out of sacks or whatever the situation.”
3. Allowing big plays.
“That (lack of pressure on the QB) lead, I believe, to the big plays down the field defensively,” Dantonio said. “If you get (the quarterback) off the dime, off their intended area that they want to pass from, their percentages go down, way down. But if you allow the quarterback too much time or if you let him get out of trouble, if the quarterback creates or makes big plays down the field or whatever the case, you suffer.”
4. Red zone scoring.
“Missed opportunities, kicking too many field goals,” Dantonio said. “We’re leading in every football game, and inevitably when you look at them, too many missed opportunities in the red zone. You look at Michigan, at the Penn State game, too many opportunities missed in the red zone, and kicking field goals or not getting anything out of them.
“You look at the red zone at the two-point conversion against Ohio State, opportunity to at least go ahead in the game with 4:41 to go. But missed opportunities.”
5. Lack of senior productivity.
“You've got to ask yourself the intangible things: Did our seniors have their very, very best years? And that's up and down,” Dantonio said. “You have to have your best year as a senior if you're going to have a group of people moving forward to create great moments.
“Every football team is usually a senior-led team. I point down the road (at Michigan) and their seniors are having the best years of their careers. And you see the results of that. And that's a positive for them.”
6. Failing to win the fourth quarter.
“I don't think we ever stopped competing, but we didn't win the fourth quarter,” Dantonio said. “That's a tangible aspect of it. We were leading every game, either at halftime or at some point in the game, sometimes at the end of three quarters, but we didn't win the fourth quarter.”
Dantonio didn’t want to drag on and tell us all 15.
But he briefly mentioned:
7. Technique.
8. Leadership.
“You've got to have productivity to be a leader,” Dantonio said. “So as you go through this, your quarterback is knocked out of the game, with a foot, missed two games. We had some changes in there, giving other people some opportunities and he (Lewerke) did an outstanding job, an outstanding job in terms of leadership.
“You got our linebacker, Riley Bullough, who is out for three weeks with a fractured scapula, and then he comes back and he plays his first game and in the first quarter gets a helmet to helmet shot (and is ejected). So he's out basically four games. Those are tough situations. Both those guys raised up and led.
“Our senior group, guys are hurt, and they've got to have their best year but they’re in and out throughout the entire time.
“When you lose a football game, it's tough on everybody. It's tough on our captains. It's tough on your senior leadership. They did a tremendous job. If you're at practice every practice, they did a tremendous job. Practices are very competitive, they were very energetic. Had some fights. It's all good.
“So we got ourselves ready to play and our guys continued to work.”
Dantonio tried to end on a positive when talking about leadership, but clearly felt the team as a whole was running short on that intangible.
9. Leadership at the coaching level.
“It starts with me, but it trickles all the way down through our football program,” he said. “When you talk about leadership, you're talking about the head football coach, too. I have to walk in there every day, too, and make sure that I'm doing the best job that I can as well as our coaches.
“So we did what we could do. At the end of the day you’ve got to win. We had opportunities to win in a lot of games.”
10. Injuries.
The Spartans had 44 different starters in 2016. There weren’t a lot of season-ending injuries, but there was a rash of short-term injuries which upset the continuity of position groups.
“Quarterbacks obviously are a big part of everything and that's not to lay everything on our quarterback position, but all you’ve got to say is we played three quarterbacks this year. What would you expect? And all three of them were injury-related. Somebody got knocked out here, knocked out there. So that's not occurred since we've been here.
“We were hit with defensive linemen last year with four guys leaving due to graduation. And then we lost four other guys. You lose eight defensive linemen, what do you expect?
“Malik (McDowell) struggled with injuries all season long. (Demetrius) Cooper had injuries as well, so you’ve got guys that were not playing at their fullest. Eight of them weren't there.
“Ed Davis had a knee surgery in May. He was rehabbing back from that. He never really could get back to what his former self was. And he was a phenomenal football player.”
He didn’t mention losing defensive starters Vayante Copeland and Jon Reschke to season-ending injuries.
“You’ve got to be able to maintain that excellence that we've had there,” Dantonio said. “There's a lot of positions that are like that.”
TWO QUESTIONS:
1. What is being done RIGHT NOW to begin to fix the problems of 2016?
“The basic thought process is that we'll restart this,” he said. “We're using this time right now to basically identify our leaders on our football team, establish who they are, look at our personnel, make sure our personnel is set in terms of what we need to continue to recruit, what we have coming back, things of that nature. Develop our chemistry, our attitude, our discipline, refocus on that aspect of it.”
Attitude and chemistry are things that are developed behind the scenes. Coaches swear that if attitude and chemistry aren’t good, and - worse yet - if they are poor, then they will manifest themselves in poor play at the line of scrimmage, in the backfield, in the secondary, on special teams, basically everywhere on the field.
Dantonio didn’t acknowledge problems with chemistry or attitude DURING the season. And Dantonio didn’t directly acknowledge it as a problem during Thursday’s press conference. But now that the season is over, his stating that there is a need to refocus on the development of chemistry, attitude and discipline speaks volumes.
Dantonio used to say MSU won with people, won largely with team-oriented intangibles. In 2016, the Spartans didn’t merely lack in those areas, sources say that Michigan State was flat-out bankrupt in those areas - and Dantonio’s listing this category high on the winter season to-do list is further indication that much work is indeed needed in this area.
2. What about changes in x’s and o’s, and on-field schematic philosophy?
Dantonio said those things are under review.
“That's always the big question: Do you change something that's been very successful for the sake of change or do you change something that needs to be changed because it wasn't successful this year or do you change something because it just needs to be changed?” Dantonio said. “And so there's a combination probably of all that as we move forward.
“I think the most important thing is that we identify problems, we focus on the solution, we solve the problem. And that's what we've always done.
“When you look at techniques, when you look at certain schemes, are you benefitting from the scheme that you're currently running whether it's defensively, offensively or special teams? Do you have to change things?
“All these things go into play when you're sitting here as we're sitting here. And that's why we need to take a very pragmatic approach to what's happened and recalculate where we're going and get there. And that's what we'll do.
“We look at our scheme, what we're doing, self-scout ourselves, self-scout our opponents, look at some of the things that we have dealt with this past season, what we can benefit from looking at, learn from, those type of things, and then move forward.”
This type of self-scout usually takes place after the bowl game. And it usually takes place with fewer crises to solve.
“So we are starting earlier than we normally start,” Dantonio said. “Usually we start doing these type of things in February with a little bit more smiley faces around us, but here we are in December dealing with this. So it's part of the situation moving forward.
“We have young players. We have good football players on this football team. We got people we can identify as play-makers on this team. We just have got to grow. Growth took place last year and it'll continue to take place.
“We've taken a step back. Now what's very important to me is that we put our foot in the ground and plant our feet in the ground and drive forward, and that's what we will do.
“And, to be honest with you, I've taken the approach of hey I'm a new coach coming in here, gonna fix the things that other guy did last year. And that's how I'm going to take the approach. I'm going to take the approach that I'm going to get this fixed. And this will be fixed.”
ONE PREDICTION:
1. A lot of sources have indicated that Nicholson is leaning heavily toward forgoing his senior year and opting for the NFL Draft. But I could see in Dantonio’s eyes on Thursday that the head coach wants him back. I’m not an NFL scout, but I think Nicholson could take a big jump with one more year in the program. I think Dantonio wants to get through to Nicholson and bring him back and I suspect that ultimately Nicholson will listen to Dantonio, after he receives what I am guessing will be a less-than-stellar review from NFL scouts, and return for his senior year. Just a hunch.
Edit
Can MSU 'move forward as a program' against Ohio State?
- Spartans Illustrated Message Board
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Can MSU 'move forward as a program' against Ohio State?
Paul Konyndyk | Associate Editor
Mark Dantonio views Michigan State's home finale against Ohio State as an opportunity to move the program forward amidst at disappointing '16 season.
Michigan State hasn’t been a three-touchdown underdog in a game against Ohio State since 1998, which also happens to be the last time a sub .500 Spartan ballclub beat the Buckeyes in a game with national implications.
“We've always gone into a game planning to win,” Mark Dantonio said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, “and we need to understand the things we need to do to win a football game and we're going to play, in this conference, you are usually going to compete at the highest level pretty much week in and week out."
Dantonio served as defensive backs coach under Nick Saban in ’98 when Michigan State shocked the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes in Columbus.
“(We) didn't play a bowl game here and we went down and played the No. 1 team at Ohio Stadium, at Ohio State, and won,” Dantonio said. “Didn't go to a bowl game that year. Everybody seems to remember it, so, I guess that's something. But, I think the biggest thing is, is playing the next game and always getting ready for your next challenge, and that's this one, and it's a big challenge that we have standing in front of us.”
More recently, Michigan State has won two of the four meetings with the Buckeyes during Urban Meyer’s tenure as head coach.
“We’ve got 28 players from Ohio on our football team as well as quite a number of coaches with an Ohio background, so a little bit of extra motivation on this end,” Dantonio said. “We've played them well the last couple years, the last four years, 2-2 against them.”
Tailback LJ Scott (right) is one of 28 Ohioans on Michigan State's 2016 roster.
Robert Hendricks
It remains to be seen whether this Michigan State team possesses the mental toughness, grit, and playmaking ability on both sides of the ball displayed by the Spartans in recent wins over the Buckeyes.
“Players made plays in the game,” Dantonio said. “In both respects, the ‘13 game and ‘15 game, our guys came ready to play. They were focused. Other team was focused -- Buckeyes were focused, too. I thought we played well. We made plays on the field, big plays in the game. Last year, (Aaron) Burbridge making a big catch a couple times, big runs, defensively played very well. They are a tough team, very tough, difficult team to prepare for offensively and defensively. They bring a lot to the table, but, you know, if you're playing well -- if you're going to win this conference, you got to play well against the good teams in this conference, and traditionally they've been very, very good.”
During a season filled with disappointment, however, a win over Ohio State would help move the program forward and build momentum for the future.
“We've led in every football game, and every football game, I think has been pretty competitive,” Dantonio said. “We are where we are, but this is a way to move forward, you know, as a program. So, you know, you got to just -- you got to get yourself ready to play at highest level.”
Senior Send-off
Michigan State seniors like Demetrious Cox are hoping for a memorable final game at Spartan Stadium.
Saturday’s game will be the last played in Spartan Stadium by members of Michigan State’s senior class. Dantonio is grateful for the contribution his program has received over the years from RJ Shelton, Riley Bullough, Tyler O’Connor, and other seniors.
“They've done a great job,” Dantonio said. “The guys who have been with us, they all have two Big Ten championship rings, they all have a Cotton Bowl ring. They've all been to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, then a Rose Bowl and two Cotton Bowls, and one playoffs, so they've had distinguished careers.
“When you get to this year, high expectations, a lot of things enter into where we're at. We won't go into that. But obviously didn't end the way they wanted it to end, but their attitude and their passion for the game and their commitment, really has allowed us to move forward every single game. Every single practice, whether you practicing last year, getting ready to be 10-1, really -- after this week, we were 10-1 last year -- or this week, the practice is really, if you walk out on the practice field, they're no different. The mentality, the effort, the -- the intangible things, there's no difference, and that's senior leadership, and that's just senior interaction with our young players. So they've done a great job. I know it's been a disappointing year. I know it's -- in a lot of ways, you can look back and say we should have won this game, that game, this game, that game, but we are just sort of where we're at. We have to deal with that and hopefully this period of time in their life helps strengthen them for later disappointments in their life where they have challenges in their life and have to be able to go through them in order to come out the back end.”
McDowell's status uncertain
Junior defensive tackle Malik McDowell was not listed on Tuesday’s depth chart. McDowell, who did not play against Rutgers last weekend, has been out since suffering an ankle injury during the second half of Michigan State’s road loss to Illinois.
“Right now, he's probably out, but we'll see,” Dantonio said. “I don't want to list him as number two, so that's why we listed him as such. So, he'll either start for us or be able to play. We'll see as the week goes.”
Sixth-year senior Brandon Clemons has played more on the defensive line than offensive line as a two-way player this season. Against the Buckeyes, however, the versatile senior will start at right guard, as Michigan State shuffles it’s front five following an injury to Tyler Higby last weekend.
“He played right guard last year against the Buckeyes as well, so, he's played in games,” Dantonio said. “I mean, he's been a guy that played in a lot of football games for us, and he’s started in games for us offensively and defensively. So you think a guy like that has been extremely valuable and really has been totally unselfish in the way he's gone about his business.”
Paul Konyndyk | Associate Editor
Mark Dantonio views Michigan State's home finale against Ohio State as an opportunity to move the program forward amidst at disappointing '16 season.
Michigan State hasn’t been a three-touchdown underdog in a game against Ohio State since 1998, which also happens to be the last time a sub .500 Spartan ballclub beat the Buckeyes in a game with national implications.
“We've always gone into a game planning to win,” Mark Dantonio said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, “and we need to understand the things we need to do to win a football game and we're going to play, in this conference, you are usually going to compete at the highest level pretty much week in and week out."
Dantonio served as defensive backs coach under Nick Saban in ’98 when Michigan State shocked the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes in Columbus.
“(We) didn't play a bowl game here and we went down and played the No. 1 team at Ohio Stadium, at Ohio State, and won,” Dantonio said. “Didn't go to a bowl game that year. Everybody seems to remember it, so, I guess that's something. But, I think the biggest thing is, is playing the next game and always getting ready for your next challenge, and that's this one, and it's a big challenge that we have standing in front of us.”
More recently, Michigan State has won two of the four meetings with the Buckeyes during Urban Meyer’s tenure as head coach.
“We’ve got 28 players from Ohio on our football team as well as quite a number of coaches with an Ohio background, so a little bit of extra motivation on this end,” Dantonio said. “We've played them well the last couple years, the last four years, 2-2 against them.”
Tailback LJ Scott (right) is one of 28 Ohioans on Michigan State's 2016 roster.
Robert Hendricks
It remains to be seen whether this Michigan State team possesses the mental toughness, grit, and playmaking ability on both sides of the ball displayed by the Spartans in recent wins over the Buckeyes.
“Players made plays in the game,” Dantonio said. “In both respects, the ‘13 game and ‘15 game, our guys came ready to play. They were focused. Other team was focused -- Buckeyes were focused, too. I thought we played well. We made plays on the field, big plays in the game. Last year, (Aaron) Burbridge making a big catch a couple times, big runs, defensively played very well. They are a tough team, very tough, difficult team to prepare for offensively and defensively. They bring a lot to the table, but, you know, if you're playing well -- if you're going to win this conference, you got to play well against the good teams in this conference, and traditionally they've been very, very good.”
During a season filled with disappointment, however, a win over Ohio State would help move the program forward and build momentum for the future.
“We've led in every football game, and every football game, I think has been pretty competitive,” Dantonio said. “We are where we are, but this is a way to move forward, you know, as a program. So, you know, you got to just -- you got to get yourself ready to play at highest level.”
Senior Send-off
Michigan State seniors like Demetrious Cox are hoping for a memorable final game at Spartan Stadium.
Saturday’s game will be the last played in Spartan Stadium by members of Michigan State’s senior class. Dantonio is grateful for the contribution his program has received over the years from RJ Shelton, Riley Bullough, Tyler O’Connor, and other seniors.
“They've done a great job,” Dantonio said. “The guys who have been with us, they all have two Big Ten championship rings, they all have a Cotton Bowl ring. They've all been to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, then a Rose Bowl and two Cotton Bowls, and one playoffs, so they've had distinguished careers.
“When you get to this year, high expectations, a lot of things enter into where we're at. We won't go into that. But obviously didn't end the way they wanted it to end, but their attitude and their passion for the game and their commitment, really has allowed us to move forward every single game. Every single practice, whether you practicing last year, getting ready to be 10-1, really -- after this week, we were 10-1 last year -- or this week, the practice is really, if you walk out on the practice field, they're no different. The mentality, the effort, the -- the intangible things, there's no difference, and that's senior leadership, and that's just senior interaction with our young players. So they've done a great job. I know it's been a disappointing year. I know it's -- in a lot of ways, you can look back and say we should have won this game, that game, this game, that game, but we are just sort of where we're at. We have to deal with that and hopefully this period of time in their life helps strengthen them for later disappointments in their life where they have challenges in their life and have to be able to go through them in order to come out the back end.”
McDowell's status uncertain
Junior defensive tackle Malik McDowell was not listed on Tuesday’s depth chart. McDowell, who did not play against Rutgers last weekend, has been out since suffering an ankle injury during the second half of Michigan State’s road loss to Illinois.
“Right now, he's probably out, but we'll see,” Dantonio said. “I don't want to list him as number two, so that's why we listed him as such. So, he'll either start for us or be able to play. We'll see as the week goes.”
Sixth-year senior Brandon Clemons has played more on the defensive line than offensive line as a two-way player this season. Against the Buckeyes, however, the versatile senior will start at right guard, as Michigan State shuffles it’s front five following an injury to Tyler Higby last weekend.
“He played right guard last year against the Buckeyes as well, so, he's played in games,” Dantonio said. “I mean, he's been a guy that played in a lot of football games for us, and he’s started in games for us offensively and defensively. So you think a guy like that has been extremely valuable and really has been totally unselfish in the way he's gone about his business.”
Dantonio Explains Game Decisions
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Dantonio explains game decisions
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - The public and pundits might have thought it was a foregone conclusion that Michigan State would get drilled by Michigan, Saturday at Spartan Stadium, but Michigan State players and coaches had other ideas.
And when the final seconds counted down on a 32-23 loss to Michigan, the Spartans didn’t feel any better about proving that they could hang with the No. 2-ranked team in the nation as a 24-point underdog, and that the Spartans might have been a couple of bounces or decisions away from having a chance to pull out one of the biggest upsets of the college football season.
The loss stung the Spartans as if Michigan State was the team expected to win by three touchdowns. Michigan State loses possession of the Paul Bunyan trophy.
“It doesn’t feel good especially this being my last time,” said senior linebacker Riley Bullough. “But I have faith in the guys next year to bring it back to E.L. next year and keep it here.”
Michigan State falls to 2-6. The Spartans must win their last four games in order to qualify for automatic bowl eligibility. There could still be a chance to earn a bowl bid with a 5-7 record, if there is a shortage of bowl-eligible teams.
Michigan State rushed for 217 yards against the nation’s top-ranked defense, and led 7-0 after a muscular opening drive. In the second half, Michigan State came back from a 30-10 deficit to cut the score to 30-23 after freshman quarterback Brian Lewerkeconnected with Monty Madaris for a 20-yard TD pass with 7:30 remaining, and Tyler O’Connor found Donnie Corley for a 5-yard strike with :01 second left in regulation.
A failed two-point conversion on an option pitch resulted in a scoop-and-score return for Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers, creating the final margin of victory.
“I’m going to keep scratching for every inch and every point that we can possibly get,” said head coach Mark Dantonio. “So when there’s :01 second on the clock, we’re going to go for two, even if it’s a mental gain to kick the thing and lose by six points. At that point in time, we’re probably losing the game. I don’t see any foreseeable way that we can scoop up the ball because it’s not legal to scoop up a ball and score on an on-side kick. So we went for two. It’s unfortunate it ended in a big celebration for them. But it happened.”
Michigan State’s defense was faulty again, allowing the Wolverines to roll up 27 points in the first half without having to punt.
“With the success that we’ve had around here, this is not an easy pill to swallow,” said Spartan co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett. “We’re always expecting to win. I’m always expecting to win.”
The Spartans’ chances of victory took a severe blow when Michigan stopped Michigan State on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 6:47 left in the third quarter. MSU trailed 27-10 at the time and desperately needed to cut the lead to 10 points.
Michigan State tried four run plays from inside the 3-yard line following a pass interference on third down from the 9-yard line.
The Spartans couldn’t budge the Wolverine defensive front on any of the four runs.
The Spartans were also stopped on fourth-and-one in the first quarter, on the Spartans’ second possession of the game, at the Michigan 38-yard line with the score tied 7-7.
