I took a very different slant on this week's Pre-Snap Read. It's 80 to 85 percent about Michigan State and its returning players for next year, how they looked last week, and what we need to see out of them this week, and going forward:
The Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland
By Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - Some of the biggest questions surrounding Michigan State football this week are: Why to watch? Why to care?
If you’re clicked onto this site and this story, then your heart and mind are already 80 percent there. You’re a good Spartan.
As for the rest:
1. It starts with getting to 6-6 and gaining bowl eligibility.
It’s been a terribly disappointing season, but we’ve seen worse. That shouldn’t make anyone feel better, but we’ve seen lower days. And this season can get lower if the Spartans don’t finish with a win.
Michigan State needs to get this victory, and perhaps look forward to a date with a name opponent such as Florida State, possibly in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26.
That’s not Pasadena, but it’s enough to merit continued attention from most of its fans.
2. For me, it’s all about the future. Michigan State could have, should have, been an 8-4 team this year. That’s not great, but 8-4 will usually get you into the Top 25, with a chance to win a bowl game and break the Top 20. Even with blowout losses to your best four opponents, that’s not a bad place to end up in a “down” year.
The bottom line is: Even with all the injuries on the offensive line and wide receiver, there was enough on the roster to go 8-4. That’s not enough to make anyone ecstatic, but there’s reason to aspire to 8-4 or better next year, even with a tougher schedule and the need to replace a lot of talent on defense.
To that end, I’ll have a close eye on returning players, Saturday, when the Spartans play host to Maryland.
The game is pitched as Senior Day. Fans will applaud the seniors who will play their final game at Spartan Stadium. But I’ll be watching these players and these storylines, looking for signs of player development or lack thereof. All players returning for 2020 are in bold in the rest of this article:
3. The left side of the offensive line has become a curiosity. Michigan State started three true freshmen last week at left tackle, left guard and center last week with DeVontae Dobbs, J.D. Duplain and Nick Samac.
Samac and Duplain have been solid to functional. They look good for the future. Samac is a strong, cerebral, square-bodied guy who matches strength well for a teen-ager, but he needs to improve his mobility.
Dobbs struggled in pass protection last week, was replaced by sophomore Mustafa Khaleefah, who also struggled. They were replaced by junior A.J. Arcuri in the second half.
Coaches and trainers wanted to limit Arcuri to half the game because they weren’t sure he could go all four quarters on a nicked-up ankle.
When Arcuri entered the game, MSU’s pass protection problems on the left side against Rutgers were fixed.
Then Arcuri sat out the final two possessions, and Dobbs had further problems.
This week, I would expect Arcuri to play again, and continue to climb. Arcuri moves well, has a good frame, plays with strength. He just needs to gain a level of good health, now that he has gained a half-season of playing experience. I think he is setting up for a good senior year, although he’s still not a proven plus-player. We’re still watching and learning with him. Michigan State needs a good game from him on Saturday, a healthy December and a good bowl performance from the left tackle.
As for Dobbs, Dantonio indicated on Tuesday that he is likely to start again. However, Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal reported that Dobbs sustained an injury in practice this week and isn't likely to play.
Based on Dantonio's Tuesday comments, Arcuri likely would have been on a pitch count. Now, if Dobbs is out, Arcuri might have to go as long as he can. From there, who is the next left tackle? Chewins hasn't played all year and is out. Kevin Jarvis has been out since the Arizona State game and is expected to be back at some point but there was no indication that it could be this week. Tyler Higby, who was the emergency starter earlier this season, has been out for four weeks and isn't expected to be active this week.
Khaleefa, who struggled in pass protection last week but was solid in run blocking in 24 snaps, will need to be ready to take on a bigger role this week.
4. Michigan State beat Rutgers 27-0 last week, but red zone offense remains a problem.
Michigan State crossed the Rutgers 35-yard line on nine of MSU’s first 10 possession. But Michigan State scored TDs on only three of those nine opportunities.
Maryland isn’t any good, but if you fail to finish scoring opportunities against the Terps, they have the ability to make you pay, like Illinois - although Maryland isn’t likely to have the level of commitment and enthusiasm that Illinois had, nor the quarterback play.
I realize the 35-yard line isn’t considered the red zone, but the point remains the same. Michigan State conked out in scoring territory.
Michigan State was stopped on downs at Rutgers’ 16- and 33-yard lines on fourth-and-short failures in the first half.
Michigan State attempted three field goals (making two) and had an interception in the end zone, which wasn’t Brian Lewerke’s fault. But still, this team’s inability to finish in the red zone has been a problem for more than two years and it would be nice for Spartan fans to see the offense finish against lesser competition.
On MSU’s final touchdown, Lewerke threw behind Cody White, but the junior WR made a terrific catch.
Lewerke and White are MSU’s main battery in the red zone. Combined, they were one-for-three in clutch scoring situations last week:
+ Lewerke was on target for a nice 21-yard TD pass in the first half.
+/- Lewerke was on target again on a slot fade in the second quarter, but White failed to secure a catch in traffic (the ball was knocked out of his hands for an interception).
+/- And then on the third one, Lewerke was off-target but White bailed him out.
That kind of inconsistency is a emblematic of Michigan State being in line to go 6-6 rather than 8-4.
5. As for the fourth-down stoppages last week, future players had a hand in the shortcomings.
* On the first stoppage, fourth-and-1 at the Maryland 16-yard line on the opening drive:
Michigan State tried to play hurry-up ball for that snap. Michigan State hurried to the line and ran a zone read hand-off.
Rutgers got set in time and brought a run blitz from an eight-man front against six blockers. Michigan State was beaten on the chalkboard prior to the snap.
Meanwhile, Samac and Duplain allowed penetration (getting two-gapped at the line, with run blitzers behind them).
An RPO was sewn into that play. Julian Barnett was available for a short screen to the left. Does Lewerke have the freedom to pull the ball and throw that pass? Probably. Does he have enough confidence and experience in the RPO game to throw the ball on a fourth-and-short? Maybe not.
Would an RPO pass to Barnett have worked better than the run decision? I don’t know for sure and didn’t get a chance to ask offensive coaches this week.
Decision-making for the QB position isn’t solely about making coverage reads and throw decisions. It’s also about reading the defensive front and deciding whether to keep, give or throw. Lewerke has had plenty of struggles in terms of passing accuracy this year. His struggles have also included more than a few poor decisions in the zone read/RPO game. It’s a difficult part of the job. Michigan State needs to improve in that area in the future.
Theo Day and Rocky Lombardi are decent runners. They don’t have the acceleration of Lewerke but they are pretty good athletes with some ruggedness. If Michigan State is going to continue with the zone read and RPO as part of the offense next year, which is expected to be the case, Day or Lombardi (or Payton Thorne) will need to be better with their zone read decisions.
The best case scenario for Michigan State on Saturday is to get a big lead and play two back-up quarterbacks, and let them run some zone reads and RPOs. Michigan State shouldn’t worry about hurting coach Mike Locksley’s feelings by running up the score after seeing what his Terps did to Howard and Syracuse early in the season. Michigan State has some players who need real-time work. Day and Thorne are among them.
* On the second stoppage, fourth-and-one at the Rutgers 33:
- Elijah Collins ran an inside zone left which looked like it was designed for a cutback to right tackle. Collins didn’t have any room behind the right tackle and had to bounce it outside further to the right. He was brought down by an ankle tackle inches short of the line of gain.
It looked like Collins might have had a better chance to get the first down if he had planted a foot and tried to get north rather than angling to the outside. So some of the negative on that play is chalked up to Collins. The rest of it:
- Jordan Reid allowed a half-yard of movement to Rutgers’ best defensive end. Reid has been MSU’s best offensive lineman over the last month of the season. He’s been a plus as a run blocker and pass blocker, but he didn’t get movement on this play.
= Tight end Matt Seybert got enough of his man as the inside guy on a tight bunch formation.
= Trenton Gillison got enough of his man as the point man in the tight bunch formation, but probably got away with holding. His blocking isn’t as bad as it used to be, but he still has a lot of work to do.
- CJ Hayes blocked down from his outside position as the outer-most player in the tight bunch. He didn’t get enough of the play-side LB, which caused Collins to bounce outside at a wider angle than he wanted.
+ Matt Carrick got enough of his man at right guard, but Collins couldn’t wait patiently inside as the ball carrier because Reid lost.
Samac began with a double-team with Carrick, and they would have carved out more than enough room inside, but Samac had to leave the double-team in order to pick up a run-blitzing linebacker. That’s what happens when you have eight blocking vs 10 defenders. The 10th defender, the first unblocked guy, ended up making the tackle on Collins as he tried to make a cut on the perimeter.