“Fourth-and-one, when we go for it, you’ve got to get one yard,” Dantonio said. “I don’t care what we draw up; I don’t care what they draw up, you’ve got to be able to get one yard.
“Later on in the third quarter, when we’re first-and-goal at the 2, you’ve got to go for the touchdown and try to cut it to 10.
“Not to sell our football team short, but we have to be able to process it and win in those situations, win the inches.”
The Spartans not only ran it four straight times with L.J. Scott from inside the 3-yard line, with none of the plays coming close to creasing the end zone. The first play, on first-and-goal from the 2-yard line, lost a yard. The second nudged the ball back to the 2. They couldn’t get any closer and Scott was stopped on a sweep to the outside on fourth down.
Michigan State lined up its jumbo package for each of those plays, with tight ends, a fullback and no wide receivers. That package had worked well earlier in the game in helping the Spartans rush for 114 yards in the first half.
“We have it first-and-goal on the 2-yard line, hey we’re running the ball,” Dantonio said. “We ran the ball for two hundred and some yards (217). L.J. (Scott) has 139 yards. It’s first-and-goal at the 2. My take is that we’ve got to get the inches. Obviously I was wrong but I’m saying, ‘Direct runs. Direct downhill runs.’”
That’s what Dantonio was telling co-offensive coordinator and play caller Dave Warnerduring the series and prior to it, and the head coach stood behind that decision after the game.
“Ever since 2007 when Jehuu Caulcrick had 22 touchdowns, that’s what we do," Dantonio said. "Now, you want to slick ‘em a little bit? We can do that as well. But that was my decision and I’ll take the heat for it.”
Michigan’s Amara Darboh caught eight passes for a career-high 165 yards, and De'Veon Smith ran for two touchdowns.
The Wolverines (8-0, 5-0) beat the Spartans for only the second time in the last nine meetings. Michigan avenged last year's loss to Michigan State, in which the Spartans scored the winning touchdown on the final play when the Wolverines botched a punt.
Michigan State went on to a Big Ten title and a national semifinal appearance after that dramatic victory.
Wilton Speight threw for 244 yards for Michigan.
Three Spartan quarterbacks saw action. Starter Tyler O’Connor was 7 of 14 for 84 yards with 1 TD and an interception late in the first half, which set up Wolverine field goal prior to halftime.
Lewerke was 6-of-10 for 100 yards with 1 TD. He was sacked on a failed fourth-and-five situation at the Michigan 13-yard line with 1:46 remaining. Lewerke had to be helped off the field after that play, favoring a knee or ankle. He didn’t return for the final series. Michigan State did not provide an update on Lewerke’s health.
Damion Terry had one series, early in the fourth quarter, and drove the Spartans to the Michigan 8-yard line. However, a fumbled option pitch moved the ball to the 17-yard line. Terry went down with an unknown injury when he was hit while throwing an incompletion on third down. Then Michael Geiger, who hit a 52-yard field goal in the first half, missed from 34 yards.
“Too many missed opportunities when you get right down to it,” Dantonio said.
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - The public and pundits might have thought it was a foregone conclusion that Michigan State would get drilled by Michigan, Saturday at Spartan Stadium, but Michigan State players and coaches had other ideas.
And when the final seconds counted down on a 32-23 loss to Michigan, the Spartans didn’t feel any better about proving that they could hang with the No. 2-ranked team in the nation as a 24-point underdog, and that the Spartans might have been a couple of bounces or decisions away from having a chance to pull out one of the biggest upsets of the college football season.
The loss stung the Spartans as if Michigan State was the team expected to win by three touchdowns. Michigan State loses possession of the Paul Bunyan trophy.
“It doesn’t feel good especially this being my last time,” said senior linebacker Riley Bullough. “But I have faith in the guys next year to bring it back to E.L. next year and keep it here.”
Michigan State falls to 2-6. The Spartans must win their last four games in order to qualify for automatic bowl eligibility. There could still be a chance to earn a bowl bid with a 5-7 record, if there is a shortage of bowl-eligible teams.
Michigan State rushed for 217 yards against the nation’s top-ranked defense, and led 7-0 after a muscular opening drive. In the second half, Michigan State came back from a 30-10 deficit to cut the score to 30-23 after freshman quarterback Brian Lewerkeconnected with Monty Madaris for a 20-yard TD pass with 7:30 remaining, and Tyler O’Connor found Donnie Corley for a 5-yard strike with :01 second left in regulation.
A failed two-point conversion on an option pitch resulted in a scoop-and-score return for Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers, creating the final margin of victory.
“I’m going to keep scratching for every inch and every point that we can possibly get,” said head coach Mark Dantonio. “So when there’s :01 second on the clock, we’re going to go for two, even if it’s a mental gain to kick the thing and lose by six points. At that point in time, we’re probably losing the game. I don’t see any foreseeable way that we can scoop up the ball because it’s not legal to scoop up a ball and score on an on-side kick. So we went for two. It’s unfortunate it ended in a big celebration for them. But it happened.”
Michigan State’s defense was faulty again, allowing the Wolverines to roll up 27 points in the first half without having to punt.
“With the success that we’ve had around here, this is not an easy pill to swallow,” said Spartan co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett. “We’re always expecting to win. I’m always expecting to win.”
The Spartans’ chances of victory took a severe blow when Michigan stopped Michigan State on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 6:47 left in the third quarter. MSU trailed 27-10 at the time and desperately needed to cut the lead to 10 points.
Michigan State tried four run plays from inside the 3-yard line following a pass interference on third down from the 9-yard line.
The Spartans couldn’t budge the Wolverine defensive front on any of the four runs.
The Spartans were also stopped on fourth-and-one in the first quarter, on the Spartans’ second possession of the game, at the Michigan 38-yard line with the score tied 7-7.
“Fourth-and-one, when we go for it, you’ve got to get one yard,” Dantonio said. “I don’t care what we draw up; I don’t care what they draw up, you’ve got to be able to get one yard.
“Later on in the third quarter, when we’re first-and-goal at the 2, you’ve got to go for the touchdown and try to cut it to 10.
“Not to sell our football team short, but we have to be able to process it and win in those situations, win the inches.”
The Spartans not only ran it four straight times with L.J. Scott from inside the 3-yard line, with none of the plays coming close to creasing the end zone. The first play, on first-and-goal from the 2-yard line, lost a yard. The second nudged the ball back to the 2. They couldn’t get any closer and Scott was stopped on a sweep to the outside on fourth down.
Michigan State lined up its jumbo package for each of those plays, with tight ends, a fullback and no wide receivers. That package had worked well earlier in the game in helping the Spartans rush for 114 yards in the first half.
“We have it first-and-goal on the 2-yard line, hey we’re running the ball,” Dantonio said. “We ran the ball for two hundred and some yards (217). L.J. (Scott) has 139 yards. It’s first-and-goal at the 2. My take is that we’ve got to get the inches. Obviously I was wrong but I’m saying, ‘Direct runs. Direct downhill runs.’”
That’s what Dantonio was telling co-offensive coordinator and play caller Dave Warnerduring the series and prior to it, and the head coach stood behind that decision after the game.
“Ever since 2007 when Jehuu Caulcrick had 22 touchdowns, that’s what we do," Dantonio said. "Now, you want to slick ‘em a little bit? We can do that as well. But that was my decision and I’ll take the heat for it.”
Michigan’s Amara Darboh caught eight passes for a career-high 165 yards, and De'Veon Smith ran for two touchdowns.
The Wolverines (8-0, 5-0) beat the Spartans for only the second time in the last nine meetings. Michigan avenged last year's loss to Michigan State, in which the Spartans scored the winning touchdown on the final play when the Wolverines botched a punt.
Michigan State went on to a Big Ten title and a national semifinal appearance after that dramatic victory.
Wilton Speight threw for 244 yards for Michigan.
Three Spartan quarterbacks saw action. Starter Tyler O’Connor was 7 of 14 for 84 yards with 1 TD and an interception late in the first half, which set up Wolverine field goal prior to halftime.
Lewerke was 6-of-10 for 100 yards with 1 TD. He was sacked on a failed fourth-and-five situation at the Michigan 13-yard line with 1:46 remaining. Lewerke had to be helped off the field after that play, favoring a knee or ankle. He didn’t return for the final series. Michigan State did not provide an update on Lewerke’s health.
Damion Terry had one series, early in the fourth quarter, and drove the Spartans to the Michigan 8-yard line. However, a fumbled option pitch moved the ball to the 17-yard line. Terry went down with an unknown injury when he was hit while throwing an incompletion on third down. Then Michael Geiger, who hit a 52-yard field goal in the first half, missed from 34 yards.
“Too many missed opportunities when you get right down to it,” Dantonio said.
Dantonio: 'Yeah, we can win'
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https://michiganstate.rivals.com/news/dantonio-yeah-we-can-win-
Dantonio: 'Yeah, we can win'
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Mark Dantonio has met the Michigan challenge head-on during his 10 years at Michigan State.
He has to feel good about the chapters his teams have carved into the annals of this rivalry. His 10th meeting with the Michigan, coming up at noon on Saturday, figures to be the toughest challenge the Wolverines have mounted against him. Once again, Dantonio is respecting the task, but not discounting his team’s chances of surprising the No. 2-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.
“Ever since I've come here, I've never shied away from this football game,” said Dantonio, whose team has sunk to a 2-5 record and is in the midst of the longest losing streak the program has had since 1991. “I've never said this is not an important game. I've never said, ‘Hey, we'll get to it when we get to it.’ I've always maintained our focus needs to be on that game a little bit more than usual, and that's never going to change.”
Dantonio is 7-2 against the Wolverines, with wins in seven of the last eight. His team lost via a last-second field goal in 2012. In his first game against Michigan as head coach, his Spartans let a 24-14 lead get away in the final seven minutes.
In other games, the Spartans defeated Michigan en route to Big Ten championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and a Big Ten divisional title in 2011.
He's quite close to being 9-0 against the Wolverines. His teams often play their best game of the year, to that point in the season, when they take the field against Michigan.
“The reality of it is when we've won, you feel good about it, great about it,” Dantonio said. “When you've lost, I don't care if you lose by two points, you don't feel as good. When you've been up by 10 with seven minutes to go and you lose, you don't feel very good. That's just the nature of it, and you put a lot of preparation into it, just like you do into every football game. This one maybe just is a little bit more because it's in state and it's a rivalry game and because it means so much more maybe to not just our fans but maybe to the players who have played in it in the past and the overall general feeling that we have for each other, that sense of love.”
Dantonio drew laughter from media with that last comment about love. That’s a word that isn’t usually used in describing this hateful rivalry.
Dantonio has said in the past that he bears a “black mark on his soul” for Michigan, dating back to his days as an assistant at MSU from 1995 to 2000, and as defensive coordinator at Ohio State. But Dantonio seemed to express some genuine respect for the way Michigan has built its current juggernaut.
The Wolverines are 7-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind only No. 1 Alabama, the defending national champion.
Alabama pounded Michigan State 38-0 in the College Football Playoff semifinal last year in Dallas.
Alabama is regarded as the gold standard of college football, especially on defense. But Michigan’s defense ranks ahead of the Crimson Tide’s at this point in the season.
Of course, Alabama and Michigan haven’t played the same opponents, but the Wolverines rank ahead of the Tide in scoring defense and total defense. In fact, Michigan ranks ahead of everyone in those categories, at No. 1.
Alabama ranks No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense and No. 4 in total defense, with a pair of showdown victories over Top 10 opponents Tennessee and Texas A&M.
When asked to compare Michigan’s defense to Alabama’s, Dantonio said:
“I don't think that they're like Alabama, structurally. Their success level is like Alabama's right now, so you have to look to see what you can do, and operate within your system because you can't change a whole system and say, ‘Hey, we're going to call all these new plays.’ That doesn't exist.
“You have to use what you have and look to take advantage of some of the things that they do, and then your players have to beat their players, whether it's in coverage or whether it's running the football or yards after contact or whatever the case.”
Alabama ranks No. 1 in the nation in rush defense. Michigan ranks No. 4 in that category.
“They (Michigan) have been tough to run the ball on, and they were rough to run the ball on last year,” Dantonio said.
Last year, the Spartans were unbeaten and ranked No. 7 in the country when they defeated Michigan, 27-23. But Michigan went into that game as a 7-point underdog, having looked unimpressive in their string of victories.
MSU rose up and registered its best defensive game of the year, to that point, in beating Michigan. The Spartans out-gained Michigan 328-168 and held the Wolverines to 10 first downs.
Neither team had success running the ball last year. Michigan netted 62 yards rushing and Michigan State netted 58.
The Spartans were without All-America center Jack Allen for that game, and first-round draft choice Jack Conklin was just coming back from an injury.
This year, the Spartan offensive line and ground game have been wildly inconsistent, but Michigan State is coming off one of its best performances of the year in that area. One week after attempting only 11 tailback runs against Northwestern while playing behind the softest-looking Spartan o-line of the Dantonio era, Michigan State’s blockers came back strong to pave the way for 270 yards rushing against the Terrapins.
Left tackle Kodi Kieler turned in an excellent game against the Terps on zones and gap plays run to his side of the line. Right guard Brian Allen also turned in one of his better games as a pull guard, finding his targets with quickness and finishing with power.
Redshirt freshman left guard Tyler Higby was effective in double-team blocks, and true freshman right tackle Thiyo Lukusa came off the bench for the second straight week to provide solid work at right tackle.
Kodi Kieler played his best game of the season at left tackle last week.
The Spartans need to build off of last week’s progress in preparing to face one of college football’s best defensive lines, which is backed up by quick, attacking linebackers and a myriad of pressures and blitzes.
They will be playing against a determined Michigan program that is 2-14 in rivalry games over the last eight years, with head coach Jim Harbaugh 0-2 against Michigan State or Ohio State.
Turning back the Wolverines will begin with some age-old fundamentals.
“We need to be able to run the football with some effectiveness,” Dantonio said. “They've been difficult to score against -- they've got a good defense. They've got a good football team. The challenge is there, there's no question about that.”
In the past, Dantonio has challenged his players to keep their emotions and rage for this game under control all week, until game time. He has advised his players to “keep the lion in the cage,” and then let it out when they get to the field.
Dantonio was asked on Tuesday if the Spartans have that type of caged rage that is capable of taking the team to a higher level of play in this game, but without the penalties that went a long way to costing the Spartans victories at Indiana and Maryland.
“That's something everybody has got to answer for themselves,” Dantonio said. “We speak about those things, just sort of give it a symbol for it.
“But the bottom line is how we play at game time and then how we play on the first play and then how we're playing on the last play, and it's tough. It's not easy. This is a man's game. Playing inside, your defensive tackles, your offensive tackles, your linebackers, it's a physical game. So you've got to be able to maintain that physicality in this type of football game especially because that's who they are, that's who we've tried to be, and so when two people meet like that, it becomes a very physical football game.
“I think it was a very physical football game last year.”
What about this year?
“We have an opportunity to be successful or to play our very best, and that's all we can ask,” Dantonio said. “I don't think our seniors have lost yet (to Michigan), the guys that are four-year seniors. They've won three straight, so I'm sure in the back of their mind, that's something that they look forward to to try and accomplish. But again, sitting and talking about it, it's sort of meaningless; you've got to do it, and this is the challenge.
“Can we win? Yeah, we can win. I firmly believe that. I know none of you do, but that's why I'm coaching.”
Dantonio: 'Yeah, we can win'
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Mark Dantonio has met the Michigan challenge head-on during his 10 years at Michigan State.
He has to feel good about the chapters his teams have carved into the annals of this rivalry. His 10th meeting with the Michigan, coming up at noon on Saturday, figures to be the toughest challenge the Wolverines have mounted against him. Once again, Dantonio is respecting the task, but not discounting his team’s chances of surprising the No. 2-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.
“Ever since I've come here, I've never shied away from this football game,” said Dantonio, whose team has sunk to a 2-5 record and is in the midst of the longest losing streak the program has had since 1991. “I've never said this is not an important game. I've never said, ‘Hey, we'll get to it when we get to it.’ I've always maintained our focus needs to be on that game a little bit more than usual, and that's never going to change.”
Dantonio is 7-2 against the Wolverines, with wins in seven of the last eight. His team lost via a last-second field goal in 2012. In his first game against Michigan as head coach, his Spartans let a 24-14 lead get away in the final seven minutes.
In other games, the Spartans defeated Michigan en route to Big Ten championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and a Big Ten divisional title in 2011.
He's quite close to being 9-0 against the Wolverines. His teams often play their best game of the year, to that point in the season, when they take the field against Michigan.
“The reality of it is when we've won, you feel good about it, great about it,” Dantonio said. “When you've lost, I don't care if you lose by two points, you don't feel as good. When you've been up by 10 with seven minutes to go and you lose, you don't feel very good. That's just the nature of it, and you put a lot of preparation into it, just like you do into every football game. This one maybe just is a little bit more because it's in state and it's a rivalry game and because it means so much more maybe to not just our fans but maybe to the players who have played in it in the past and the overall general feeling that we have for each other, that sense of love.”
Dantonio drew laughter from media with that last comment about love. That’s a word that isn’t usually used in describing this hateful rivalry.
Dantonio has said in the past that he bears a “black mark on his soul” for Michigan, dating back to his days as an assistant at MSU from 1995 to 2000, and as defensive coordinator at Ohio State. But Dantonio seemed to express some genuine respect for the way Michigan has built its current juggernaut.
The Wolverines are 7-0, ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind only No. 1 Alabama, the defending national champion.
Alabama pounded Michigan State 38-0 in the College Football Playoff semifinal last year in Dallas.
Alabama is regarded as the gold standard of college football, especially on defense. But Michigan’s defense ranks ahead of the Crimson Tide’s at this point in the season.
Of course, Alabama and Michigan haven’t played the same opponents, but the Wolverines rank ahead of the Tide in scoring defense and total defense. In fact, Michigan ranks ahead of everyone in those categories, at No. 1.
Alabama ranks No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense and No. 4 in total defense, with a pair of showdown victories over Top 10 opponents Tennessee and Texas A&M.
When asked to compare Michigan’s defense to Alabama’s, Dantonio said:
“I don't think that they're like Alabama, structurally. Their success level is like Alabama's right now, so you have to look to see what you can do, and operate within your system because you can't change a whole system and say, ‘Hey, we're going to call all these new plays.’ That doesn't exist.
“You have to use what you have and look to take advantage of some of the things that they do, and then your players have to beat their players, whether it's in coverage or whether it's running the football or yards after contact or whatever the case.”
Alabama ranks No. 1 in the nation in rush defense. Michigan ranks No. 4 in that category.
“They (Michigan) have been tough to run the ball on, and they were rough to run the ball on last year,” Dantonio said.
Last year, the Spartans were unbeaten and ranked No. 7 in the country when they defeated Michigan, 27-23. But Michigan went into that game as a 7-point underdog, having looked unimpressive in their string of victories.
MSU rose up and registered its best defensive game of the year, to that point, in beating Michigan. The Spartans out-gained Michigan 328-168 and held the Wolverines to 10 first downs.
Neither team had success running the ball last year. Michigan netted 62 yards rushing and Michigan State netted 58.
The Spartans were without All-America center Jack Allen for that game, and first-round draft choice Jack Conklin was just coming back from an injury.
This year, the Spartan offensive line and ground game have been wildly inconsistent, but Michigan State is coming off one of its best performances of the year in that area. One week after attempting only 11 tailback runs against Northwestern while playing behind the softest-looking Spartan o-line of the Dantonio era, Michigan State’s blockers came back strong to pave the way for 270 yards rushing against the Terrapins.
Left tackle Kodi Kieler turned in an excellent game against the Terps on zones and gap plays run to his side of the line. Right guard Brian Allen also turned in one of his better games as a pull guard, finding his targets with quickness and finishing with power.
Redshirt freshman left guard Tyler Higby was effective in double-team blocks, and true freshman right tackle Thiyo Lukusa came off the bench for the second straight week to provide solid work at right tackle.
Kodi Kieler played his best game of the season at left tackle last week.
The Spartans need to build off of last week’s progress in preparing to face one of college football’s best defensive lines, which is backed up by quick, attacking linebackers and a myriad of pressures and blitzes.
They will be playing against a determined Michigan program that is 2-14 in rivalry games over the last eight years, with head coach Jim Harbaugh 0-2 against Michigan State or Ohio State.
Turning back the Wolverines will begin with some age-old fundamentals.
“We need to be able to run the football with some effectiveness,” Dantonio said. “They've been difficult to score against -- they've got a good defense. They've got a good football team. The challenge is there, there's no question about that.”
In the past, Dantonio has challenged his players to keep their emotions and rage for this game under control all week, until game time. He has advised his players to “keep the lion in the cage,” and then let it out when they get to the field.
Dantonio was asked on Tuesday if the Spartans have that type of caged rage that is capable of taking the team to a higher level of play in this game, but without the penalties that went a long way to costing the Spartans victories at Indiana and Maryland.
“That's something everybody has got to answer for themselves,” Dantonio said. “We speak about those things, just sort of give it a symbol for it.
“But the bottom line is how we play at game time and then how we play on the first play and then how we're playing on the last play, and it's tough. It's not easy. This is a man's game. Playing inside, your defensive tackles, your offensive tackles, your linebackers, it's a physical game. So you've got to be able to maintain that physicality in this type of football game especially because that's who they are, that's who we've tried to be, and so when two people meet like that, it becomes a very physical football game.
“I think it was a very physical football game last year.”
What about this year?
“We have an opportunity to be successful or to play our very best, and that's all we can ask,” Dantonio said. “I don't think our seniors have lost yet (to Michigan), the guys that are four-year seniors. They've won three straight, so I'm sure in the back of their mind, that's something that they look forward to to try and accomplish. But again, sitting and talking about it, it's sort of meaningless; you've got to do it, and this is the challenge.
“Can we win? Yeah, we can win. I firmly believe that. I know none of you do, but that's why I'm coaching.”
The 3-2-1 for Maryland Week
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The 3-2-1: Maryland Week
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during press interviews on Tuesday, two questions and one prediction:
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. As was the case last week, Mark Dantonio is not going to reveal who the starting quarterback will be for Saturday’s game at Maryland, until just prior to kickoff. But Dantonio liked what he saw in both QBs against Northwestern.
First-time starter Brian Lewerke and former starter Tyler O’Connor each had good moments during Michigan State’s loss to Northwestern on Saturday.
Lewerke completed 12-of-19 passes for 99 yards with 1 TD. He also rushed seven times for 30 yards and was sacked once.
O’Connor had a career-high 281 yards on less than two quarters of work.
“I was impressed with Tyler O’Connor coming back the way he did and maintaining not just his attitude but his composure in that type of situation,” Dantonio said. “That was very positive.”
Lewerke began the game hot, hitting RJ Shelton with a nice touch pass for 33 yards on third down vs. press man-to-man on the first drive. He ended the second drive with a well-timed touch pass to tight end Josiah Price for a 15-yard TD.
“I thought Brian Lewerke gave us a spark,” Dantonio said. “I thought he showed some of the things he could do. I also thought as the game progressed, the game got a little fast for him.
“I thought that did some good things. He did some other things in terms of his progressions and in terms of who he’s reading he’s got to square away. His progression of where he was going with the ball and getting the ball out stalled a little bit and that created some uncomfortable moments for him.”
Dantonio liked Lewerke’s poise.
“I don’t think the moment was too big for him,” Dantonio said during an interview with WXYZ (Detroit) Channel 7's Justin Rose: “I don’t think he panicked in the game at all. I don’t think he was intimidated by the environment or the situation, and that was a big positive.
“I thought he brought excitement to our football team and I think he has a skill set that will allow him to flourish in the future. When that future is: Is it a year? Now? Two years? That’s up to him.”
As for the game at Maryland, Dantonio said of Lewerke: “I would expect Lewerke to play. Does he start or not? He’s in contention.”
2. Dennis Finley has moved from third-string offensive tackle to second-string left guard.
Why & What It Means: Finley is at guard now because Michigan State suddenly has a shortage at the position. David Beedle is out for the Maryland game after sustaining a lower body injury against Northwestern. Beedle was the second-string left guard for that game. There is no word on how long he will be out.
Brandon Clemons, formerly a starting right guard for the Spartans, is listed solely as a defensive tackle, now. He started at DT against Northwestern and has become an important part of the defensive rotation.
Without Beedle and Clemons, and with Kodi Kieler having moved from center to left tackle permanently, the Spartans have three fewer interior offensive linemen than they had at the outset of the season.
Finley fell behind Miguel Machado and true freshman Thiyo Lukusa at right tackle. Finley is trying to come back from a broken leg, which he sustained in October of 2015 against Purdue.
Offensive line coach Mark Staten said two weeks ago that Finley still wasn’t ready to work into the playing group at right tackle, with mental and physical hurdles still need to be cleared.
Now, with Beedle out and Clemons playing defense, the Spartans need Finley at guard. Ready or not.
Finley, left, and Lukusa in practice.
“Dennis, I think he's to that point,” Dantonio said on Tuesday. “I think he's ready to go. He needs to get confident again, in terms of being able to play at game time, at this level at game time. But he's played before. He's got the experience. We got to get him going.”
My Take: Is Finley ready to respond? Well, he didn’t look bad in the Green-White Game, and that’s the only time any of us muggles have seen him since last October.
He lost weight while rehabbing the leg. In addition to the mental and physical hurdles, will he be strong enough to play guard? He has rarely practiced at that position in the past.
Although he is listed as the second-string left guard, I doubt we’ll see him this week, unless there’s an emergency. As for the dwindling number of available offensive linemen overall, that’s a potential emergency in itself.
Kieler played last week at left tackle despite missing practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. He missed the second half of the BYU game with an upper body injury.
The Spartans played the first four games of the season with four players rotating at the guard/center/guard positions: Kieler, Benny McGowan, Clemons and Brian Allen.
Now, it’s Allen, McGowan and redshirt freshman Tyler Higby inside - and they will now likely have to play every snap, rather than Staten’s preferred rotation.
3. Dantonio likes the early indications of how his players are trying to bounce back from this four-game losing streak.
“Thus far I would say, hey, we're hanging,” Dantonio said. “You got to be a rock to play this game. We've won a ton of games. You have to be a rock in the first place.”
The coaches have been watching.
“We monitor everything, how meetings are, what is the attitude in meetings, what is the attitude in the weight room, in the training room,” Dantonio said. “At every turn it's been a positive thing.
“People have to handle problems. So that's our mindset. That's what we have to do, and that's what we will do.”
TWO QUESTIONS:
1. Did Tyler O’Connor experience a break-through with his performance against Northwestern.
Not only did O’Connor make some good, accurate throws, he seemed to play with a quicker mental RPM. He seemed to go through reads quicker and more decisively than in the past.
MSU needed a spark from O’Connor, and he gave it to them. Despite the terrible loss, O’Connor managed to crack a grin when speaking with teammates in the final seconds of the game. He looks loose and confident for his next outing.
It will be intriguing to see whether the coaches go with the experienced O’Connor to start the road game at Maryland rather than the freshman. However, Dantonio was impressed with Lewerke’s poise, so maybe he thinks he’ll handle things at Maryland without blinking. Meanwhile, O’Connor might be BETTER when coming off the bench with something to prove and little to lose. Maybe that’s the breakthrough.
In terms of making smart reads and pulling the trigger, O’Connor looks more equipped and ready in those categories than he was in his first four starts. O’Connor wasn’t bad against BYU. The offense stalled behind a poor run game against the Cougars.
Kodi Kieler, Brian Allen and Tyler O'Connor.
That makes two straight games for O’Connor with no major mistakes. He wasn’t bad in the loss at Indiana, leading a game-tying drive in the final minutes of regulation - however he made a couple of costly errors in overtime.
His interception against Northwestern wasn’t a bad one. He heaved it deep on third-and-10 on a play that served as a 50-yard arm punt to the Northwestern 10-yard line. MSU trailed 40-31 at the time, and the time was right to take a deep risk.
O’Connor can prepare for this game against Maryland knowing that the team still needs sharpness out of him, and that there are still things to strive for in 2016.
2. Can the offensive line turn things around?
This area has become the biggest surprise of the season. Coaches expected to be able to pound out a consistent run game against most, if not all, opponents this year. Their terrific ground performance against Notre Dame appears to be an aberration at this point.
MSU rushed for a healthy 175 yards against Indiana, but went away from the run game inadvertently in overtime against the Hoosiers (when O’Connor failed to make the correct read and hand it off on second-and-seven).
Against BYU, Spartan tailbacks rushed for 70 yards on 19 carries (3.68 per).
Against Northwestern, Spartan tailbacks had only 36 yards on 11 rushing attempts (3.2 per carry), believed to be the fewest number of tailback rushing attempts by a Michigan State team in the Dantonio era.
When asked on Sunday night if he expected more from the offensive line at this point in the season, Dantonio said:
“I think six games in you expect more from our entire football team. I don’t know that it’s one particular group of people, and I include coaches in that as well.
“But Kieler was banged up, we’re banged up. We’re banged up as a football team a little bit. Kodi Kieler really didn’t practice much all week. He practiced some on Thursday, so you’ve got to be able to practice and get yourself ready to go in that capacity.
“Moving some different guys around a little bit, playing with a redshirt guard (Higby), and he’s going to be a very good player but the bottom line is they (Northwestern) played square in their gap and maintained their gap integrity, we did not (on defense). This is the second week that we did not.
“Our inability to run the football with any consistency, you get in situations where you have to throw the football. And with a redshirt freshman quarterback, in the second half, we had to throw the ball too much.”
So is there hope they can turn it around?
My Take: They have it in them. But that “it” is wearing down, due to bumps and injuries that have taken place, and the need of a bye week that’s not forthcoming.
Not only does Michigan State have guys playing hurt on the o-line, they are also having to play without being able to rotate many (or any) fresh guys onto the field. And with Michigan and Ohio State coming up in the next few weeks, the bumps and bruises are only going to get worse.
I don’t think the offensive line is inherently bad. But they have lost tread on their tires, and there are no pit stops in sight.
MSU’s decision to go with more shot gun formation vs Northwestern than at any time in the Dantonio era, along with the fewest tailback runs of the Dantonio era, might have been done out of the hopes of preserving their dwindling o-line corps.
Come to think of it, maybe they will force Finley onto the field to help out with the rotation, and see if he can hang. They need some gamers to step up. Higby and Lukusa have been positives. They need more.
Cole Chewins saw some brief time against BYU after Kieler went down, and Chewins made an error or two. But the coaches like his potential. And he was seen, again, taking extra reps after practice on Tuesday, working by himself on his pass set, among other things.
Brian Allen’s Take: “Pass protection, for the most part, I actually thought we were pretty good (against Northwestern). Run blocking wasn’t good. We weren’t moving the ball. We only had 11 carries for like 58 yards or something. It’s hard to call run plays when you’re not doing your job and that’s the offensive line’s job. We just have to run the ball better.”
How?
“Staying lower, playing lower, using your hands better. Northwestern, their interior guys are bigger guys and we knew they were going to be hard to move and you had to use your hands well. You just have to be able to get it done.
“We just have to be able to run the ball better. That’s completely on us. Guys are beat up. Can’t feel sorry for yourself, losing four games in a row. You have to get pissed off or something.
“Just have to figure out a way, and just have an attitude. Maybe that’s part of the problem; you just have to kind of be a dick in there and if you’re not doing that, you’re not going to be able to do your job.”
ONE PREDICTION
1. Josh King is going to have a positive second half of the season.
King became the first defensive end off the bench last weekend, ahead of former starter Evan Jones. Malik McDowell is a new starter at d-end, with Demetrius Cooper at the other end.
King has some snap to him, and he’s being leaned on to play more. I think some good things are ahead for him in the near future, as he learns more about the craft.
Dantonio with some thoughts on King: “The problem right now is sometimes our players aren't playing fast. I watched Josh King, who is going to be a phenomenal player. He's just young. He comes off the edge in the game on Saturday and before he gets hit on a wham block, a block coming back from the tight end, he fixes his helmet in the middle of a play. Well, you can't do that.
“That's just a very small thing. But you have to be able to know what you're doing, play fast, and execute whatever it is, whether it's playing the deep ball, running a route, throwing a route, pass protection. Whatever it is, you've got to be able to do those things at a rapid rate and aggressively. We have to make sure the players have a foundation behind them so our players can know what to do and play fast.
“That's what we need to concentrate on and be fundamentally sound. That's what wins football games, fundamentals.
“Josh will grow. He’ll be a great football player, he’s just got to get better.”
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during press interviews on Tuesday, two questions and one prediction:
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. As was the case last week, Mark Dantonio is not going to reveal who the starting quarterback will be for Saturday’s game at Maryland, until just prior to kickoff. But Dantonio liked what he saw in both QBs against Northwestern.
First-time starter Brian Lewerke and former starter Tyler O’Connor each had good moments during Michigan State’s loss to Northwestern on Saturday.
Lewerke completed 12-of-19 passes for 99 yards with 1 TD. He also rushed seven times for 30 yards and was sacked once.
O’Connor had a career-high 281 yards on less than two quarters of work.
“I was impressed with Tyler O’Connor coming back the way he did and maintaining not just his attitude but his composure in that type of situation,” Dantonio said. “That was very positive.”
Lewerke began the game hot, hitting RJ Shelton with a nice touch pass for 33 yards on third down vs. press man-to-man on the first drive. He ended the second drive with a well-timed touch pass to tight end Josiah Price for a 15-yard TD.
“I thought Brian Lewerke gave us a spark,” Dantonio said. “I thought he showed some of the things he could do. I also thought as the game progressed, the game got a little fast for him.
“I thought that did some good things. He did some other things in terms of his progressions and in terms of who he’s reading he’s got to square away. His progression of where he was going with the ball and getting the ball out stalled a little bit and that created some uncomfortable moments for him.”
Dantonio liked Lewerke’s poise.
“I don’t think the moment was too big for him,” Dantonio said during an interview with WXYZ (Detroit) Channel 7's Justin Rose: “I don’t think he panicked in the game at all. I don’t think he was intimidated by the environment or the situation, and that was a big positive.
“I thought he brought excitement to our football team and I think he has a skill set that will allow him to flourish in the future. When that future is: Is it a year? Now? Two years? That’s up to him.”
As for the game at Maryland, Dantonio said of Lewerke: “I would expect Lewerke to play. Does he start or not? He’s in contention.”
2. Dennis Finley has moved from third-string offensive tackle to second-string left guard.
Why & What It Means: Finley is at guard now because Michigan State suddenly has a shortage at the position. David Beedle is out for the Maryland game after sustaining a lower body injury against Northwestern. Beedle was the second-string left guard for that game. There is no word on how long he will be out.
Brandon Clemons, formerly a starting right guard for the Spartans, is listed solely as a defensive tackle, now. He started at DT against Northwestern and has become an important part of the defensive rotation.
Without Beedle and Clemons, and with Kodi Kieler having moved from center to left tackle permanently, the Spartans have three fewer interior offensive linemen than they had at the outset of the season.
Finley fell behind Miguel Machado and true freshman Thiyo Lukusa at right tackle. Finley is trying to come back from a broken leg, which he sustained in October of 2015 against Purdue.
Offensive line coach Mark Staten said two weeks ago that Finley still wasn’t ready to work into the playing group at right tackle, with mental and physical hurdles still need to be cleared.
Now, with Beedle out and Clemons playing defense, the Spartans need Finley at guard. Ready or not.
Finley, left, and Lukusa in practice.
“Dennis, I think he's to that point,” Dantonio said on Tuesday. “I think he's ready to go. He needs to get confident again, in terms of being able to play at game time, at this level at game time. But he's played before. He's got the experience. We got to get him going.”
My Take: Is Finley ready to respond? Well, he didn’t look bad in the Green-White Game, and that’s the only time any of us muggles have seen him since last October.
He lost weight while rehabbing the leg. In addition to the mental and physical hurdles, will he be strong enough to play guard? He has rarely practiced at that position in the past.
Although he is listed as the second-string left guard, I doubt we’ll see him this week, unless there’s an emergency. As for the dwindling number of available offensive linemen overall, that’s a potential emergency in itself.
Kieler played last week at left tackle despite missing practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. He missed the second half of the BYU game with an upper body injury.
The Spartans played the first four games of the season with four players rotating at the guard/center/guard positions: Kieler, Benny McGowan, Clemons and Brian Allen.
Now, it’s Allen, McGowan and redshirt freshman Tyler Higby inside - and they will now likely have to play every snap, rather than Staten’s preferred rotation.
3. Dantonio likes the early indications of how his players are trying to bounce back from this four-game losing streak.
“Thus far I would say, hey, we're hanging,” Dantonio said. “You got to be a rock to play this game. We've won a ton of games. You have to be a rock in the first place.”
The coaches have been watching.
“We monitor everything, how meetings are, what is the attitude in meetings, what is the attitude in the weight room, in the training room,” Dantonio said. “At every turn it's been a positive thing.
“People have to handle problems. So that's our mindset. That's what we have to do, and that's what we will do.”
TWO QUESTIONS:
1. Did Tyler O’Connor experience a break-through with his performance against Northwestern.
Not only did O’Connor make some good, accurate throws, he seemed to play with a quicker mental RPM. He seemed to go through reads quicker and more decisively than in the past.
MSU needed a spark from O’Connor, and he gave it to them. Despite the terrible loss, O’Connor managed to crack a grin when speaking with teammates in the final seconds of the game. He looks loose and confident for his next outing.
It will be intriguing to see whether the coaches go with the experienced O’Connor to start the road game at Maryland rather than the freshman. However, Dantonio was impressed with Lewerke’s poise, so maybe he thinks he’ll handle things at Maryland without blinking. Meanwhile, O’Connor might be BETTER when coming off the bench with something to prove and little to lose. Maybe that’s the breakthrough.
In terms of making smart reads and pulling the trigger, O’Connor looks more equipped and ready in those categories than he was in his first four starts. O’Connor wasn’t bad against BYU. The offense stalled behind a poor run game against the Cougars.
Kodi Kieler, Brian Allen and Tyler O'Connor.
That makes two straight games for O’Connor with no major mistakes. He wasn’t bad in the loss at Indiana, leading a game-tying drive in the final minutes of regulation - however he made a couple of costly errors in overtime.
His interception against Northwestern wasn’t a bad one. He heaved it deep on third-and-10 on a play that served as a 50-yard arm punt to the Northwestern 10-yard line. MSU trailed 40-31 at the time, and the time was right to take a deep risk.
O’Connor can prepare for this game against Maryland knowing that the team still needs sharpness out of him, and that there are still things to strive for in 2016.
2. Can the offensive line turn things around?
This area has become the biggest surprise of the season. Coaches expected to be able to pound out a consistent run game against most, if not all, opponents this year. Their terrific ground performance against Notre Dame appears to be an aberration at this point.
MSU rushed for a healthy 175 yards against Indiana, but went away from the run game inadvertently in overtime against the Hoosiers (when O’Connor failed to make the correct read and hand it off on second-and-seven).
Against BYU, Spartan tailbacks rushed for 70 yards on 19 carries (3.68 per).
Against Northwestern, Spartan tailbacks had only 36 yards on 11 rushing attempts (3.2 per carry), believed to be the fewest number of tailback rushing attempts by a Michigan State team in the Dantonio era.
When asked on Sunday night if he expected more from the offensive line at this point in the season, Dantonio said:
“I think six games in you expect more from our entire football team. I don’t know that it’s one particular group of people, and I include coaches in that as well.
“But Kieler was banged up, we’re banged up. We’re banged up as a football team a little bit. Kodi Kieler really didn’t practice much all week. He practiced some on Thursday, so you’ve got to be able to practice and get yourself ready to go in that capacity.
“Moving some different guys around a little bit, playing with a redshirt guard (Higby), and he’s going to be a very good player but the bottom line is they (Northwestern) played square in their gap and maintained their gap integrity, we did not (on defense). This is the second week that we did not.