* So who lost on that play? Reid, although that hasn’t been his m.o. lately. And Hayes didn’t get enough of his man, and Hayes has only played two games in the past month.
Was this a case of Michigan State being too predictable in short-yardage? Yes, to an extent. Mark Dantonio is still a believer that you should be able to get a single yard, even when predictable, if everyone blocks well and the ball is run correctly. That being said, if a team is playing zero-coverage run blitz, you need to have confidence that your QB can make a read, throw it accurately, and the receiver will catch it. If you’re the play caller for Michigan State, I’m not sure you have that trust in the QB and the receivers.
(As a side note, that fourth-and-one was set up by a 19-yard completion to Julian Barnett on third-and-20. For those of you who think Barnett erred in failing to get beyond first-down yardage, step off. He ran a good route into the cover-two hole, and the cover-two hole is usually at about 15 to 17 yards. He ran to the open space and Lewerke was on target.
(Barnett secured the catch. However, he caught the ball with his body. They will work to improve his hand selection and stress the importance of catching with the hands out away from the body. Bennie Fowler went through the same process).
6. Getting back to the main point, of MSU’s six red zone (or near red zone) failures last week, two were fourth-and-short stoppages. This week, if Michigan State gets into a fourth-and-short, will the Spartans opt for a play action pass?
Scattered showers and 36 degree temperatures could have a hand in play calling, but we will continue to monitor MSU’s blocking.
7. Elijah Collins is a reason to watch on Saturday. He needs 149 yards to become MSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford in 2014.
Collins is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the year.
8. Maryland’s run defense is a little bit puzzling and will offer an interesting match against Michigan State. The Terrapins allowed 305 yards rushing last week to Nebraska, 383 the week before to Ohio State. However, Maryland was pretty solid one game earlier against Michigan. Michigan rushed for 155 yards but outgained the Terps “only” 331-233.
Michigan is one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, and Maryland seems to be losing interest in the sport. But the Terps rose up and battled pretty good at the line of scrimmage that day, although the score got away from them due to a kickoff return for a TD, and failure to finish opportunities. First downs were equal that day, 16-16.
Maryland had some heat with Michigan prior to that game (heat is a pro wrestling term for bad blood), dating back to social media barbs exchanged between Maryland coach Mike Locksley and Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis as to which cook led the kitchen last year when they were at Alabama. So that might explain why Maryland got up for that game, comparatively speaking.
But Maryland seemed to quit midway through last week’s game against Nebraska on Terps’ Senior Day. Now, they have to play a second straight bad-weather game, this time on the road, as part of MSU’s Senior Day. Michigan State will likely have an advantage in the enthusiasm and commitment department. This could manifest itself in a healthy day of run offense for the Spartans and perhaps the 1,000-yard barrier for Collins.
From an athletic standpoint, Maryland’s defensive front is not at a disadvantage against Michigan State. Run blocking is not a strength for Michigan State. Maryland is capable of stymying Michigan State and holding the Spartans under 150 yards rushing as a team. The question is whether Maryland is going to care enough to try to win collisions all day. Meanwhile, Michigan State has young players trying to learn their craft and earn their keep. In short, Michigan State is more likely to play hard for four quarters than Maryland.
9. Adam Berghorst, what’s his future? The true freshman defensive end has gotten into the playing group the past two games as the No. 3 tight end.
Berghorst (6-6, 260, Fr., Zeeland, Mich.) signed with Michigan State as a defensive end. He also plans to begin a baseball career with Michigan State this spring. Playing tight end wasn’t necessarily expected to be the first way he got onto a playing field in the green and white, but that’s been the necessity, with Matt Dotson injured and Noah Davis having left the team to join the transfer portal.
Michigan State might have more need at defensive end than tight end next year, but there is a more pressing need at tight end right now. Berghorst has the frame and athleticism to rep at both positions. He didn’t play much last week, but he looked serviceable as a blocker.
“We’re going to see down the road what he is, but we moved him to tight end probably about four weeks ago or so,” Dantonio said. “He's responded. He was a tight end in high school. He's got soft hands. He runs pretty good routes for a guy that size.”
He weighed in at 250 prior to the season. Dantonio says he is up to about 262.
“I just tell our coaches, use them or lose them, and so we've used them on the offensive side of the ball and he's given us depth there and he's played himself into a situation where we will play on Saturday,” Dantonio said. “We're not playing guys just for fun. He gives you a big guy that can be on the line of scrimmage and control the line of scrimmage to some degree, even as a freshman.