“Our inability to run the football with any consistency, you get in situations where you have to throw the football. And with a redshirt freshman quarterback, in the second half, we had to throw the ball too much.”
So is there hope they can turn it around?
My Take: They have it in them. But that “it” is wearing down, due to bumps and injuries that have taken place, and the need of a bye week that’s not forthcoming.
Not only does Michigan State have guys playing hurt on the o-line, they are also having to play without being able to rotate many (or any) fresh guys onto the field. And with Michigan and Ohio State coming up in the next few weeks, the bumps and bruises are only going to get worse.
I don’t think the offensive line is inherently bad. But they have lost tread on their tires, and there are no pit stops in sight.
MSU’s decision to go with more shot gun formation vs Northwestern than at any time in the Dantonio era, along with the fewest tailback runs of the Dantonio era, might have been done out of the hopes of preserving their dwindling o-line corps.
Come to think of it, maybe they will force Finley onto the field to help out with the rotation, and see if he can hang. They need some gamers to step up. Higby and Lukusa have been positives. They need more.
Cole Chewins saw some brief time against BYU after Kieler went down, and Chewins made an error or two. But the coaches like his potential. And he was seen, again, taking extra reps after practice on Tuesday, working by himself on his pass set, among other things.
Brian Allen’s Take: “Pass protection, for the most part, I actually thought we were pretty good (against Northwestern). Run blocking wasn’t good. We weren’t moving the ball. We only had 11 carries for like 58 yards or something. It’s hard to call run plays when you’re not doing your job and that’s the offensive line’s job. We just have to run the ball better.”
How?
“Staying lower, playing lower, using your hands better. Northwestern, their interior guys are bigger guys and we knew they were going to be hard to move and you had to use your hands well. You just have to be able to get it done.
“We just have to be able to run the ball better. That’s completely on us. Guys are beat up. Can’t feel sorry for yourself, losing four games in a row. You have to get pissed off or something.
“Just have to figure out a way, and just have an attitude. Maybe that’s part of the problem; you just have to kind of be a dick in there and if you’re not doing that, you’re not going to be able to do your job.”
ONE PREDICTION
1. Josh King is going to have a positive second half of the season.
King became the first defensive end off the bench last weekend, ahead of former starter Evan Jones. Malik McDowell is a new starter at d-end, with Demetrius Cooper at the other end.
King has some snap to him, and he’s being leaned on to play more. I think some good things are ahead for him in the near future, as he learns more about the craft.
Dantonio with some thoughts on King: “The problem right now is sometimes our players aren't playing fast. I watched Josh King, who is going to be a phenomenal player. He's just young. He comes off the edge in the game on Saturday and before he gets hit on a wham block, a block coming back from the tight end, he fixes his helmet in the middle of a play. Well, you can't do that.
“That's just a very small thing. But you have to be able to know what you're doing, play fast, and execute whatever it is, whether it's playing the deep ball, running a route, throwing a route, pass protection. Whatever it is, you've got to be able to do those things at a rapid rate and aggressively. We have to make sure the players have a foundation behind them so our players can know what to do and play fast.
“That's what we need to concentrate on and be fundamentally sound. That's what wins football games, fundamentals.
“Josh will grow. He’ll be a great football player, he’s just got to get better.”
Paul's wrap from Dantonio's press conference
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Interesting quotes in here about dantonio's thoughts about staying the course within the scheme:
Dantonio concerned about bowl streak
Paul Konyndyk | Associate Editor
Michigan State continues to search for answers amidst a shocking four-game losing streak.
Michigan State (2-4, 0-3) travels to Maryland (4-2, 1-3) looking to halt a four-game losing skid, which has put the Spartans nine-year streak of bowl appearances underMark Dantonio in serious jeopardy for the first time since the 2012 season.
“It's something we've done every year,” said Dantonio of his team’s bowl appearance streak. “We've sort of taken it for granted. I don't think you can obviously take things for granted right now. We're a 2-4 football team. Again, we got to find the inches. We've been able to do that.”
Finding those inches has been difficult this season.
“I was walking through obviously the football facility yesterday,” Dantonio said. “Walked down the hallway where all of our bowl jerseys are hanging that have been won that we've been involved with the last nine years, all the NFL players that have gone on. It just sort of hit me a little bit where we are right now relative to where we've been.
“I think the most important thing to recognize is that wherever we're going, is to try to get back to that point, continue to compete, continue to build into the players in terms of what we're trying to do, concentrate on fundamentals, get our younger players ready to go, along with our older players, same thing.”
Dantonio-coached teams have typically played with a deep chip on their collective shoulder. This group hasn’t displayed the same competitive fire.
“We need to assume that that chip is not there and put it there, I guess, if that's the case,” Dantonio said. “Always sort of thought that we challenged each other, challenged ourselves individually to be our very best at game time. That needs to come out again. But it has to be results oriented, too.”
Regaining a competitive edge and playing with a chip is critical to salvaging the season.
“I know that '09 and '12 were difficult seasons,” Dantonio said. “But at some point in time we turned it a little bit, scrapped. At this point in time we're just going to become a team that's going to scrap. That's my intent. Let's get on with that first. So we'll be all in. We will be all in. That's all I can tell you.”
Scheme isn't the problem on offense
Dantonio dismissed the notion that the structure of Michigan State’s offense was to blame for his team’s struggles during a rebuilding year.
“There are always wrinkles, as I said last week,” Dantonio said. “I guess we could say we run the triple option, maybe Maryland will get ready for that, okay? But you just can't change and overhaul something that you've done, especially if you've been good at it. So what we have done is we have put players in positions to make plays. What we've done is taken relative schemes we use offensively and defensively, we've had tremendous success doing these things.
“So I don't think you go away from what you've been successful at and all of a sudden say, Hey, we're going to change that, that's no longer important, we're going to do these things.”
Moving forward, Dantonio stressed the importance of running the football with tailbacks, something his team did very little in a 54-40 loss to Northwestern last weekend. Running backs Gerald Holmes, LJ Scott, and Madre London accounted for just 11 carries against the Wildcats.
“We needed to be able to run the ball more effectively than we did on Saturday,” Dantonio said. “We have good tailbacks. They need to become a little bit more of our production, I would say. We have to be able to maintain that. That's what we've always done. Not wanting to do what we've always done, but it's been a strength of ours. We have to maintain that that has to reoccur.”
Scott played sparingly against Northwestern due to his struggles in pass-protection.
“He has to protect better in pass situations certainly,” Dantonio said. “Again, I'll go back to what I said earlier. We need to get our tailbacks involved in run and pass. They need to be a bigger part of who we are. They will be inevitably.”
Dantonio indicated that Michigan State's starter at quarterback will be determined in practice this week. Redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke started against Northwestern last weekend, before being pulled in the second half for veteran Tyler O'Connor.
Junior Damion Terry did not play last weekend, but has not been ruled out for this weekend.
"Damion is not out of the mix in terms of playing," Dantonio said. "He had a little hand issue last week. We held him. We went with the other two. We'll see how the practices work out this week. We'll make some determinations as we go, sort of go from there.As far as my speaking to our quarterbacks, that's an in-house thing. I spoke to all of our quarterbacks, make sure everybody was in good shape mentally."
Junior Dennis Finley replaces sophomore David Beedle on the depth chart at guard. Beedle suffered an injury against Northwestern and will not play at Maryland.
Confidence issues on defense?
Defensively, Michigan State needs to regain its confidence, coming off a game in which Northwestern scored 54 points.
“I think it comes down to fundamentals, the way you take on a double-team, the way you take on zone, missing tackles, whatever the case,” Dantonio said. “There's some things there. Maybe there's some structural things, as well. That's why I say this is all inclusive. Maybe there's a little confidence issue when things start moving in one direction.
“We had six three-and-outs on Saturday. The goal, a goal, is five. If you get more than five, you're doing pretty well because it doesn't happen all the time. So we did have a lot of three-and-outs. But when we didn't, things sort of snowballed a little bit. “You have to look at everything. That's what we've done. We'll look at our leadership on the field, as well, how we do things structurally, how we do things on the sideline. We'll look at it all and try and get everything in order.”
Maryland looking to bounce back
After starting the season 4-0, Maryland has lost back to back games against Big Ten opponents under first-year head coach and former Michigan defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
Recent struggles are attributable to injuries at the quarterback position according to Dantonio.
"On the offensive side of the ball, they've had an injury at quarterback," Dantonio said. "They used a freshman quarterback this last game … I think their wide receivers are talented. They've not thrown the ball as effectively as they wanted to due to injuries, freshman quarterback, a little bit. 4-0 start. They have the makings of a good football team.”
Defensively, Michigan State will prepare for a scheme similar to what they faced when Durkin was the defensive coordinator at Michigan last season.
“You see a lot of press coverage, a lot of different pressures with middle-of-the-field safety,” Dantonio said. “They are going to play a variety of different coverages. They have an extensive nickel package. I think he's got his guys playing hard."
Edit
Dantonio concerned about bowl streak
Paul Konyndyk | Associate Editor
Michigan State continues to search for answers amidst a shocking four-game losing streak.
Michigan State (2-4, 0-3) travels to Maryland (4-2, 1-3) looking to halt a four-game losing skid, which has put the Spartans nine-year streak of bowl appearances underMark Dantonio in serious jeopardy for the first time since the 2012 season.
“It's something we've done every year,” said Dantonio of his team’s bowl appearance streak. “We've sort of taken it for granted. I don't think you can obviously take things for granted right now. We're a 2-4 football team. Again, we got to find the inches. We've been able to do that.”
Finding those inches has been difficult this season.
“I was walking through obviously the football facility yesterday,” Dantonio said. “Walked down the hallway where all of our bowl jerseys are hanging that have been won that we've been involved with the last nine years, all the NFL players that have gone on. It just sort of hit me a little bit where we are right now relative to where we've been.
“I think the most important thing to recognize is that wherever we're going, is to try to get back to that point, continue to compete, continue to build into the players in terms of what we're trying to do, concentrate on fundamentals, get our younger players ready to go, along with our older players, same thing.”
Dantonio-coached teams have typically played with a deep chip on their collective shoulder. This group hasn’t displayed the same competitive fire.
“We need to assume that that chip is not there and put it there, I guess, if that's the case,” Dantonio said. “Always sort of thought that we challenged each other, challenged ourselves individually to be our very best at game time. That needs to come out again. But it has to be results oriented, too.”
Regaining a competitive edge and playing with a chip is critical to salvaging the season.
“I know that '09 and '12 were difficult seasons,” Dantonio said. “But at some point in time we turned it a little bit, scrapped. At this point in time we're just going to become a team that's going to scrap. That's my intent. Let's get on with that first. So we'll be all in. We will be all in. That's all I can tell you.”
Scheme isn't the problem on offense
Dantonio dismissed the notion that the structure of Michigan State’s offense was to blame for his team’s struggles during a rebuilding year.
“There are always wrinkles, as I said last week,” Dantonio said. “I guess we could say we run the triple option, maybe Maryland will get ready for that, okay? But you just can't change and overhaul something that you've done, especially if you've been good at it. So what we have done is we have put players in positions to make plays. What we've done is taken relative schemes we use offensively and defensively, we've had tremendous success doing these things.
“So I don't think you go away from what you've been successful at and all of a sudden say, Hey, we're going to change that, that's no longer important, we're going to do these things.”
Moving forward, Dantonio stressed the importance of running the football with tailbacks, something his team did very little in a 54-40 loss to Northwestern last weekend. Running backs Gerald Holmes, LJ Scott, and Madre London accounted for just 11 carries against the Wildcats.
“We needed to be able to run the ball more effectively than we did on Saturday,” Dantonio said. “We have good tailbacks. They need to become a little bit more of our production, I would say. We have to be able to maintain that. That's what we've always done. Not wanting to do what we've always done, but it's been a strength of ours. We have to maintain that that has to reoccur.”
Scott played sparingly against Northwestern due to his struggles in pass-protection.
“He has to protect better in pass situations certainly,” Dantonio said. “Again, I'll go back to what I said earlier. We need to get our tailbacks involved in run and pass. They need to be a bigger part of who we are. They will be inevitably.”
Dantonio indicated that Michigan State's starter at quarterback will be determined in practice this week. Redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke started against Northwestern last weekend, before being pulled in the second half for veteran Tyler O'Connor.
Junior Damion Terry did not play last weekend, but has not been ruled out for this weekend.
"Damion is not out of the mix in terms of playing," Dantonio said. "He had a little hand issue last week. We held him. We went with the other two. We'll see how the practices work out this week. We'll make some determinations as we go, sort of go from there.As far as my speaking to our quarterbacks, that's an in-house thing. I spoke to all of our quarterbacks, make sure everybody was in good shape mentally."
Junior Dennis Finley replaces sophomore David Beedle on the depth chart at guard. Beedle suffered an injury against Northwestern and will not play at Maryland.
Confidence issues on defense?
Defensively, Michigan State needs to regain its confidence, coming off a game in which Northwestern scored 54 points.
“I think it comes down to fundamentals, the way you take on a double-team, the way you take on zone, missing tackles, whatever the case,” Dantonio said. “There's some things there. Maybe there's some structural things, as well. That's why I say this is all inclusive. Maybe there's a little confidence issue when things start moving in one direction.
“We had six three-and-outs on Saturday. The goal, a goal, is five. If you get more than five, you're doing pretty well because it doesn't happen all the time. So we did have a lot of three-and-outs. But when we didn't, things sort of snowballed a little bit. “You have to look at everything. That's what we've done. We'll look at our leadership on the field, as well, how we do things structurally, how we do things on the sideline. We'll look at it all and try and get everything in order.”
Maryland looking to bounce back
After starting the season 4-0, Maryland has lost back to back games against Big Ten opponents under first-year head coach and former Michigan defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
Recent struggles are attributable to injuries at the quarterback position according to Dantonio.
"On the offensive side of the ball, they've had an injury at quarterback," Dantonio said. "They used a freshman quarterback this last game … I think their wide receivers are talented. They've not thrown the ball as effectively as they wanted to due to injuries, freshman quarterback, a little bit. 4-0 start. They have the makings of a good football team.”
Defensively, Michigan State will prepare for a scheme similar to what they faced when Durkin was the defensive coordinator at Michigan last season.
“You see a lot of press coverage, a lot of different pressures with middle-of-the-field safety,” Dantonio said. “They are going to play a variety of different coverages. They have an extensive nickel package. I think he's got his guys playing hard."
Edit
Is Gerald Holmes The Man at RB? By Rico Cooney
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Holmes wants to keep it cranked
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - Michigan State hoped to established a go-to feature back weeks ago.
But, through an inconsistent September and a rocky start to October, junior Gerald Holmesseems to be heading not the middle portion of the season as the choice as the workhorse running back.
At least that was the indication last week when he recorded his first start of the season. He also received the biggest workload chunk of his career, carrying the ball 15 times (for 57 yards) compared to three carries (for 9 yards) for LJ Scott and one carry (for 4 yards) for Madre London.
While Scott still holds the edge with a team-leading 70 carries for 311 yards and two touchdowns on the season, while averaging 4.4 yards a carry, Holmes is once again proving himself as reliable option as a tough runner and in pass protection, an area in which Scott struggled earlier this year.
Holmes refuses to enter into a debate as to who should start going forward.
“I don’t even pay attention to it,’’ said Holmes when asked about the weekly depth chart. “I don’t even be knowing that, whether it says ‘OR, OR’ (on the depth chart). However the coaches do things, when they call next man up, you just have to be ready to deal with it.’’
Holmes enters this week’s Homecoming matchup with 38 carries for 208 yards, a 5.5 yards per carry average and four TDs.
He was the go-to option during Michigan State’s game-tying touchdown drive in the final minutes at Indiana two weeks ago. But the Spartans went to Scott in overtime, although Scott didn’t receive a carry in the extra frame.
“I just look at like I did last year. You just have to have a starter’s mentality,” he said. “When you come here and you’re recruited as a tailback, you’re coming here for a reason, because you’re a good athlete and you’re going to make plays. So I know to just trust my ability and work every week like I am a starter and basically just wait until my name is called.’’
Holmes is eager to do his part to help correct MSU’s course.
“We’ve got to lock in, just key in to our assignments,’’ Holmes said. “Guys who make plays have to make plays. It’s about having confidence for each other.
“A lot of guys who have been here for a while and kind of had that chip on their shoulder the whole time. I feel like now, we’ve kind of lost that chip, especially with the younger guys. I feel like we’ve been bumping our heads around and not really understanding the main things. We’ve got the talent, we’ve got the guys that can make the plays so make sure you just come and commit.’’
PRICE CALLS FOR MORE FOCUS
There’s no doubt that Michigan State’s problems have spread across many areas and categories through the first five games of the season.
The Spartans haven’t blocked consistently well, haven’t run the ball with consistency, have not executed in the passing game, have not been sharp on special teams, have been shaky in the defensive front seven due in part to injuries, and suspect in the secondary, and in the coaching booth when it comes to the success of play calls on offense and defensive scheming.
As a result, the Spartans have been outscored by a margin of 28.3 to 13.6 points a game during its recent skid.
Despite all of those misgivings, members of MSU’s upper class feel like there’s something more they can do to help the team escape this free fall and right the ship for the remainder of the season. Price wants to be part of the corrective process.
“We’ve just got to focus on ourselves because most games we’ve beaten ourselves with penalties, missed assignments, with missed blocks, dropped balls or the bad throw with a missed read or the running back not seeing a hole as far as offensively speaking,” Price said. “That’s what’s killed us as an offense. We moved the ball a lot against a lot of teams but we’ve just shot ourselves in the foot, went backwards on certain drives and just not executed.
“So yes, it always starts with focus, making plays, execute our gameplan and play to the best of our ability and I think everything else will take care of itself.
“I mean, you can point blame at each (other) and everywhere (else) but as a leader on this team, I can say I didn’t do a good enough job because obviously, we are 2-3. So it’s up to me and the other leaders on this team to make everyone understand, especially the young guys, that it’s hard and you have to put in hours and hours and so much work to know the guy that I’m lined up across from. But we’ve got guys that are learning and we’re getting better.”
Michigan State came into the season hoping to repeat as Big Ten champions. Whether it be an unforeseen downturn in talent, furthered by injuries, or shaky focus, or whatever, Price said the pressure of high expectations haven’t been a factor in MSU’s problems.
“I don’t think it was any added undo pressure (to repeat as conference champions),’’ Price said. “We play football at Michigan State and we’ve won two Big Ten Championships in the last three years, so there’s a lot of pressure on us every season at the start. Yes, it’s been frustrating and it’s been tough (losing these last three games) but that’s life and it’s not always going to go the way you want it to go. So we’ve got to find a way to make the best of this, rally the guys, just come out, and play against Northwestern and try and get a win.’’
Sixth-year senior linebacker Ed Davis said it’s not so much about the athletic ability as it is about the mental aspects of the game.
“I feel like the main thing is just focus, staying focused’’ Davis said. “Not getting down on ourselves if something bad happens. There’s ups and downs in a game and we’ve got to keep our heads focused, keep thinking positive and keep pushing forward. You can’t think about the last plays and what happened because that’s how big plays tend to happen and that’s what happened last game. So we’ve just got to stay focused and stay together.’’
For Price, that mantra started this week as MSU prepared for it’s 3:30 p.m. matchup with the Wildcats.
“As much as we’d like to, we can’t change the past or go back and change anything that’s happened,’’ Price said. “So we’re just going to focus on the future and focus on what’s ahead of us.’’
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - Michigan State hoped to established a go-to feature back weeks ago.
But, through an inconsistent September and a rocky start to October, junior Gerald Holmesseems to be heading not the middle portion of the season as the choice as the workhorse running back.
At least that was the indication last week when he recorded his first start of the season. He also received the biggest workload chunk of his career, carrying the ball 15 times (for 57 yards) compared to three carries (for 9 yards) for LJ Scott and one carry (for 4 yards) for Madre London.
While Scott still holds the edge with a team-leading 70 carries for 311 yards and two touchdowns on the season, while averaging 4.4 yards a carry, Holmes is once again proving himself as reliable option as a tough runner and in pass protection, an area in which Scott struggled earlier this year.
Holmes refuses to enter into a debate as to who should start going forward.
“I don’t even pay attention to it,’’ said Holmes when asked about the weekly depth chart. “I don’t even be knowing that, whether it says ‘OR, OR’ (on the depth chart). However the coaches do things, when they call next man up, you just have to be ready to deal with it.’’
Holmes enters this week’s Homecoming matchup with 38 carries for 208 yards, a 5.5 yards per carry average and four TDs.
He was the go-to option during Michigan State’s game-tying touchdown drive in the final minutes at Indiana two weeks ago. But the Spartans went to Scott in overtime, although Scott didn’t receive a carry in the extra frame.
“I just look at like I did last year. You just have to have a starter’s mentality,” he said. “When you come here and you’re recruited as a tailback, you’re coming here for a reason, because you’re a good athlete and you’re going to make plays. So I know to just trust my ability and work every week like I am a starter and basically just wait until my name is called.’’
Holmes is eager to do his part to help correct MSU’s course.
“We’ve got to lock in, just key in to our assignments,’’ Holmes said. “Guys who make plays have to make plays. It’s about having confidence for each other.
“A lot of guys who have been here for a while and kind of had that chip on their shoulder the whole time. I feel like now, we’ve kind of lost that chip, especially with the younger guys. I feel like we’ve been bumping our heads around and not really understanding the main things. We’ve got the talent, we’ve got the guys that can make the plays so make sure you just come and commit.’’
PRICE CALLS FOR MORE FOCUS
There’s no doubt that Michigan State’s problems have spread across many areas and categories through the first five games of the season.
The Spartans haven’t blocked consistently well, haven’t run the ball with consistency, have not executed in the passing game, have not been sharp on special teams, have been shaky in the defensive front seven due in part to injuries, and suspect in the secondary, and in the coaching booth when it comes to the success of play calls on offense and defensive scheming.
As a result, the Spartans have been outscored by a margin of 28.3 to 13.6 points a game during its recent skid.
Despite all of those misgivings, members of MSU’s upper class feel like there’s something more they can do to help the team escape this free fall and right the ship for the remainder of the season. Price wants to be part of the corrective process.
“We’ve just got to focus on ourselves because most games we’ve beaten ourselves with penalties, missed assignments, with missed blocks, dropped balls or the bad throw with a missed read or the running back not seeing a hole as far as offensively speaking,” Price said. “That’s what’s killed us as an offense. We moved the ball a lot against a lot of teams but we’ve just shot ourselves in the foot, went backwards on certain drives and just not executed.
“So yes, it always starts with focus, making plays, execute our gameplan and play to the best of our ability and I think everything else will take care of itself.
“I mean, you can point blame at each (other) and everywhere (else) but as a leader on this team, I can say I didn’t do a good enough job because obviously, we are 2-3. So it’s up to me and the other leaders on this team to make everyone understand, especially the young guys, that it’s hard and you have to put in hours and hours and so much work to know the guy that I’m lined up across from. But we’ve got guys that are learning and we’re getting better.”
Michigan State came into the season hoping to repeat as Big Ten champions. Whether it be an unforeseen downturn in talent, furthered by injuries, or shaky focus, or whatever, Price said the pressure of high expectations haven’t been a factor in MSU’s problems.
“I don’t think it was any added undo pressure (to repeat as conference champions),’’ Price said. “We play football at Michigan State and we’ve won two Big Ten Championships in the last three years, so there’s a lot of pressure on us every season at the start. Yes, it’s been frustrating and it’s been tough (losing these last three games) but that’s life and it’s not always going to go the way you want it to go. So we’ve got to find a way to make the best of this, rally the guys, just come out, and play against Northwestern and try and get a win.’’
Sixth-year senior linebacker Ed Davis said it’s not so much about the athletic ability as it is about the mental aspects of the game.
“I feel like the main thing is just focus, staying focused’’ Davis said. “Not getting down on ourselves if something bad happens. There’s ups and downs in a game and we’ve got to keep our heads focused, keep thinking positive and keep pushing forward. You can’t think about the last plays and what happened because that’s how big plays tend to happen and that’s what happened last game. So we’ve just got to stay focused and stay together.’’
For Price, that mantra started this week as MSU prepared for it’s 3:30 p.m. matchup with the Wildcats.
“As much as we’d like to, we can’t change the past or go back and change anything that’s happened,’’ Price said. “So we’re just going to focus on the future and focus on what’s ahead of us.’’
Rico Cooney's game preview: Back to Business
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Back To Business: Wildcats Up Next
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - There was a different narrative coming out of Michigan State’s football practices this week as the Spartans prepared to face Northwestern amid a three-game losing streak.
Words like dedication, commitment, focus and consistency were being reintroduced as buzz words for a season that began with hopes of a back-to-back championship run.
While the talk of earning a third conference crown in the last four seasons was seemingly not far-fetched back in August, the idea that that goal would nearly be off the table so early in the Big Ten season is something almost unfathomable considering that this is a program fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance.
And the idea that a program which had become the epitome of words like dedication, commitment and focus would need to verbalize the ideals that had become second nature in a program has become firmly entrenched in the national discussion of top football programs is almost ridiculous
But that’s where Michigan State is, after consecutive losses to Wisconsin, Indiana and BYU.
The Spartans (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) will be looking for their first victory in Big Ten play when they host Northwestern (2-3, 1-1) at 3:30 p.m. (BTN), on Homecoming Saturday in Spartan Stadium
During this three-game skid, MSU’s first since 2009, when the Spartans finished with their only losing season under Mark Dantonio, MSU has surrendered nearly 30 points a game, while scoring less than 14.
So when the Spartans and Wildcats meet for the 55th time in a series that MSU leads 37-17, it won’t just be about ending a losing streak but reestablishing the culture that has served this program so well over the past five to six seasons.
Meaning that while the Spartans are in desperate need of a victory, there are equally in need of a quality performance that will signal that this season isn’t a lost one and that a rebuild is in progress.
Meanwhile, Northwestern has been battling problems of its own.
With losses in three of their first contests, the Wildcats also have been battling to straighten out early-season problems. Although Northwestern did earn a win over Iowa two Saturday’s ago before having a bye week.
So in a game in which both teams need to establish a return to consistently strong play, Northwestern, which has become known for its physical toughness under the tenure of its coach Pat Fitzgerald, a former Wildcat linebacker himself, will be looking to break the will of a Spartan team whose mental makeup has been challenged on numerous occasions over the last three weekends.
“I love Coach Fitz, I think he’s a great guy and a great head coach,’’ said MSU senior tight endJosiah Price. “He gets his guys ready to go. I think with Northwestern, you’ve got a really tough team that plays with a lot of effort. They’re going to come in here hungry to win because they’ve had a couple of tough losses and they’re going to give you everything you can handle. So we’ve got to be really ready to come to play and execute our gameplan. We’ve got to focus on Michigan State and not over focus on what they’re doing and do what we’ve got to do.’’
Offensively, Northwestern is lead by sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson, who is fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 224.
Thorson has completed 92 of his 169 pass attempts, while tossing for eight touchdowns against four interceptions.
He’s also rushed for 52 yards in an offense that is putting up an average of just 20.6 points per game and 350.4 yards of total offense.
While Northwestern’s offense as a whole hasn’t been impressive, Thorson’s top receiving target, senior Austin Carr, has become a standout target. Carr leads the Big Ten in receiving yards per game with 93 and catches per game with 6.4. He also ranks first in TD catches with six.
Sneaky-good Austin Carr leads the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards per game.
Northwestern’s offense was stagnant in September, but erupted for 38 points at Iowa in the Wildcats’ most recent outing.
The Wildcats’ top running back is junior Justin Jackson, who ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 102 yards per game. Jackson has scored four rushing TDs.
Northwestern’s offensive line is spearheaded by senior right tackle Eric Olson and senior left guard Connor Mahoney, who may miss the game with an injury.
“What sticks out to me is what you see all the time, that they’re so well-coached, they’re so precise,’’ said co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. “Obviously their running game has gotten better and better, when you look at against Nebraska and Iowa, who are two pretty stout defenses, that’s their two best rushing games so I think their o-line is gelling.
“The receivers and the quarterback, they just need small windows with what they do. It’s a precise, quick-passing game, and as soon as you start to nail down on that stuff, that’s when they take the big shots.
“I just feel like they are gaining confidence and coming together.”
While MSU has a secondary capable of containing Carr from having a big day, it’s the Spartans’ pass rush that will need to take its game to a higher level.
In addition to junior nose tackle Malik McDowell, who enters Saturday with just 16 tackles and just two tackles for loss, somebody else needs to step up on a d-line that could once again be without redshirt freshman Raequan Williams. Williams missed last week’s game with an arm injury.
Justin Jackson has more than 3,000 career rushing yards.
MSU’s safety combination of junior Montae Nicholson, the team’s leading tackler at 41, andDemetrious Cox, who has 36 stops, should be productive once again on Saturday. But with 5th-year senior linebacker and tri-captain Riley Bullough, and junior linebacker Jon Reschkeexpected to stay sidelined with injuries, the Spartans will need more than a monster day from junior linebacker Chris Frey, second on the team in tackles with 40, to slow a Northwestern offense that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes.
Somehow, as a group, MSU’s defense has to find a way on improving on a scoring defense that is giving up 25.2 points and 355.8 yards per game.
MSU enters Saturday with just 21 tackles for loss, which includes five sacks, and just four picks and three fumble recoveries.
While the Spartans’ defense will be looking to make a difference, MSU will be looking to answer some serious questions on offense.
Dantonio renewed MSU’s quarterback competition after Tyler O’Connor was yanked from his starting job in the fourth quarter of the team’s 31-14 loss to BYU in favor of junior Damion Terry.
While the Spartans need better play calling to help improve their chances in an offense that is producing just 366.2 yards and 21 points a game, Terry and redshirt freshman Brian Lewerkewere given chances to wrestle the job away from O’Connor this week.
O’Connor’s numbers after five games: 78-of-128 for 976 yards, eight TDs and five INTs. Dantonio acknowledges that O’Connor hasn’t been playing poorly, but the offense has needed a spark. That’s what he was hoping to provide in going with Terry. It’s unclear today whether Dantonio will play one quarterback, or both, or all three, or who will start.
The running back position also seems to be in flux if you look at MSU’s depth chart, which lists the possibility of junior Gerald Holmes and sophomores, LJ Scott and Madre London as potential starters.
Scott comes in as the leading rusher with 70 carries for 311 yards and two TDs. But Holmes started last week, and Scott is coming off one of the lightest workload games of his college career.
At wideout, senior R.J. Shelton now holds the top spot with 21 catches for 262 yards and two TDs but true freshman Donnie Corley and 5th-year senior Monty Madaris are valuable options for whoever ends up under center. But Madaris had two dropped passes last week, one of which stalled a drive. Corley dropped a deep pass the week before. MSU’s o-line is led by left tackle Kodi Kieler, one of four 5th-year seniors MSU will be depending on as redshirt freshman Tyler Higby gets incorporated at left guard and junior Brian Allen continues his move to center. But Kieler missed the second half last week with what appeared to be an upper body injury.
Defensively, the Wildcats are a stout bunch.
Surrendering just 19.8 points, while averaging 2.4 sacks per contest, this is a defense that can win games for its team. With 32 tackles for loss, the Wildcats boast at least one TFL from 12 members of a defense, which also has 12 sacks included in its TFL totals.
“They are athletic, they keep coming at you,” said wide receivers coach Terry Samuel. “They know that scheme. They have been working it and working it and all those guys they put in the mix, they all buy in. So the effort level and the intelligence that defense has is really one of the better ones we’ve seen. It’s in the same vain as Wisconsin as far as the way they try to come at you with the effort. So of course we’ve got to match that with our play.”
Senior linebacker Jaylen Prater and junior safety Godwin Igwebuike lead the way in the defensive department.
The top tackling duo in the Big Ten with a combined 18.0 tackles per game, Prater ranks third in the conference with 9.2 tackles per game, while Igwebuike ranks seventh at 8.8 per game. Igwebuike also leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation with 6.8 solo tackles per game.
Senior defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo is third in the conference and 14th in the nation in sacks per game, collecting one in every game Northwestern has played so far this season. He was dominant at times against Iowa, which served as the best game of his career to this point for the former four-star Rivals250 defensive end recruit.
“On the defense? No. 16 (Igwebuike), that is a really good safety. He can play, he’s a safety, but he can play you man and he comes down and he’ll pop,’’ Samuel said. “He’s got some pop to him when it’s time to make that tackle. He stands out of course. And of course No. 7 (Odenigbo), their defensive end, he’s no joke when he comes off the edge. That speed, aggressive. We got to do our job.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
MSU: Well here’s something you thought you’d never have to say about a Dantonio-coached team: It’s gut-check time for this group of Spartans. While no one is questioning this group’s heart, there is no doubt that MSU hasn’t done well in the face of adversity over the past three weekends. Heart? Yes. Psychological strength? No. Not to this point, anyway.
Adversity hasn’t been handled well and the Spartans have exhibited the poor body language to prove it. As physical as Northwestern plays, MSU is not only going to be punched in the mouth but bloodied. So if the Spartans’ season is going to go anywhere, this game against Northwestern is a worthy test. How the team performs as a group on Saturday will say a lot about this bunch.
NORTHWESTERN: Coming off a bye week, the Wildcats will need to shake off the rust of a weekend fairly quickly against a desperate Spartan team looking to regain its swagger after three disappointing performances and outcomes. While Northwestern’s offense is serviceable, if the Wildcats are going to win this game, it will be because off their defense. Forcing turnovers and getting off the field on 3rd down will be key to the Wildcats success. Northwestern will also need a big play from its special teams unit in order to ensure a victory.
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - There was a different narrative coming out of Michigan State’s football practices this week as the Spartans prepared to face Northwestern amid a three-game losing streak.
Words like dedication, commitment, focus and consistency were being reintroduced as buzz words for a season that began with hopes of a back-to-back championship run.
While the talk of earning a third conference crown in the last four seasons was seemingly not far-fetched back in August, the idea that that goal would nearly be off the table so early in the Big Ten season is something almost unfathomable considering that this is a program fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance.
And the idea that a program which had become the epitome of words like dedication, commitment and focus would need to verbalize the ideals that had become second nature in a program has become firmly entrenched in the national discussion of top football programs is almost ridiculous
But that’s where Michigan State is, after consecutive losses to Wisconsin, Indiana and BYU.
The Spartans (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) will be looking for their first victory in Big Ten play when they host Northwestern (2-3, 1-1) at 3:30 p.m. (BTN), on Homecoming Saturday in Spartan Stadium
During this three-game skid, MSU’s first since 2009, when the Spartans finished with their only losing season under Mark Dantonio, MSU has surrendered nearly 30 points a game, while scoring less than 14.
So when the Spartans and Wildcats meet for the 55th time in a series that MSU leads 37-17, it won’t just be about ending a losing streak but reestablishing the culture that has served this program so well over the past five to six seasons.
Meaning that while the Spartans are in desperate need of a victory, there are equally in need of a quality performance that will signal that this season isn’t a lost one and that a rebuild is in progress.
Meanwhile, Northwestern has been battling problems of its own.
With losses in three of their first contests, the Wildcats also have been battling to straighten out early-season problems. Although Northwestern did earn a win over Iowa two Saturday’s ago before having a bye week.
So in a game in which both teams need to establish a return to consistently strong play, Northwestern, which has become known for its physical toughness under the tenure of its coach Pat Fitzgerald, a former Wildcat linebacker himself, will be looking to break the will of a Spartan team whose mental makeup has been challenged on numerous occasions over the last three weekends.
“I love Coach Fitz, I think he’s a great guy and a great head coach,’’ said MSU senior tight endJosiah Price. “He gets his guys ready to go. I think with Northwestern, you’ve got a really tough team that plays with a lot of effort. They’re going to come in here hungry to win because they’ve had a couple of tough losses and they’re going to give you everything you can handle. So we’ve got to be really ready to come to play and execute our gameplan. We’ve got to focus on Michigan State and not over focus on what they’re doing and do what we’ve got to do.’’
Offensively, Northwestern is lead by sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson, who is fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 224.
Thorson has completed 92 of his 169 pass attempts, while tossing for eight touchdowns against four interceptions.
He’s also rushed for 52 yards in an offense that is putting up an average of just 20.6 points per game and 350.4 yards of total offense.
While Northwestern’s offense as a whole hasn’t been impressive, Thorson’s top receiving target, senior Austin Carr, has become a standout target. Carr leads the Big Ten in receiving yards per game with 93 and catches per game with 6.4. He also ranks first in TD catches with six.
Sneaky-good Austin Carr leads the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards per game.
Northwestern’s offense was stagnant in September, but erupted for 38 points at Iowa in the Wildcats’ most recent outing.
The Wildcats’ top running back is junior Justin Jackson, who ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 102 yards per game. Jackson has scored four rushing TDs.
Northwestern’s offensive line is spearheaded by senior right tackle Eric Olson and senior left guard Connor Mahoney, who may miss the game with an injury.
“What sticks out to me is what you see all the time, that they’re so well-coached, they’re so precise,’’ said co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. “Obviously their running game has gotten better and better, when you look at against Nebraska and Iowa, who are two pretty stout defenses, that’s their two best rushing games so I think their o-line is gelling.
“The receivers and the quarterback, they just need small windows with what they do. It’s a precise, quick-passing game, and as soon as you start to nail down on that stuff, that’s when they take the big shots.
“I just feel like they are gaining confidence and coming together.”
While MSU has a secondary capable of containing Carr from having a big day, it’s the Spartans’ pass rush that will need to take its game to a higher level.
In addition to junior nose tackle Malik McDowell, who enters Saturday with just 16 tackles and just two tackles for loss, somebody else needs to step up on a d-line that could once again be without redshirt freshman Raequan Williams. Williams missed last week’s game with an arm injury.
Justin Jackson has more than 3,000 career rushing yards.
MSU’s safety combination of junior Montae Nicholson, the team’s leading tackler at 41, andDemetrious Cox, who has 36 stops, should be productive once again on Saturday. But with 5th-year senior linebacker and tri-captain Riley Bullough, and junior linebacker Jon Reschkeexpected to stay sidelined with injuries, the Spartans will need more than a monster day from junior linebacker Chris Frey, second on the team in tackles with 40, to slow a Northwestern offense that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes.
Somehow, as a group, MSU’s defense has to find a way on improving on a scoring defense that is giving up 25.2 points and 355.8 yards per game.
MSU enters Saturday with just 21 tackles for loss, which includes five sacks, and just four picks and three fumble recoveries.
While the Spartans’ defense will be looking to make a difference, MSU will be looking to answer some serious questions on offense.
Dantonio renewed MSU’s quarterback competition after Tyler O’Connor was yanked from his starting job in the fourth quarter of the team’s 31-14 loss to BYU in favor of junior Damion Terry.
While the Spartans need better play calling to help improve their chances in an offense that is producing just 366.2 yards and 21 points a game, Terry and redshirt freshman Brian Lewerkewere given chances to wrestle the job away from O’Connor this week.
O’Connor’s numbers after five games: 78-of-128 for 976 yards, eight TDs and five INTs. Dantonio acknowledges that O’Connor hasn’t been playing poorly, but the offense has needed a spark. That’s what he was hoping to provide in going with Terry. It’s unclear today whether Dantonio will play one quarterback, or both, or all three, or who will start.
The running back position also seems to be in flux if you look at MSU’s depth chart, which lists the possibility of junior Gerald Holmes and sophomores, LJ Scott and Madre London as potential starters.
Scott comes in as the leading rusher with 70 carries for 311 yards and two TDs. But Holmes started last week, and Scott is coming off one of the lightest workload games of his college career.