“So I'm not sure where his future is, but I know he has a great future, a big-time future as a football player and probably as a baseball player, too.”
Berghorst isn’t in danger of losing redshirt status. He has played in two games this year. He saw nine snaps of action against Maryland.
10. Last week, Naquan Jones was the most active and energized that I’ve seen him all year. The junior defensive tackle has been mostly quiet this season. But he caught my eye with forceful plays against Rutgers.
I checked the Pro Football Focus grades for the game and sure enough, Jones ranked No. 2 on the team in terms of overall defensive score. He was an 86, easily his highest of the year. Only Josiah Scott was higher, at a 90.9.
Rounding out the top five:
3. Xavier Henderson, 83.0
4. Kenny Willekes, 76.7
5. Jacob Slade, 70.9.
Slade and Jones will be the starting defensive tackles next year. They were good last week. They need to finish the regular season continuing their surge. They played 16 snaps last week.
In only 16 snaps, I had Jones with five plus plays. That’s a high, high rate:
+ Third drive of the game: zone read keeper. Jones with good quickness, slanted across center’s face, stopped, read, disengaged, got in on the tackle. Gain of 3.
+ Showed some life on the play in which Josiah Scott forced a fumble. He looked active, quick ,strong with a shoulder club while slanting to the B gap, stunting with Willekes. He gained penetration into the pocket.
+ Jones ripped inside the LT to penetrate the backfield to help disrupt a zone read on third-and-two. QB ended up keeping it, optioning Jacub Panasiuk but Panasiuk made the tackle for no gain, with 12:00 to go in the game.
+ On third-and-seven, gave effort pressing the pocket, then got off the block when QB scrambled out. Jones hustled to the sideline in pursuit and got in on the tackle with force, after a five-yard gain with 7:40 to play. The play was called back due to Rutgers holding.
+ Jones looked quick on a stunt to the outside on a “you” game. He turned the corner, and got into the backfield but Jacub Panasiuk already had a sack, 3:38 to play.
11. As for Josiah Scott, it seems pretty likely to me that the junior is planning to turn pro after this season. Last year, he played in the bowl game rather than preserving a redshirt year. This year, he has been excellent when healthy.
I asked him after practice on Tuesday if this will be his last game at Spartan Stadium. He gave the answer that players usually give when they’re planning to leave. He said he’s just focusing on the game ahead and isn’t thinking about those decisions at this time. So, he’s probably gone. My next question would be whether he plans to play in the bowl game, if Michigan State earns a bid.
Interestingly, senior Josh Butler played his fewest snaps of the season, last week. He played five snaps. Fellow back-up cornerback Kalon Gervin, a redshirt freshman, also played five snaps.
Last week, Tre Person played 11 snaps, mostly as part of the nickel defense. Interestingly, we didn’t see Michael Dowell in the playing group. However, I noticed one player staying on the field longer after practice, putting himself through extra tackling drills, on his own, and it was … Michael Dowell.
12. As for C.J. Hayes, I mentioned the 6-foot-1 sophomore earlier, regarding a fourth-and-short stoppage. But there’s a reason Hayes was on the field as part of a tight bunch formation on that play: He is MSU’s best blocker, among wide receivers.
PFF listed Hayes as MSU’s most proficient run blocker last week, overall. He rated at 88.7 in run blocking. He played 33 snaps.
MSU’s next best run blockers:
2. Julian Barnett, 77.5
3. Jordan Reid, 69.5
4. Matt Seybert, 67.5
5. Tre Mosley, 61.2
6. Mustafa Khaleefah, 60.9.
The worst: Dobbs at 45.9.
Hayes turned in a 24-yard reception in the third quarter. It was his first catch since the Wisconsin game.
MSU ran a new concept on that play, and took advantage of Hayes’ reputation as a blocker.
On this play, Hayes faked like he was blocking to the inside, and then released vertically. This is called a crack-and-go, as in a crack block
Michigan State had two RBs on the field for that play, with Collins and Anthony Williams in a split backfield. Michigan State had shown that formation earlier in the game on a run play for little or no gain.
The second time, they faked a power and ran the crack-and-go for Hayes.
Meanwhile, Williams released on a deep wheel route.
13. Brandon Wright is one of the most interesting players to watch this week. He has played four games. One more, and his redshirt comes off.
He has played a total of 16 snaps.
He played six snaps lats week and looked good.