At wideout, senior R.J. Shelton now holds the top spot with 21 catches for 262 yards and two TDs but true freshman Donnie Corley and 5th-year senior Monty Madaris are valuable options for whoever ends up under center. But Madaris had two dropped passes last week, one of which stalled a drive. Corley dropped a deep pass the week before. MSU’s o-line is led by left tackle Kodi Kieler, one of four 5th-year seniors MSU will be depending on as redshirt freshman Tyler Higby gets incorporated at left guard and junior Brian Allen continues his move to center. But Kieler missed the second half last week with what appeared to be an upper body injury.
Defensively, the Wildcats are a stout bunch.
Surrendering just 19.8 points, while averaging 2.4 sacks per contest, this is a defense that can win games for its team. With 32 tackles for loss, the Wildcats boast at least one TFL from 12 members of a defense, which also has 12 sacks included in its TFL totals.
“They are athletic, they keep coming at you,” said wide receivers coach Terry Samuel. “They know that scheme. They have been working it and working it and all those guys they put in the mix, they all buy in. So the effort level and the intelligence that defense has is really one of the better ones we’ve seen. It’s in the same vain as Wisconsin as far as the way they try to come at you with the effort. So of course we’ve got to match that with our play.”
Senior linebacker Jaylen Prater and junior safety Godwin Igwebuike lead the way in the defensive department.
The top tackling duo in the Big Ten with a combined 18.0 tackles per game, Prater ranks third in the conference with 9.2 tackles per game, while Igwebuike ranks seventh at 8.8 per game. Igwebuike also leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation with 6.8 solo tackles per game.
Senior defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo is third in the conference and 14th in the nation in sacks per game, collecting one in every game Northwestern has played so far this season. He was dominant at times against Iowa, which served as the best game of his career to this point for the former four-star Rivals250 defensive end recruit.
“On the defense? No. 16 (Igwebuike), that is a really good safety. He can play, he’s a safety, but he can play you man and he comes down and he’ll pop,’’ Samuel said. “He’s got some pop to him when it’s time to make that tackle. He stands out of course. And of course No. 7 (Odenigbo), their defensive end, he’s no joke when he comes off the edge. That speed, aggressive. We got to do our job.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
MSU: Well here’s something you thought you’d never have to say about a Dantonio-coached team: It’s gut-check time for this group of Spartans. While no one is questioning this group’s heart, there is no doubt that MSU hasn’t done well in the face of adversity over the past three weekends. Heart? Yes. Psychological strength? No. Not to this point, anyway.
Adversity hasn’t been handled well and the Spartans have exhibited the poor body language to prove it. As physical as Northwestern plays, MSU is not only going to be punched in the mouth but bloodied. So if the Spartans’ season is going to go anywhere, this game against Northwestern is a worthy test. How the team performs as a group on Saturday will say a lot about this bunch.
NORTHWESTERN: Coming off a bye week, the Wildcats will need to shake off the rust of a weekend fairly quickly against a desperate Spartan team looking to regain its swagger after three disappointing performances and outcomes. While Northwestern’s offense is serviceable, if the Wildcats are going to win this game, it will be because off their defense. Forcing turnovers and getting off the field on 3rd down will be key to the Wildcats success. Northwestern will also need a big play from its special teams unit in order to ensure a victory.
Hot Montae Nicholson says 'It's time to rally' by Rico Cooney
- Spartans Illustrated Message Board
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Nicholson: 'It's time to rally'
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
Co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett appeared frustrated and almost baffled by the ineffectiveness of MSU’s defense in the late stages of recent games.
“You can only scheme up so much and eventually you got to start making plays,” Barnett said. “And you can't over-scheme either. You know you got to let guys be in a position to make a play and sometimes it's going to get blocked up and you got to beat one-on-one blocks and things like that. I'm not pointing the finger at anybody, it just is what it is.”
But junior safety Montae Nicholson isn’t on the fix list. He’s been playing fine.
Nicholson is coming off a career-high 17 tackles, posted during last Saturday’s loss to BYU.
The fact that he was on the field for 17 stops, and that the ball carrier came into his territory 17 times, is a mark of a shaky defense.
But consider how much worse the defense might be if No. 9 wasn’t back there sticking people.
Nicholson has been a physical force against the run through the first five games of the season, and he hasn’t had any noticeable gaffes in pass defense.
Now, the Spartans will try to rally around his improvement as Michigan State (2-3) heads into the middle portions of the season, badly in need of a victory today against Northwestern (2-3).
“What it comes down to is that we need to execute better as a whole defense, as a team as a whole,’’ Nicholson said. “It’s time to rally. We may be down at 2-3 but we’re definitely not out of anything. We still have that chip on our shoulders. Now, instead of being the hunted, we’re the hunters.’’
Nicholson (6-2, 219, Monroeville, Pa.) is prepared to do his share of the hunting.
A year ago, he lost his starting job due to missed tackles and a general lack of comfort in his assignments. He regained the job in the final weeks of the season in helping Michigan State close out a Big Ten Championship run and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Now he’s making quicker, correct reads which is allowing him to unleash his size, athleticism and force on a more frequent basis.
“Montae is a playmaker in general. He does that every week,’’ teammate Chris Frey said. “He’s a high-caliber player. A guy that is one of the best guys on our team.“
TEAM STILL SEARCHING
It seems as though the Spartans’ third-straight loss has sparked what most teams in this situation feel - that the time for team-only meetings and screaming coaches are not the solution.
It’s time for everyone on the Spartans’ defense to do some soul searching in an effort to improve their play and help turn things around this season. It starts with individual intensity and assignments, said linebacker Chris Frey.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can say or do to get somebody on that level,” Frey said. “It’s something you have inside of you. You either have it or you don’t.
“Guys are going to have to come out on the field and have what we call, that dawg in them. After losses like we’ve had, guys have to think about what they can do better on every single play. You go back, you watch the film, you study each and every play and think, what could I have done better here, what did I do wrong and how can I fix it.?’ And everybody needs to do it because that’s the only way we’re going to get better.’’
TERRY ON TAP?
Junior Damion Terry had a shot to earn the starting quarterback job this week in practice. In the hours leading to kickoff, it was unknown whom Mark Dantonio would name as the starting quarterback.
But Terry felt a lift of confidence last week when the coaches called on him to try to rescue the Spartans from a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter.
Terry hadn’t attempted a pass this season prior to last week’s loss to BYU. Injuries cost him practice time and a chance to relieve a struggling Tyler O’Connor in the September loss to Wisconsin. But he was the first thrower out of the bullpen last weekend, and heads into today’s game against Northwestern as a possible choice for extended playing time.
Against BYU, Terry was 6-of-10 for 63 yards, plus 29 yards rushing on eight carries, which included a one-yard TD run on 3rd-and-goal with five minutes left in the game. Terry threw one interception when he failed to notice a cornerback sinking down the sideline on a deep route.
Terry didn’t foresee last weekend’s opportunity.
“Honestly, I was in shock,” Terry said. “Third quarter, Coach (Brad) Salem looked at me and said, ‘Get ready.’
“I was surprised to see that we only had 50-something yards at halftime. But he told me and I was ready.
“Going into games, Tyler’s always been No. 1 and I’m No. 2 but I’ve always been prepared.’’
So when he was asked if he felt that he played well enough to start against Northwestern, Terry didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, but I definitely need to improve on stuff,” Terry said. “But yes. I definitely think when I went in there and we did the 2-minute offense, it kept (BYU’s) defense on its heels. I definitely would like to think I gave them a spark but we need to get the W next time.”
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
Co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett appeared frustrated and almost baffled by the ineffectiveness of MSU’s defense in the late stages of recent games.
“You can only scheme up so much and eventually you got to start making plays,” Barnett said. “And you can't over-scheme either. You know you got to let guys be in a position to make a play and sometimes it's going to get blocked up and you got to beat one-on-one blocks and things like that. I'm not pointing the finger at anybody, it just is what it is.”
But junior safety Montae Nicholson isn’t on the fix list. He’s been playing fine.
Nicholson is coming off a career-high 17 tackles, posted during last Saturday’s loss to BYU.
The fact that he was on the field for 17 stops, and that the ball carrier came into his territory 17 times, is a mark of a shaky defense.
But consider how much worse the defense might be if No. 9 wasn’t back there sticking people.
Nicholson has been a physical force against the run through the first five games of the season, and he hasn’t had any noticeable gaffes in pass defense.
Now, the Spartans will try to rally around his improvement as Michigan State (2-3) heads into the middle portions of the season, badly in need of a victory today against Northwestern (2-3).
“What it comes down to is that we need to execute better as a whole defense, as a team as a whole,’’ Nicholson said. “It’s time to rally. We may be down at 2-3 but we’re definitely not out of anything. We still have that chip on our shoulders. Now, instead of being the hunted, we’re the hunters.’’
Nicholson (6-2, 219, Monroeville, Pa.) is prepared to do his share of the hunting.
A year ago, he lost his starting job due to missed tackles and a general lack of comfort in his assignments. He regained the job in the final weeks of the season in helping Michigan State close out a Big Ten Championship run and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Now he’s making quicker, correct reads which is allowing him to unleash his size, athleticism and force on a more frequent basis.
“Montae is a playmaker in general. He does that every week,’’ teammate Chris Frey said. “He’s a high-caliber player. A guy that is one of the best guys on our team.“
TEAM STILL SEARCHING
It seems as though the Spartans’ third-straight loss has sparked what most teams in this situation feel - that the time for team-only meetings and screaming coaches are not the solution.
It’s time for everyone on the Spartans’ defense to do some soul searching in an effort to improve their play and help turn things around this season. It starts with individual intensity and assignments, said linebacker Chris Frey.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can say or do to get somebody on that level,” Frey said. “It’s something you have inside of you. You either have it or you don’t.
“Guys are going to have to come out on the field and have what we call, that dawg in them. After losses like we’ve had, guys have to think about what they can do better on every single play. You go back, you watch the film, you study each and every play and think, what could I have done better here, what did I do wrong and how can I fix it.?’ And everybody needs to do it because that’s the only way we’re going to get better.’’
TERRY ON TAP?
Junior Damion Terry had a shot to earn the starting quarterback job this week in practice. In the hours leading to kickoff, it was unknown whom Mark Dantonio would name as the starting quarterback.
But Terry felt a lift of confidence last week when the coaches called on him to try to rescue the Spartans from a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter.
Terry hadn’t attempted a pass this season prior to last week’s loss to BYU. Injuries cost him practice time and a chance to relieve a struggling Tyler O’Connor in the September loss to Wisconsin. But he was the first thrower out of the bullpen last weekend, and heads into today’s game against Northwestern as a possible choice for extended playing time.
Against BYU, Terry was 6-of-10 for 63 yards, plus 29 yards rushing on eight carries, which included a one-yard TD run on 3rd-and-goal with five minutes left in the game. Terry threw one interception when he failed to notice a cornerback sinking down the sideline on a deep route.
Terry didn’t foresee last weekend’s opportunity.
“Honestly, I was in shock,” Terry said. “Third quarter, Coach (Brad) Salem looked at me and said, ‘Get ready.’
“I was surprised to see that we only had 50-something yards at halftime. But he told me and I was ready.
“Going into games, Tyler’s always been No. 1 and I’m No. 2 but I’ve always been prepared.’’
So when he was asked if he felt that he played well enough to start against Northwestern, Terry didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, but I definitely need to improve on stuff,” Terry said. “But yes. I definitely think when I went in there and we did the 2-minute offense, it kept (BYU’s) defense on its heels. I definitely would like to think I gave them a spark but we need to get the W next time.”
'Slippery' Ed Davis gaining steam, just in time? By Ricardo Cooney
- Spartans Illustrated Message Board
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Slippery Ed Davis regaining steam, just in time?
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - Amid all the disappointments brought on by Michigan State’s last three weekends of football, all losses, the Spartan defense received some welcome news this week.
Sixth-year senior linebacker Ed Davis has declared himself ready to return to the lineup as an every-down contributor.
It remains to be seen whether he will be deployed to play every down for Saturday’s game against Northwestern. But he feels he’s ready - something he hasn’t felt since August of 2015, when he went down with a knee injury which sidelined him for all of last season.
Davis, who was granted a sixth-year of eligibility this season, has been working himself back into game shape since the season began, getting reps in MSU’s delta package - one that utilizes an extra linebacker, usually on third downs.
While fitness issues and the emotional turmoil required to trust a repaired joint like Davis’ knee has been slow, he said he felt like he was almost back to the form that saw him finish the 2014-15 season with 58 tackles, good for fourth on the team.
“Actually, I’m pretty good where I’m at right now,’’ Davis said. “I think I’m on schedule.
“When I first start playing (this season), it (the knee) was hurting a lot and I didn’t know if I would be able to keep going back-to-back but eventually it stopped. After one day, it wouldn’t hurt so bad the next day and I would just keep building on that. Ever since then, a couple of weeks ago, it’s been like that and it’s been getting stronger and stronger. I’ve been getting faster, better, cutting more and doing everything I used to do. So I feel like I’m right on schedule and I just need to keep working on getting better.’’
Getting better would mean a return to his 2014 status.
During that breakout season, Davis’ first as a fulltime starter, he finished third on the team in tackles for loss with 12, which included seven sacks. He also had two pass breakups and a forced fumble, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media.
And while his rehab has been a longer process than he would have liked, he pointed to a few specific plays in the Spartans’ 31-14 loss to BYU that gave him the confidence that he could be closing in on the form he showed back when he teamed up with former Spartan linebackers Taiwan Jones and Darien Harris.
“Honestly, it was last game with me getting so many snaps in the fourth quarter, back-to-back,’’ Davis said. “Usually, I was going in on third down and pass rushing downs but with me being in there for all three downs, I got cut-blocked on one play and then had to fight off the block to try and make the tackle on another, and then running to the ball, that really gave me confidence in my knee going back to the huddle, and me knowing that my knee really is all right.
“That was the exact play with me getting cut and I said, ‘Okay, you know what? I’m good. I’m ready to go.’”
With a pair of linebackers nursing injuries in 5th-year senior Riley Bullough and juniorJon Reschke, a confident Davis could give the Spartan defense a real boost against Northwestern and through the remainder of the season.
Junior Chris Frey, who has logged additional downs at linebacker during the absences of Bullough and Reschke, feels that Davis’ return to form could be a huge boost to the overall improvement of MSU’s defense.
“He’s getting better every single week and I think he’s starting to trust his knee more,’’ Frey said. “But it’s going to come in time. He keeps growing and if he can get back to where he was before the injury, it’s going to mean a lot because we know the ability that he has. We call him Slippery Ed for a reason. We put him out there on delta and he makes plays, so we’re really looking forward to him working his way back up to 100 percent.’’
Frey added that MSU linebackerscoach Mark Snyder expressed the same excitement in film study this week.
“We’re watching film and Coach Snyder goes, ‘Hey, you got cut on your bad knee and you’re still running! Forget about it! you’re fine,’” Frey said. “And the next play, they come out and they crack (back block) him with the receiver and throw a screen out and he got out there. And coach (Snyder) says, ‘You’re fine. You got out there. Just keep playing, you’re good.’”
Ed Davis and Demetrius Cooper have 17.5 career sacks, but none so far this year. MSU's defense could use a return to form for both players this weekend against Northwestern.
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - Amid all the disappointments brought on by Michigan State’s last three weekends of football, all losses, the Spartan defense received some welcome news this week.
Sixth-year senior linebacker Ed Davis has declared himself ready to return to the lineup as an every-down contributor.
It remains to be seen whether he will be deployed to play every down for Saturday’s game against Northwestern. But he feels he’s ready - something he hasn’t felt since August of 2015, when he went down with a knee injury which sidelined him for all of last season.
Davis, who was granted a sixth-year of eligibility this season, has been working himself back into game shape since the season began, getting reps in MSU’s delta package - one that utilizes an extra linebacker, usually on third downs.
While fitness issues and the emotional turmoil required to trust a repaired joint like Davis’ knee has been slow, he said he felt like he was almost back to the form that saw him finish the 2014-15 season with 58 tackles, good for fourth on the team.
“Actually, I’m pretty good where I’m at right now,’’ Davis said. “I think I’m on schedule.
“When I first start playing (this season), it (the knee) was hurting a lot and I didn’t know if I would be able to keep going back-to-back but eventually it stopped. After one day, it wouldn’t hurt so bad the next day and I would just keep building on that. Ever since then, a couple of weeks ago, it’s been like that and it’s been getting stronger and stronger. I’ve been getting faster, better, cutting more and doing everything I used to do. So I feel like I’m right on schedule and I just need to keep working on getting better.’’
Getting better would mean a return to his 2014 status.
During that breakout season, Davis’ first as a fulltime starter, he finished third on the team in tackles for loss with 12, which included seven sacks. He also had two pass breakups and a forced fumble, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media.
And while his rehab has been a longer process than he would have liked, he pointed to a few specific plays in the Spartans’ 31-14 loss to BYU that gave him the confidence that he could be closing in on the form he showed back when he teamed up with former Spartan linebackers Taiwan Jones and Darien Harris.
“Honestly, it was last game with me getting so many snaps in the fourth quarter, back-to-back,’’ Davis said. “Usually, I was going in on third down and pass rushing downs but with me being in there for all three downs, I got cut-blocked on one play and then had to fight off the block to try and make the tackle on another, and then running to the ball, that really gave me confidence in my knee going back to the huddle, and me knowing that my knee really is all right.
“That was the exact play with me getting cut and I said, ‘Okay, you know what? I’m good. I’m ready to go.’”
With a pair of linebackers nursing injuries in 5th-year senior Riley Bullough and juniorJon Reschke, a confident Davis could give the Spartan defense a real boost against Northwestern and through the remainder of the season.
Junior Chris Frey, who has logged additional downs at linebacker during the absences of Bullough and Reschke, feels that Davis’ return to form could be a huge boost to the overall improvement of MSU’s defense.
“He’s getting better every single week and I think he’s starting to trust his knee more,’’ Frey said. “But it’s going to come in time. He keeps growing and if he can get back to where he was before the injury, it’s going to mean a lot because we know the ability that he has. We call him Slippery Ed for a reason. We put him out there on delta and he makes plays, so we’re really looking forward to him working his way back up to 100 percent.’’
Frey added that MSU linebackerscoach Mark Snyder expressed the same excitement in film study this week.
“We’re watching film and Coach Snyder goes, ‘Hey, you got cut on your bad knee and you’re still running! Forget about it! you’re fine,’” Frey said. “And the next play, they come out and they crack (back block) him with the receiver and throw a screen out and he got out there. And coach (Snyder) says, ‘You’re fine. You got out there. Just keep playing, you’re good.’”
Ed Davis and Demetrius Cooper have 17.5 career sacks, but none so far this year. MSU's defense could use a return to form for both players this weekend against Northwestern.
The 3-2-1 on Indiana Week: On third down defense & LB situation
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The 3-2-1: Indiana Week
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned early this week about Michigan State, two questions, one prediction:
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. Junior ‘star’ linebacker Jon Reschke is out for at least several weeks with a foot injury, and Riley Bullough is questionable.
Reschke’s injury wasn’t surprising news. Information about his foot injury leaked Sunday, and we talked about it on The Bunker Sunday evening.
The news is that head coach Mark Dantonio acknowledged the injury. Usually the head coach doesn’t talk about injuries unless it’s a season-ending injury.
Dantonio said he is “optimistic we'll get him back by the end of the year.”
But…
“He is out right now, and probably out for a significant time period here as he works through a severe an ankle sprain.”
What it means:
* Reschke was Michigan State’s best defensive player in the victory over Notre Dame. I said he was one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten, and was in the process of becoming one of the most respected players in the league.
Now, that rise has been halted, at least for a little while.
Reschke sustained the injury midway through Saturday’s game. He tried to come back and play a snap after the fumbled punt snap, but pulled up lame again.
When he comes back, will he have the quickness and speed he showed at Notre Dame? That’ll be hard to achieve right away.
Secondly, this is additionally concerning because Reschke battled injuries in each of his first two years at Michigan State. Coaches had trouble getting him on the practice field, and staying there, prior to his rise into the starting lineup at this time last year after Ed Davis went down with an injury.