Frankly, he is better, more productive than Williams as the No. 2 RB.
Wright (6-2, 223, Euclid, Ohio) is playing up to his size. He has some burst and some leg drive.
Wright rushed five times for 25 yards last week. He had a nice 10-yard gain late in the game, including five yards after contact. On each of his carries, he picked up at least one yard after contact.
He can help this team as the No. 2 RB this week and in the bowl game. But is it worth losing the redshirt year?
Wright, Dobbs, Mosley and special teams guy Tate Hallock have each played four games. If any of them play one more game, they lose the redshirt.
Dantonio said Hallock will redshirt. He didn’t travel to Rutgers.
Mosley has nine catches on the year and is firmly in the playing group as one of MSU’s top five or six receivers.
“My perspective, if you're playing 30 plays, if you're in the mix of playing, then you play on,” Dantonio said. “But you have discussions with your players to see what they want to do. We have had discussions with two of the three guys and that's what they want to do, they want to play on.
“So in the case of Dobbs, he's slated to start. In the case of Tre Mosley, he's played 30 plays a game here the last number of games, so he's an integral part of our offense, as well. So I see them playing on.
“Brandon Wright, now he's either a two or a three, depending on how much he's playing, but again, a guy that we don't hesitate to put him in the game.
“We’re trying to deal with them as individual decisions and let it play out.”
14. Sophomore LB Noah Harvey is playing well, with a high ceiling of potential. He has to shore up his tackling and pass defense, but he is showing plus “shock,” as Dantonio would call it, as a pass rusher.
On two occasions as a pass rusher against Rutgers, Harvey blasted through an attempted pass block from a running back to get to the quarterback - once for a half-sack, and once to disrupt the QB’s arm for a near interception.
I’ve seen Harvey blow up an offensive guard as a pass rusher this year. At 6-3, 229, Harvey plays with a lot of force when coming forward on the pass rush.
Harvey has the rare ability to play all three linebacker positions. He’s tough and forceful enough to play inside backer, and runs well enough to play in the slot. The slot might not be his best position, but it says something about his quickness and athleticism that coaches have deployed Harvey at slot, or “star,” linebacker early in his career whereas Joe Bachie was never entrusted to that type of assignment.
15. So what is Antjuan Simmons going to be next year? He was a slot linebacker prior to Bachie’s ineligibility. He played Mike linebacker for three games, and then moved back out to “star” linebacker for the Rutgers game, to give Michigan State more quickness on the perimeter.
Dantonio says the opponent’s strengths will dictate where Michigan State plays Simmons, and therefore where it plays Harvey and Tyriq Thompson in the latter stages of the season.
As for next year, Chase Kline and Jeslord Boateng have emerged as the top two linebackers off the bench. Last week, Kline played four snaps and Boateng played three.
Boateng is getting reps in the slot. Kline is an inside backer, who also has some ability to play d-end in pass rush situations.
With the versatility of Simmons and Harvey, you could see a trio next year with those two players inside and Boateng in the slot. Or if Kline is deemed to be the third-best LB on the team, then Kline is more likely to be an inside linebacker, which means Harvey or Simmons could bump out to the slot. There will be options. In the meantime, their development will be interesting to watch.
THE BOOK ON MARYLAND
We won’t go deep on the opponent this week. I think there is some fatigue on behalf of the readers in that area.
In short, this is what you need to know about the Terrapins:
* Maryland is 3-8 and at the bottom of a 24-month roller coaster.
* Maryland went 5-7 last year and was 5-3 when they lost to Michigan State at home in 2018. Maryland went through an emotional, tragic 2018, with former player Jordan McNair passing away after a practice. Former coach D.J. Durkin was fired as a result.
* Mike Locksley was hired during the off-season. He has a bad record as a head coach in his previous stops. He was 2-26 in three years at New Mexico. He surfaced as an analyst, and then offensive coordinator at Alabama, and was hired at Maryland.
He previously went 1-5 as an interim coach at Maryland in 2015 after Randy Edsall was fired.
Locksley has been a strong recruiter in the past, including a stop at Illinois as offensive coordinator for Ron Zook’s Rose Bowl team. Maryland is hoping he can repair some of the wounds from the McNair tragedy and help the Terps start to reach their potential in Mid-Atlantic recruiting. But he’s off to a bad start.
Actually, he got off to a great start with Maryland winning its first two games 79-0 (vs. Howard) and 63-20 vs. then. No. 21 Syracuse.
Then came a 20-17 loss to a decent Temple team.
Then they lost 59-0 to Penn State, and they’ve been terrible ever since, other than a 48-7 victory over Rutgers.
Maryland has lost six straight:
Purdue 40, Maryland 14
Indiana 34, Maryland 28
Minnesota 52, Maryland 10
Michigan 38, Maryland 7
Ohio State 73, Maryland 14
Nebraska 54, Maryland 7
* Maryland was hoping to show a pulse against Nebraska, a program that is undergoing similar self-examination. But the Terps didn’t show up last week. They were beaten 531-206 in yardage and 31-9 in first downs.
“We are better than what we show on Saturdays,” Locksley said after the game. “The things that sits in my craw is it’s us hurting us. We had four turnovers. You don’t win games when you beat yourself. Our defense played well enough early in the game, but the other two phases weren’t good enough.”
“When we stop beating ourself that’s when we’ll turn the corner.”
Maryland gave good effort three weeks ago against Michigan. If they give good effort this week, they can stay within 16 points of Michigan State. That’s up to them.
* Maryland has explosive running backs, and an enigmatic quarterback situation. Their defense can slug for a few rounds, but eventually suffers errors in containment or pursuit angles, and the whole thing collapses.
MARYLAND PLAYERS TO KNOW
RB 20 JAVON LEAKE (6-0, 206, Jr., Greensboro, NC)
* Was a 5.7 three-star recruit, ranked No. 15 in North Carolina. He was a summer commitment and didn’t take any other official visits.
* Has rushed for 716 yards, averaging 65.1 per game.
* No. 2 in the nation in yards per carry at 7.8 among power five school players with at least 60 carries.
* Terrific kickoff returner.
* Rushed for 158 yards in a 34-28 loss to Indiana on Oct. 19.
* Had 107 yards on just seven carries in a 63-20 victory over then-No. 21 Syracuse on Sept. 7.
* Last week he rushed for 80 yards on eight carries, including a 58-yard TD.
* Fumbled twice last week.
* Allowed a sack in pass protection, failing to identify a blitzing linebacker .
RB 5 ANTHONY McFARLAND (5-8, 193, Hyatsville, Md/DeMatha Catholic)
* Was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 142 in the nation and No. 2 in Maryland.
He also visited Miami and Penn State.
* Rushed for 1034 yards last year as a freshman (7.9 per carry).
* Has 480 yards this year (4.5 per carry).
* Rushed for 132 yards in a 20-17 loss to Temple in September.
* Last week he rushed 10 times for 35 yards.
* Leake has eight rushing TDs and Anthony McFarland has 7. Maryland and Boston College are the only teams in the power five with two RBs who have seven or more TDs.
* Maryland uses run schemes similar to Michigan State, with some pistol formation, zone read and an inconsistent offensive line. But Leake and McFarland are faster and much more explosive than MSU’s running backs.
QUARTERBACK: Musical Maryland Chairs
Maryland has used four different QBs this year, and things haven’t gone well since September.
We’re most likely to see junior Josh Jackson on Saturday, with back-up Tyrrell Pigrome also in the mix.
“The inability to throw the football continues to piss me off a little bit,” Locksley said. “We just can’t execute, whether it’s protection, quarterback decision making, pitching and catching. We had a drop on a big play down the field, we had late balls, high balls with people open. The passing game is where we need to make our biggest improvement.”
Maryland’s passing yardage in its last four games:
131 vs Minnesota
104 vs Michigan
77 vs Ohio State
57 vs Nebraska (rain game)
QB 17 JOSH JACKSON, 6-2, 18, R-Jr., Saline, Mich/Ann Arbor Huron)
* Was a 5.7 three-star recruit, ranked No. 13 in the state by Rivals.com.
* Last week he was 4 of 12 for 33 yards against Nebraska. He rushed six times for 9 yards.
* His accuracy and completion percentage has been horrific. He is completing 48 percent of his passes on the year, which is a stat out of the 1950s for a starting QB.
* He has thrown 11 TDs and five INTs.
* His father, Fred Jackson, was a long-time assistant coach at Michigan, but Jim Harbaugh did not regain him. Michigan State and Michigan did not recruit Josh Jackson.
* But he has had a lot of quality outings in his career.
* On Sept. 7, against Syracuse, he completed 21 of 38 for 296 yards. When coupling that with an explosive, talented run game, the Terps offense looked excellent and legit.