He hasn’t had this particular injury in the past, but - for Michigan State’s sake - you have to hope the Reschke injuries subside after this one.
* With Reschke out, sophomore Andrew Dowell is back in the starting lineup. Dowell started the season opener against Furman as Reschke missed the game with a wrist injury.
Coaches liked the speed and effort Dowell showed against Furman, but he showed some inexperience in the face of Furman’s surprise formations and plays.
“Coach D said the toughest thing for a young player in your first start is adjusting to things on the fly,” Dowell said after practice on Tuesday. “So we get our gameplan, we know what we think they are going to do, and then how can you react off of that when they don’t show you exactly what you prepared for? So that’s been a growing process for me.”
Dowell will make his second start on Saturday at Indiana.
“I know me, personally, I have to be in the book more this week, being in a starting role. It’s definitely a test for me and for our entire defense because they (Indiana) have a very good scheme. I just have to continue to stay in film and watch a lot of it this week, to get better and get ready for the offense.”
* Also, senior Ed Davis continues to make progress toward what Dantonio hopes will be a regular role in the defense, soon.
Davis played a handful of snaps against Wisconsin. He didn’t look nearly as fast as he did in 2014 when he was second-team All-Big Ten, but Dantonio says Davis is making progress.
“He practiced much better last week. He had full day of practice a couple days of the week, so that was very positive.
“It's sort of day-by-day, game-by-game with Ed,” Dantonio said. “I want him to feel confident. Part of this is him having confidence and going back and playing at game speed.
“He had a knee injury, and it takes a little bit of time to get back in there and get acclimated. I think he's close to turning the corner.”
* Dantonio said senior Mike linebacker Riley Bullough might play against Indiana. Bullough sat out Saturday’s game against Wisconsin with an undisclosed injury.
“Riley probably is a little bit more day-to-day, and we'll see how that goes as we move through the week,” Dantonio said. “We'll make an announcement prior to the game as to whether or not he can or cannot go.”
Junior Shane Jones played Mike linebacker in place of Bullough, and performed well. Jones, who started last year against Central Michigan in place of Bullough, showed improved speed, and tackled well.
“We've been deep at linebacker,” Dantonio said. “We've got guys who have played and know what to do there. They can pick up the slack. It's an opportunity for people to grow.”
The Spartans were lacking in the leadership and communication department on Saturday, and are working to improve that area for the Indiana game.
“Everybody has to collectively step up with communication and echo it out,” Dowell said, “from d-line, linebackers, safeties, DBs, with him being our vocal leader and him being out, to replace him.”
2. Sunday’s weekly team meeting entailed very little, if anything, about football.
The Spartans gathered, as is customary, at the Skandalaris Center in the late morning. The meeting took place just hours after Dantonio and the Spartans learned of the tragic passing of former Spartan Mylan Hicks.
“Sunday, coming in after what had happened on Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin and then that news, and we had our first team meeting, and we came in and Coach D didn’t have one thing to say about football,” said quarterback Tyler O’Connor. “That’s just shows how much family and love and care has meant around this program.”
“It was a tough day Sunday,” Dantonio said. “Really didn't want to go in there and talk about a football game for sure. Left that up in the air for people whether they did or didn't want to be there. Also had a chapel specifically for him, a chapel with our team to specifically honor him and let our players just sort of be with that memory of that evening.
“There is no question it's been a challenge. Also, I think there is no question that we get on with it, because that's who he was. That's who Mike Sadler was. When you know those people and how committed they were to a football program, you don't want to do anything to steer away from what you're trying to accomplish.”
Dantonio said the Spartans will wear black shoes and black socks at Indiana on Saturday night in honor of Hicks.
“Of all the Spartan gear, he liked to wear black,” Dantonio said. “He liked the black Spartan gear. That's why I wore black today, in memory of him.
“But also we'll honor him with the No. 6 on the back of the helmet this weekend. We will probably travel down there with 41 players I counted that played on the team with him. He'll be in a lot of people's minds as we move forward.
“Mylan is the type of guy that loved football. He loved competing. He went at it 100 miles an hour, and he would be very disappointed in us if we did not do that on a game-by-game basis, throughout practice, and everything we try to accomplish here and go after. So he'll be with us.
“We'll do some special things in upcoming weeks.
“Just a tragic event. Again, it just speaks to how life can change on people very, very quickly. We experienced that with Mike Sadler and now again with Mylan Hicks. It's a tragic event. Just take into account what you have now and cherish it.
“He was a great competitor and teammate, and our guys are missing him. A lot of people are missing him.”
3. The problems on offense against Wisconsin weren’t all Tyler O’Connor’s fault.
O’Connor was the guy with the football, the guy having trouble distributing it on occasion. And he was the guy fans and media were watching, and criticizing after the 30-6 lead.
But Dantonio pointed out on Sunday and Tuesday that there were many culpable entities that had a hand in Michigan State’s problems on offense against the Badgers.
Tyler O'Connor was sacked four times on Saturday, and pressured on several other occasions.
The problems began with Wisconsin’s consistent success in putting pressure on O’Connor.
“It’s not just the offensive line, it’s the protection,” Dantonio said. “Our running backs, for some reason, were cut-blocking people.”
That’s apparently not what they’re taught to do. And Badger defensive players defeat blocks as well as any team MSU will face all year.
“Give credit to Wisconsin,” Dantonio said. “They got good players now. They threw some pressures at us, we didn't block them effectively, and they got home on others and beat us physically. That's football.
“There was pressure in his face. Usually you get pressure in people's face it affects quarterbacks. Makes them throw out their bad foot. Got to do a better job protecting our quarterback, whether it's by structure, recognition of what's coming, or actual execution, combination of things.”
Receivers? They took some blame too.
“Same thing happens if people get tied up down the field,” Dantonio said. “Nobody to throw to, you end up choking the ball, bad things happen.”
O’Connor’s mistakes were more apparent to the casual fan.
“There are some decisions he has to make that have to be better,” Dantonio said.
“Those are the three things all go along with the passing game. I think any of those things can affect you. I think as a quarterback, every experience you have is a learning experience, a growing experience. So even this guy who is in his fifth year, Tyler, he started one game; now he's started three. He’s growing.”
O’Connor doesn’t seem to have lost any confidence.
“Tyler is fine,” Dantonio said. “He's a confident player. I texted him Saturday night, and he had already watched the game twice.”
O’Connor said he downloaded the team’s copy of the film off the cloud, to his laptop. He was getting ready to watch it a third time when friends convinced him to get something to eat with them.
“He's a responsible, responsible guy,” Dantonio said. “He'll take ownership in what he did. He's not a finger-pointer. He's mature in terms of how he handles things.
“This hasn't been the first time in his football career that something has gone wrong. A lot of things can go wrong at that position.
“I’m sure he's prepared to handle these things, and he has an opportunity to bounce back and make it happen.”
TWO QUESTIONS:
Question No. 1. What’s the problem with the pass defense?
This is a common question among fans.
The answer: Nothing.
Chill.
Wisconsin had three scoring drives. There were five third-down plays that helped fuel those 16 points.
The Badgers did damage on a pair of third-and-10s on the first TD drive.
The Badgers converted a third-and-12 on the second TD drive.
The Badgers converted a third-and-11 and a third-and-eight on their field goal drive.
That’s all. Five plays. Five conversions, good for 16 points.
There was reason for review and corrections - although not reason for the coronaries Spartan fans were having over five plays. The negative reaction those five plays, I suspect, was due to the overall frustration of the afternoon. Wisconsin didn’t do as much damage on third down, for instance, as Western Michigan did against MSU last year in a double-digit Spartan victory.
Anyone remember that Central Michigan was 7-of-14 on third down against MSU last year. For math majors, that’s a better percentage than the Badgers had on Saturday.
Plant a flag.
Indiana was 5-of-11 on third downs against Michigan State last year. That’s a better percentage than Wisconsin’s.
Wisconsin ended up 7 of 16 on third down. That’s a good percentage, but not reason to expel anybody.
The five plays:
1. Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibook completed a 25-yard pass to WR Jazz Peavy.
What happened: MSU broke tendency and played man-to-man. The Spartans had Jalen Watts-Jackson in the slot area, playing first-string nickel back for the first time in his career.
Peavy shook Watts-Jackson with a nod to the post and a break to the corner. Very good route, and a perfect pass.
2. Ten plays later (including a third-and-two play action completion to the tight end, which caught Dowell out of position), Hornbook connected with WR Robert Wheelwright for a 9-yard gain.
Wait a minute. This wasn’t a conversion. MSU stopped the WR short of the first down with a fine reaction and tackle by safety Montae Nicholson.
(But Wisconsin converted fourth-and-one with a fullback dive).
As for the 9-yard gain on third-and-10, it was charted as a losing play for the Spartans and deserves mention in this study.
On that play, cornerback Vayante Copeland was beaten to the inside by Wheelwright. The inside release allowed Wheelwright to body-up Copeland for a late post break to the middle.
Good release move. Copeland, who had an excellent game against the run, was out-techniqued at the line of scrimmage. That doesn’t happen to him often. But it happened this time, on third down in the red zone. Not a championship play for Michigan State. But it’s probably not something that’s going to become a recurring problem. No need to fire any coordinators over this one.
(As for Dowell being out of position on the third-and-two play, well Wisconsin did a great job with a late shift of tight end personnel prior to the snap. That shift caused a hesitation in Dowell on the play side while Dowell checked to stop the run first. Then he was too late in getting outside to his receiver assignment.
(A play like that is why Dowell says this week he is “in the book.” Sometimes it takes a loss for players to realize there are consequences, like a national embarrassment of a loss, when too many details get left undone.
(By the way, Wisconsin ran the same play on third-and-short later in the game, but Copeland and Demetrious Cox were all over it for no gain, resulting in a stoppage and Wisconsin’s field goal attempt). [By the way, in the Spartan Plus Pre-Snap Read, we told you Wisconsin would repeat plays that worked, and they would do it similar situations. That was true about their short-yardage fullback dives, and this play-action out route to the tight end.]
3. On the third-and-12 conversion which keyed Wisconsin’s second TD drive, Hornbook found Peavy for 23 yards.
What happened: MSU was in man-to-man again, and Copeland tried to cover Peavy as the Badger WR ran the width of the field on a drag route. Blame this one on the pass rush. MSU came with a five-man rush and didn’t come close to getting home, or affecting the QB.
The QB found a semi-open receiver and once again delivered a perfect pass.
As for the field goal drive:
4. Hornbook hit WR George Rushing for 15 yards in front of Darian Hicks.
Hicks was sinking back into cover-three (three-deep) zone. Don’t believe Matt Millen. The BTN color analyst incorrectly labeled this as off man-to-man. It wasn’t. Hicks is/was supposed to bail deep on that zone coverage, as a safety net behind a blitz.
But once again, the blitz didn’t get home, and Hornibook was well-schooled on where to find a weak spot against a blitz.
MSU had abandoned its tendency-breaking usage of man-to-man coverage in order to go back to its mainstay blitz/cover-three on this play - and the Badgers were equal to that task as well.
“On those third downs it was a different coverage in each situation,” Dantonio said. “But on a scenario where when you bring people (on a blitz), you’ve got to affect the quarterback. Quarterback connected. He was on. Thought he played very well in the game.
“But it's sort of on everybody. Depends on leverage. First one we lost leverage on a corner route (vs. Watts-Jackson). Ball is dropped in right on the money.
“Another time we could have clouded it and had a corner sitting out there. Decision was made on the field not to. This is coach speak.”
(Cloud it, meaning they could have had a cornerback cover the flat tighter as part of cover-two zone. That might have been the cover-three/blitz call. Sometimes the players have the freedom to check to automatic blitzes, based sometimes on a motion by a WR. Sounds like that might have been the case on this one. But don’t blame the cornerback with playing too soft in man-to-man. It wasn’t man-to-man. It was MSU’s favored coverage behind a blitz.)
5. On third-and-eight, Hornbook made the crazy-good pass to Peavy for 31 yards on a deep corner to the wide side of the field vs. good coverage from Cox.
Michigan State hadn’t seen an opposing QB come to Spartan Stadium and make throws like this since J.T. Barrett and the eventual National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes in 2014.
“All of them could have been prevented, but you got to give it to them, too,” Dantonio said. “Dropped a couple right on the dime.”
16 points were generated off of these third down plays. MSU has won a lot of games in recent years while allowing a handful of third-down completions. That aggravating part was how perfect some of the passes were, and MSU’s need on each occasion to get a stop and halt Wisconsin’s momentum.
For the record, Wisconsin’s first third-and-long conversion took place on their first possession of the day, but it didn’t lead to a scoring drive.
On this play, Hornibook threw to his tight end for a gain of 20, leading him perfectly, into a tight window. MSU rushed four on the play, and McDowell came free up the middle for a big hit, off a stunt game - but Hornibrook took the hit to make a perfect throw.
Michigan State was in man-to-man. The tight end made the catch in Cox’s area. Dantonio said on Sunday there were times when underneath coverage needed to be better. This was probably one of those times.
But MSU survived the drive when Raequan Williams strip-sacked Hornibrook three plays later. On this play, MSU showed an outside linebacker blitz out of an aggressive 6-1 alignment. But MSU broke tendency and peeled those OLBs back into a surprising man-to-man coverage. Hornbook froze and was strip-sacked.
Question No. 2: Is there a leadership shortage on this team?
Answer: Stay tuned. Bullough is out with an injury. O’Connor is working through some tasks of his own. MSU graduated a lot of strong personalities last year. Coaches and players agree that now is the time for leaders to emerge. Let’s wait and see what the focus and level of accountability is in the coming game or games.
Prediction:
1. O’Connor will come back just fine against Indiana.
I’m not guaranteeing he’ll be without error when the Spartans meet up with quality defenses in the future. But I think he’ll churn out a good game at Indiana, having more time to throw, continuing to be aware of Donnie Corley as his go-to man, and capitalizing on bootleg and waggle plays when MSU moves the pocket.
Edit
Jim Comparoni | Editor
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned early this week about Michigan State, two questions, one prediction:
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. Junior ‘star’ linebacker Jon Reschke is out for at least several weeks with a foot injury, and Riley Bullough is questionable.
Reschke’s injury wasn’t surprising news. Information about his foot injury leaked Sunday, and we talked about it on The Bunker Sunday evening.
The news is that head coach Mark Dantonio acknowledged the injury. Usually the head coach doesn’t talk about injuries unless it’s a season-ending injury.
Dantonio said he is “optimistic we'll get him back by the end of the year.”
But…
“He is out right now, and probably out for a significant time period here as he works through a severe an ankle sprain.”
What it means:
* Reschke was Michigan State’s best defensive player in the victory over Notre Dame. I said he was one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten, and was in the process of becoming one of the most respected players in the league.
Now, that rise has been halted, at least for a little while.
Reschke sustained the injury midway through Saturday’s game. He tried to come back and play a snap after the fumbled punt snap, but pulled up lame again.
When he comes back, will he have the quickness and speed he showed at Notre Dame? That’ll be hard to achieve right away.
Secondly, this is additionally concerning because Reschke battled injuries in each of his first two years at Michigan State. Coaches had trouble getting him on the practice field, and staying there, prior to his rise into the starting lineup at this time last year after Ed Davis went down with an injury.
He hasn’t had this particular injury in the past, but - for Michigan State’s sake - you have to hope the Reschke injuries subside after this one.
* With Reschke out, sophomore Andrew Dowell is back in the starting lineup. Dowell started the season opener against Furman as Reschke missed the game with a wrist injury.
Coaches liked the speed and effort Dowell showed against Furman, but he showed some inexperience in the face of Furman’s surprise formations and plays.
“Coach D said the toughest thing for a young player in your first start is adjusting to things on the fly,” Dowell said after practice on Tuesday. “So we get our gameplan, we know what we think they are going to do, and then how can you react off of that when they don’t show you exactly what you prepared for? So that’s been a growing process for me.”
Dowell will make his second start on Saturday at Indiana.
“I know me, personally, I have to be in the book more this week, being in a starting role. It’s definitely a test for me and for our entire defense because they (Indiana) have a very good scheme. I just have to continue to stay in film and watch a lot of it this week, to get better and get ready for the offense.”
* Also, senior Ed Davis continues to make progress toward what Dantonio hopes will be a regular role in the defense, soon.
Davis played a handful of snaps against Wisconsin. He didn’t look nearly as fast as he did in 2014 when he was second-team All-Big Ten, but Dantonio says Davis is making progress.
“He practiced much better last week. He had full day of practice a couple days of the week, so that was very positive.
“It's sort of day-by-day, game-by-game with Ed,” Dantonio said. “I want him to feel confident. Part of this is him having confidence and going back and playing at game speed.
“He had a knee injury, and it takes a little bit of time to get back in there and get acclimated. I think he's close to turning the corner.”
* Dantonio said senior Mike linebacker Riley Bullough might play against Indiana. Bullough sat out Saturday’s game against Wisconsin with an undisclosed injury.
“Riley probably is a little bit more day-to-day, and we'll see how that goes as we move through the week,” Dantonio said. “We'll make an announcement prior to the game as to whether or not he can or cannot go.”
Junior Shane Jones played Mike linebacker in place of Bullough, and performed well. Jones, who started last year against Central Michigan in place of Bullough, showed improved speed, and tackled well.
“We've been deep at linebacker,” Dantonio said. “We've got guys who have played and know what to do there. They can pick up the slack. It's an opportunity for people to grow.”
The Spartans were lacking in the leadership and communication department on Saturday, and are working to improve that area for the Indiana game.
“Everybody has to collectively step up with communication and echo it out,” Dowell said, “from d-line, linebackers, safeties, DBs, with him being our vocal leader and him being out, to replace him.”
2. Sunday’s weekly team meeting entailed very little, if anything, about football.
The Spartans gathered, as is customary, at the Skandalaris Center in the late morning. The meeting took place just hours after Dantonio and the Spartans learned of the tragic passing of former Spartan Mylan Hicks.
“Sunday, coming in after what had happened on Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin and then that news, and we had our first team meeting, and we came in and Coach D didn’t have one thing to say about football,” said quarterback Tyler O’Connor. “That’s just shows how much family and love and care has meant around this program.”
“It was a tough day Sunday,” Dantonio said. “Really didn't want to go in there and talk about a football game for sure. Left that up in the air for people whether they did or didn't want to be there. Also had a chapel specifically for him, a chapel with our team to specifically honor him and let our players just sort of be with that memory of that evening.
“There is no question it's been a challenge. Also, I think there is no question that we get on with it, because that's who he was. That's who Mike Sadler was. When you know those people and how committed they were to a football program, you don't want to do anything to steer away from what you're trying to accomplish.”
Dantonio said the Spartans will wear black shoes and black socks at Indiana on Saturday night in honor of Hicks.
“Of all the Spartan gear, he liked to wear black,” Dantonio said. “He liked the black Spartan gear. That's why I wore black today, in memory of him.
“But also we'll honor him with the No. 6 on the back of the helmet this weekend. We will probably travel down there with 41 players I counted that played on the team with him. He'll be in a lot of people's minds as we move forward.
“Mylan is the type of guy that loved football. He loved competing. He went at it 100 miles an hour, and he would be very disappointed in us if we did not do that on a game-by-game basis, throughout practice, and everything we try to accomplish here and go after. So he'll be with us.
“We'll do some special things in upcoming weeks.
“Just a tragic event. Again, it just speaks to how life can change on people very, very quickly. We experienced that with Mike Sadler and now again with Mylan Hicks. It's a tragic event. Just take into account what you have now and cherish it.
“He was a great competitor and teammate, and our guys are missing him. A lot of people are missing him.”
3. The problems on offense against Wisconsin weren’t all Tyler O’Connor’s fault.
O’Connor was the guy with the football, the guy having trouble distributing it on occasion. And he was the guy fans and media were watching, and criticizing after the 30-6 lead.
But Dantonio pointed out on Sunday and Tuesday that there were many culpable entities that had a hand in Michigan State’s problems on offense against the Badgers.