A week earlier, he threw for four TDs in the first half of his first game at Maryland, in a 79-0 victory over Howard.
Where has that part of the pass game gone? I have no idea.
* He is a grad transfer from Virginia Tech. He missed most of last year with Virginia Tech after going down with a fractured left fibula on Sept. 25 of 2018.
In his first two games last year, he was 12 of 16 for 217 yards against William & Mary. He was 16 of 26 against Florida State.
He started all 13 games for Virginia Tech in 2017 as a redshirt freshman. He threw for 2,991 yards and 20 touchdown and rushed for 324.
He led all power five freshmen in passing yards.
* Jackson operated the offense well in September, and briefly made Maryland one of the hot topics of the early season. But that all fizzled. Can he regain any of that form? We don’t know.
* Jackson went down with an ankle injury during the Oct. 5 victory over Rutgers. He didn’t play against Purdue or Indiana.
He returned to throw only two snaps in a relief effort against Minnesota, four games ago. But his passing ability seems to have been compromised.
QB TYRRELL PIGROME (5-10, 209, Jr., Birmingham, Ala.)
* Was a 5.6 three-star recruit, unranked in Alabama by rivals.com or ESPN.
* He started three games at mid-season after Jackson went down with an injury.
* He has completed 58 percent of his passes with 3 TDs and 6 INTs.
He has gained 244 yards rushing this year (lost 100 for a net of 144).
* Last week he was 3-of-7 for 24 yards against Nebraska. He rushed two times for a net of -5 yards.
Pigrome’s stats as a starter this year:
17 of 27 for 210 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT vs Indiana.
21 of 39 for 218 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs vs Purdue.
6 of 9 for 43 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs vs Minnesota.
* Pigromme started two games at QB last year. For the year, he was 23 of 44 for 376 yards.
* Last year’s starting QB, Kasim Hill, transferred to Tennesssee during the summer.
* Last week, there was some interest in true freshman QB Lance Legendre of New Orleans. But he left with a dislocated shoulder while fumbling and Jackson had to come back into the game.
Josh “has been nicked up but he finished the game for us,” Locksley said.
* No. 3 QB Tyler DeSue is in the picture. He has played four games. He was 4 of 12 for 88 yards against Minnesota. DeSue was a 5.6 three-star recruit in 2018.
ON DEFENSE
* They run a two-gapping 30, which sometimes one-gaps. Similar to Rutgers.
* Last week, they were hurt by two fumbles (one on special teams) deep in their own territory in falling behind 17-0. Adherence to discipline and team concepts deteriorated rapids.
Some negatives in the first half of last week’s game:
- Outside LB loses leverage/contain and a run play gets outside for 11 yards.
- LB lets the TE run free on a delayed release for a 25-yard reception.
- Defense looked misaligned and they were out-flanked for a 12-yard run in the 2Q.
- Linebacker Isaiah Davis (No. 22) misses a tackle and Nebraska runs for 16 yards.
Personnel Of Note:
S 25 ANTONIE BROOKS (5-11, 210, Latham, Md.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit
* Was second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches last year.
* Runs and hits well as a single-safety deep pursuer.
* Leads the Big Ten in solo tackles at 5.9 per game.
LB 4 KEANDRE JONES (6-3, 220, Sr., Olney, Md.)
* Was a five-star recruit, ranked No. 30 in the nation and No. 1 in Maryland.
* He saw action in 34 games in three seasons at Ohio State, but never earned as starting job.
* Leads Maryland in sacks with 7.0, No. 10 in the Big Ten.
* Has 45 tackles and eight TFLs in the last six games.
* had eight tackles and two sacs and forced a fumble against Syracuse.
MARYLAND SPECIAL TEAMS: Careful
D.J. Turner had a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown against Howard in week one.
Javon Leake has two kickoff returns for touchdowns (100 yards vs Rutgers and 97 yards vs Michigan.)
Only two schools in the power five have a kickoff and punt returns for TDs in 2019: UCLA and Maryland.
Maryland leads the Big Ten in punt return average (13.5 per).
* Nebraska went with pooch kickoffs and had success. Leake fumbled one of them last week, resulting in a short-field TD for the Huskers.
“Most teams don’t want to kick the ball to No. 20,” Locksley said.
Teams have kicked to open spaces and covered the ball.