Tyler O'Connor was sacked four times on Saturday, and pressured on several other occasions.
The problems began with Wisconsin’s consistent success in putting pressure on O’Connor.
“It’s not just the offensive line, it’s the protection,” Dantonio said. “Our running backs, for some reason, were cut-blocking people.”
That’s apparently not what they’re taught to do. And Badger defensive players defeat blocks as well as any team MSU will face all year.
“Give credit to Wisconsin,” Dantonio said. “They got good players now. They threw some pressures at us, we didn't block them effectively, and they got home on others and beat us physically. That's football.
“There was pressure in his face. Usually you get pressure in people's face it affects quarterbacks. Makes them throw out their bad foot. Got to do a better job protecting our quarterback, whether it's by structure, recognition of what's coming, or actual execution, combination of things.”
Receivers? They took some blame too.
“Same thing happens if people get tied up down the field,” Dantonio said. “Nobody to throw to, you end up choking the ball, bad things happen.”
O’Connor’s mistakes were more apparent to the casual fan.
“There are some decisions he has to make that have to be better,” Dantonio said.
“Those are the three things all go along with the passing game. I think any of those things can affect you. I think as a quarterback, every experience you have is a learning experience, a growing experience. So even this guy who is in his fifth year, Tyler, he started one game; now he's started three. He’s growing.”
O’Connor doesn’t seem to have lost any confidence.
“Tyler is fine,” Dantonio said. “He's a confident player. I texted him Saturday night, and he had already watched the game twice.”
O’Connor said he downloaded the team’s copy of the film off the cloud, to his laptop. He was getting ready to watch it a third time when friends convinced him to get something to eat with them.
“He's a responsible, responsible guy,” Dantonio said. “He'll take ownership in what he did. He's not a finger-pointer. He's mature in terms of how he handles things.
“This hasn't been the first time in his football career that something has gone wrong. A lot of things can go wrong at that position.
“I’m sure he's prepared to handle these things, and he has an opportunity to bounce back and make it happen.”
TWO QUESTIONS:
Question No. 1. What’s the problem with the pass defense?
This is a common question among fans.
The answer: Nothing.
Chill.
Wisconsin had three scoring drives. There were five third-down plays that helped fuel those 16 points.
The Badgers did damage on a pair of third-and-10s on the first TD drive.
The Badgers converted a third-and-12 on the second TD drive.
The Badgers converted a third-and-11 and a third-and-eight on their field goal drive.
That’s all. Five plays. Five conversions, good for 16 points.
There was reason for review and corrections - although not reason for the coronaries Spartan fans were having over five plays. The negative reaction those five plays, I suspect, was due to the overall frustration of the afternoon. Wisconsin didn’t do as much damage on third down, for instance, as Western Michigan did against MSU last year in a double-digit Spartan victory.
Anyone remember that Central Michigan was 7-of-14 on third down against MSU last year. For math majors, that’s a better percentage than the Badgers had on Saturday.
Plant a flag.
Indiana was 5-of-11 on third downs against Michigan State last year. That’s a better percentage than Wisconsin’s.
Wisconsin ended up 7 of 16 on third down. That’s a good percentage, but not reason to expel anybody.
The five plays:
1. Wisconsin QB Alex Hornibook completed a 25-yard pass to WR Jazz Peavy.
What happened: MSU broke tendency and played man-to-man. The Spartans had Jalen Watts-Jackson in the slot area, playing first-string nickel back for the first time in his career.
Peavy shook Watts-Jackson with a nod to the post and a break to the corner. Very good route, and a perfect pass.
2. Ten plays later (including a third-and-two play action completion to the tight end, which caught Dowell out of position), Hornbook connected with WR Robert Wheelwright for a 9-yard gain.
Wait a minute. This wasn’t a conversion. MSU stopped the WR short of the first down with a fine reaction and tackle by safety Montae Nicholson.
(But Wisconsin converted fourth-and-one with a fullback dive).
As for the 9-yard gain on third-and-10, it was charted as a losing play for the Spartans and deserves mention in this study.
On that play, cornerback Vayante Copeland was beaten to the inside by Wheelwright. The inside release allowed Wheelwright to body-up Copeland for a late post break to the middle.
Good release move. Copeland, who had an excellent game against the run, was out-techniqued at the line of scrimmage. That doesn’t happen to him often. But it happened this time, on third down in the red zone. Not a championship play for Michigan State. But it’s probably not something that’s going to become a recurring problem. No need to fire any coordinators over this one.
(As for Dowell being out of position on the third-and-two play, well Wisconsin did a great job with a late shift of tight end personnel prior to the snap. That shift caused a hesitation in Dowell on the play side while Dowell checked to stop the run first. Then he was too late in getting outside to his receiver assignment.
(A play like that is why Dowell says this week he is “in the book.” Sometimes it takes a loss for players to realize there are consequences, like a national embarrassment of a loss, when too many details get left undone.
(By the way, Wisconsin ran the same play on third-and-short later in the game, but Copeland and Demetrious Cox were all over it for no gain, resulting in a stoppage and Wisconsin’s field goal attempt). [By the way, in the Spartan Plus Pre-Snap Read, we told you Wisconsin would repeat plays that worked, and they would do it similar situations. That was true about their short-yardage fullback dives, and this play-action out route to the tight end.]
3. On the third-and-12 conversion which keyed Wisconsin’s second TD drive, Hornbook found Peavy for 23 yards.
What happened: MSU was in man-to-man again, and Copeland tried to cover Peavy as the Badger WR ran the width of the field on a drag route. Blame this one on the pass rush. MSU came with a five-man rush and didn’t come close to getting home, or affecting the QB.
The QB found a semi-open receiver and once again delivered a perfect pass.
As for the field goal drive:
4. Hornbook hit WR George Rushing for 15 yards in front of Darian Hicks.
Hicks was sinking back into cover-three (three-deep) zone. Don’t believe Matt Millen. The BTN color analyst incorrectly labeled this as off man-to-man. It wasn’t. Hicks is/was supposed to bail deep on that zone coverage, as a safety net behind a blitz.
But once again, the blitz didn’t get home, and Hornibook was well-schooled on where to find a weak spot against a blitz.
MSU had abandoned its tendency-breaking usage of man-to-man coverage in order to go back to its mainstay blitz/cover-three on this play - and the Badgers were equal to that task as well.
“On those third downs it was a different coverage in each situation,” Dantonio said. “But on a scenario where when you bring people (on a blitz), you’ve got to affect the quarterback. Quarterback connected. He was on. Thought he played very well in the game.
“But it's sort of on everybody. Depends on leverage. First one we lost leverage on a corner route (vs. Watts-Jackson). Ball is dropped in right on the money.
“Another time we could have clouded it and had a corner sitting out there. Decision was made on the field not to. This is coach speak.”
(Cloud it, meaning they could have had a cornerback cover the flat tighter as part of cover-two zone. That might have been the cover-three/blitz call. Sometimes the players have the freedom to check to automatic blitzes, based sometimes on a motion by a WR. Sounds like that might have been the case on this one. But don’t blame the cornerback with playing too soft in man-to-man. It wasn’t man-to-man. It was MSU’s favored coverage behind a blitz.)
5. On third-and-eight, Hornbook made the crazy-good pass to Peavy for 31 yards on a deep corner to the wide side of the field vs. good coverage from Cox.
Michigan State hadn’t seen an opposing QB come to Spartan Stadium and make throws like this since J.T. Barrett and the eventual National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes in 2014.
“All of them could have been prevented, but you got to give it to them, too,” Dantonio said. “Dropped a couple right on the dime.”
16 points were generated off of these third down plays. MSU has won a lot of games in recent years while allowing a handful of third-down completions. That aggravating part was how perfect some of the passes were, and MSU’s need on each occasion to get a stop and halt Wisconsin’s momentum.
For the record, Wisconsin’s first third-and-long conversion took place on their first possession of the day, but it didn’t lead to a scoring drive.
On this play, Hornibook threw to his tight end for a gain of 20, leading him perfectly, into a tight window. MSU rushed four on the play, and McDowell came free up the middle for a big hit, off a stunt game - but Hornibrook took the hit to make a perfect throw.
Michigan State was in man-to-man. The tight end made the catch in Cox’s area. Dantonio said on Sunday there were times when underneath coverage needed to be better. This was probably one of those times.
But MSU survived the drive when Raequan Williams strip-sacked Hornibrook three plays later. On this play, MSU showed an outside linebacker blitz out of an aggressive 6-1 alignment. But MSU broke tendency and peeled those OLBs back into a surprising man-to-man coverage. Hornbook froze and was strip-sacked.
Question No. 2: Is there a leadership shortage on this team?
Answer: Stay tuned. Bullough is out with an injury. O’Connor is working through some tasks of his own. MSU graduated a lot of strong personalities last year. Coaches and players agree that now is the time for leaders to emerge. Let’s wait and see what the focus and level of accountability is in the coming game or games.
Prediction:
1. O’Connor will come back just fine against Indiana.
I’m not guaranteeing he’ll be without error when the Spartans meet up with quality defenses in the future. But I think he’ll churn out a good game at Indiana, having more time to throw, continuing to be aware of Donnie Corley as his go-to man, and capitalizing on bootleg and waggle plays when MSU moves the pocket.
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Chris Frey, good story by Rico Cooney
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Good story by our guy Ricardo Cooney
Quick little profile & developmental update on a guy i like to refer to as Psycho Killer:
Glue Guy: Frey keeping it cranked
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - While Michigan State entered the 2016 season with question marks concerning the effectiveness of a defensive line whose depth was gutted by graduations and departures, the one area where MSU was expected to excel was at linebacker.
With a lineup that features a strong rotation of five to six players at the position, especially when you factor in the return of senior Ed Davis, who will enter Saturday night’s game at Notre Dame No. 2 on the Spartan depth chart at Sam linebacker after being granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA earlier this week, MSU’s defense is expected to go as far as its linebacking corps will take it this season.
“Linebacker-wise we have a lot of guys with a lot of talent,’’ said junior Chris Frey, who is listed as the starting Sam linebacker for the second consecutive game. “So everybody’s going to play. Everybody’s going to have the opportunity to come in and play well, and make plays.’’
Frey led Michigan State in tackles (nine) in the season opener two weeks ago against Furman, in the first starting assignment of his career. He started in place of Jon Reschke, who was out with an undisclosed injury. Reschke is listed as the No. 2 ‘star’ linebacker for this week’s game against Notre Dame, although Sam linebacker is his usual position.
Reschke started at Sam linebacker last year, filling in for Davis, who started at the position in 2014 before being lost for the season with a torn ACL.
With Frey, Michigan State now has three players who have played winning football at Sam linebacker. It remains to be seen which player emerges as the long-term starter at the position. SPARTAN Magazine is still projecting Reschke to be the guy.
But for now, Frey is a capable starter at the worst, and a plus reserve at the best.
And while the Spartans have featured a number of great trios at linebacker during head coach Mark Dantonio’s tenure, the trio of Frey, Riley Bullough at the Mike linebacker and sophomore Andrew Dowell at the ‘star,’ could be the Spartans fastest threesome in that second tier unit’s history under Dantonio. That group will get faster if and when Reschke or Davis fill in at the Sam. But Frey runs well, too. He dropped about 10 pounds heading into the season and played faster last week than he did last year as a back-up linebacker.
Frey (23) led Michigan State with nine tackles against Furman.
With no linebacker weighing more than 230 pounds, it’s the lightest linebacking trio of the Dantonio era - which might help them to become the most mobile LB unit Dantonio has had.
“Everybody knows we’re always looking to play fast but with that comes the knowledge of what needs to be done in the different situations,’’ Frey said. “So part of my job is to know that and help communicate that to the rest of the team.’’
While Frey has always been a high-energy option at linebacker, he has developed into a dependable one too. A transition Bullough says Frey has made this season.
“With our defense, we’ve got to be gap sound and sometimes, I think, in his earlier days, he’d play a a little bit crazy and not always be in his right gap,’’ Bullough said. “Which is typical for a younger guy. But now he’s definitely changed that and become an all-around player and a great guy for our defense.’’
Frey will continue to get the chance to continue to prove himself against an Irish offense that has settled on junior quarterback DeShone Kizer as its every-down starter after he split snaps with senior Malik Zaire in the team’s first two games against Texas and Nevada.
Kizer, a polished dual threat option under center, enters Saturday with 30 completions on 42 attempts for 371 yards and seven touchdowns against just one interception. Additionally, he has bolstered the Irish’s offense with 112 rushing yards and two TD runs, making himself the team’s third-leading runner.
Which means Frey and the rest of MSU’s linebackers are facing a huge test on Saturday.
Since his arrival as an early enrollee, along with tight end Matt Sokol, back in 2014, Frey has battled to prove he was more then just a special teams demon and a special situations linebacker.
He tried to add weight in August of 2015 after Davis went down, in order to compete with Reschke for the opening at Sam linebacker. Frey held the No. 1 spot at that position for a couple of weeks in training camp, but Reschke eventually won the job, and Frey spent the rest of the year playing a bit heavier than was optimal.
This year, he cut weight in order to become more serviceable and versatile. He still has the ability to play Sam linebacker, but is also available at ‘star’ linebacker, and as a special situational linebacker - something that MSU might begin unveiling more as the season progresses, especially against uptempo teams.
With Reschke out and Davis still yet to be awarded a sixth year of eligibility, Frey was rewarded in MSU’s opener with his first career start.
“It was my first start and a I played a lot of plays, so I was really excited about that but I’m looking past that and looking forward to a huge game against a very good team,’’ Frey said. “The coaches are always going to put us in the best positions to make plays and I think I’ve proved to them that I can make plays and that I can be in the right place at the right time to be on the field more.’’
Now, with his name sitting atop the depth chart for his first start against a Top 25 opponent on the road, Frey hopes to further prove to his coaches and his teammates that he too is an every-down performer.
Even more than that, he wants help further develop the strong reputation MSU has established on defense over the past six seasons.
“Us linebackers, we have a real chemistry right now. We feed off of each other and we all bring energy to the field. But it’s not just us linebackers,’’ said Frey, who entered this season with 23 tackles, including five for loss, and a fumble recovery. “Chemistry is one of the main keys when it comes to being out on the field and I think as a unit we bring that to the rest if the team.’’
It’s a chemistry that Bullough credits Frey with help building even though it early in the season.
“Chris has done a great job,’’ Bullough said. “The biggest thing is that he’s been fundamentally sound. He’s always in his gap now and he’s making the rights reads and doing the right things when he needs to so them. And that’s important for the linebackers and our defense as a whole.’’
Chris Frey celebrates a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter of last years' victory over Indiana.
Quick little profile & developmental update on a guy i like to refer to as Psycho Killer:
Glue Guy: Frey keeping it cranked
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - While Michigan State entered the 2016 season with question marks concerning the effectiveness of a defensive line whose depth was gutted by graduations and departures, the one area where MSU was expected to excel was at linebacker.
With a lineup that features a strong rotation of five to six players at the position, especially when you factor in the return of senior Ed Davis, who will enter Saturday night’s game at Notre Dame No. 2 on the Spartan depth chart at Sam linebacker after being granted a sixth season of eligibility by the NCAA earlier this week, MSU’s defense is expected to go as far as its linebacking corps will take it this season.
“Linebacker-wise we have a lot of guys with a lot of talent,’’ said junior Chris Frey, who is listed as the starting Sam linebacker for the second consecutive game. “So everybody’s going to play. Everybody’s going to have the opportunity to come in and play well, and make plays.’’
Frey led Michigan State in tackles (nine) in the season opener two weeks ago against Furman, in the first starting assignment of his career. He started in place of Jon Reschke, who was out with an undisclosed injury. Reschke is listed as the No. 2 ‘star’ linebacker for this week’s game against Notre Dame, although Sam linebacker is his usual position.
Reschke started at Sam linebacker last year, filling in for Davis, who started at the position in 2014 before being lost for the season with a torn ACL.
With Frey, Michigan State now has three players who have played winning football at Sam linebacker. It remains to be seen which player emerges as the long-term starter at the position. SPARTAN Magazine is still projecting Reschke to be the guy.
But for now, Frey is a capable starter at the worst, and a plus reserve at the best.
And while the Spartans have featured a number of great trios at linebacker during head coach Mark Dantonio’s tenure, the trio of Frey, Riley Bullough at the Mike linebacker and sophomore Andrew Dowell at the ‘star,’ could be the Spartans fastest threesome in that second tier unit’s history under Dantonio. That group will get faster if and when Reschke or Davis fill in at the Sam. But Frey runs well, too. He dropped about 10 pounds heading into the season and played faster last week than he did last year as a back-up linebacker.
Frey (23) led Michigan State with nine tackles against Furman.
With no linebacker weighing more than 230 pounds, it’s the lightest linebacking trio of the Dantonio era - which might help them to become the most mobile LB unit Dantonio has had.
“Everybody knows we’re always looking to play fast but with that comes the knowledge of what needs to be done in the different situations,’’ Frey said. “So part of my job is to know that and help communicate that to the rest of the team.’’
While Frey has always been a high-energy option at linebacker, he has developed into a dependable one too. A transition Bullough says Frey has made this season.
“With our defense, we’ve got to be gap sound and sometimes, I think, in his earlier days, he’d play a a little bit crazy and not always be in his right gap,’’ Bullough said. “Which is typical for a younger guy. But now he’s definitely changed that and become an all-around player and a great guy for our defense.’’
Frey will continue to get the chance to continue to prove himself against an Irish offense that has settled on junior quarterback DeShone Kizer as its every-down starter after he split snaps with senior Malik Zaire in the team’s first two games against Texas and Nevada.
Kizer, a polished dual threat option under center, enters Saturday with 30 completions on 42 attempts for 371 yards and seven touchdowns against just one interception. Additionally, he has bolstered the Irish’s offense with 112 rushing yards and two TD runs, making himself the team’s third-leading runner.
Which means Frey and the rest of MSU’s linebackers are facing a huge test on Saturday.
Since his arrival as an early enrollee, along with tight end Matt Sokol, back in 2014, Frey has battled to prove he was more then just a special teams demon and a special situations linebacker.
He tried to add weight in August of 2015 after Davis went down, in order to compete with Reschke for the opening at Sam linebacker. Frey held the No. 1 spot at that position for a couple of weeks in training camp, but Reschke eventually won the job, and Frey spent the rest of the year playing a bit heavier than was optimal.
This year, he cut weight in order to become more serviceable and versatile. He still has the ability to play Sam linebacker, but is also available at ‘star’ linebacker, and as a special situational linebacker - something that MSU might begin unveiling more as the season progresses, especially against uptempo teams.
With Reschke out and Davis still yet to be awarded a sixth year of eligibility, Frey was rewarded in MSU’s opener with his first career start.
“It was my first start and a I played a lot of plays, so I was really excited about that but I’m looking past that and looking forward to a huge game against a very good team,’’ Frey said. “The coaches are always going to put us in the best positions to make plays and I think I’ve proved to them that I can make plays and that I can be in the right place at the right time to be on the field more.’’
Now, with his name sitting atop the depth chart for his first start against a Top 25 opponent on the road, Frey hopes to further prove to his coaches and his teammates that he too is an every-down performer.
Even more than that, he wants help further develop the strong reputation MSU has established on defense over the past six seasons.
“Us linebackers, we have a real chemistry right now. We feed off of each other and we all bring energy to the field. But it’s not just us linebackers,’’ said Frey, who entered this season with 23 tackles, including five for loss, and a fumble recovery. “Chemistry is one of the main keys when it comes to being out on the field and I think as a unit we bring that to the rest if the team.’’
It’s a chemistry that Bullough credits Frey with help building even though it early in the season.
“Chris has done a great job,’’ Bullough said. “The biggest thing is that he’s been fundamentally sound. He’s always in his gap now and he’s making the rights reads and doing the right things when he needs to so them. And that’s important for the linebackers and our defense as a whole.’’
Chris Frey celebrates a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter of last years' victory over Indiana.