* Maryland’s kicker has attempted only four field goals and has made only one. I’ve never seen a stat like that, this late in a season. That’s like something from the 1940s.
ADD IT ALL UP
This reminds me of December of 2001 when a sub-.500 Missouri visited Michigan State with no hopes of the postseason, and Michigan State needed a win to secure a bowl bid. That game was rescheduled due to 9/11.
Michigan State destroyed Missouri 55-7 on a cold afternoon. That Michigan State team was brimming with talent with sophomore Jeff Smoker, Charles Rogers and TJ Duckett part of the attack under Bobby Williams.
This year’s Spartans don’t have that type of talent at the skill positions, but Michigan State genuinely seems engaged and motivated to get to 6-6 this week. Against a teetering Maryland team with attention problems on defense and severe questions in the pass game, Michigan State should be able to win comfortably if there are no problems on special teams, the Spartans build a run game, Lewerke doesn’t throw any pick-sixes, connects with open receivers on the short throws, and red zone offense shows a pulse.
Best case scenario: Michigan State builds on last week’s game, plays better in the red zone, gets a comfortable lead, and we see some back-up players at QB and on defense. As for the o-line, they’re already playing back-up players.
The Pre-Snap Read: Michigan State vs Maryland
By Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - Some of the biggest questions surrounding Michigan State football this week are: Why to watch? Why to care?
If you’re clicked onto this site and this story, then your heart and mind are already 80 percent there. You’re a good Spartan.
As for the rest:
1. It starts with getting to 6-6 and gaining bowl eligibility.
It’s been a terribly disappointing season, but we’ve seen worse. That shouldn’t make anyone feel better, but we’ve seen lower days. And this season can get lower if the Spartans don’t finish with a win.
Michigan State needs to get this victory, and perhaps look forward to a date with a name opponent such as Florida State, possibly in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26.
That’s not Pasadena, but it’s enough to merit continued attention from most of its fans.
2. For me, it’s all about the future. Michigan State could have, should have, been an 8-4 team this year. That’s not great, but 8-4 will usually get you into the Top 25, with a chance to win a bowl game and break the Top 20. Even with blowout losses to your best four opponents, that’s not a bad place to end up in a “down” year.
The bottom line is: Even with all the injuries on the offensive line and wide receiver, there was enough on the roster to go 8-4. That’s not enough to make anyone ecstatic, but there’s reason to aspire to 8-4 or better next year, even with a tougher schedule and the need to replace a lot of talent on defense.
To that end, I’ll have a close eye on returning players, Saturday, when the Spartans play host to Maryland.
The game is pitched as Senior Day. Fans will applaud the seniors who will play their final game at Spartan Stadium. But I’ll be watching these players and these storylines, looking for signs of player development or lack thereof. All players returning for 2020 are in bold in the rest of this article:
3. The left side of the offensive line has become a curiosity. Michigan State started three true freshmen last week at left tackle, left guard and center last week with DeVontae Dobbs, J.D. Duplain and Nick Samac.
Samac and Duplain have been solid to functional. They look good for the future. Samac is a strong, cerebral, square-bodied guy who matches strength well for a teen-ager, but he needs to improve his mobility.
Dobbs struggled in pass protection last week, was replaced by sophomore Mustafa Khaleefah, who also struggled. They were replaced by junior A.J. Arcuri in the second half.
Coaches and trainers wanted to limit Arcuri to half the game because they weren’t sure he could go all four quarters on a nicked-up ankle.
When Arcuri entered the game, MSU’s pass protection problems on the left side against Rutgers were fixed.
Then Arcuri sat out the final two possessions, and Dobbs had further problems.
This week, I would expect Arcuri to play again, and continue to climb. Arcuri moves well, has a good frame, plays with strength. He just needs to gain a level of good health, now that he has gained a half-season of playing experience. I think he is setting up for a good senior year, although he’s still not a proven plus-player. We’re still watching and learning with him. Michigan State needs a good game from him on Saturday, a healthy December and a good bowl performance from the left tackle.
As for Dobbs, Dantonio indicated on Tuesday that he is likely to start again. However, Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal reported that Dobbs sustained an injury in practice this week and isn't likely to play.
Based on Dantonio's Tuesday comments, Arcuri likely would have been on a pitch count. Now, if Dobbs is out, Arcuri might have to go as long as he can. From there, who is the next left tackle? Chewins hasn't played all year and is out. Kevin Jarvis has been out since the Arizona State game and is expected to be back at some point but there was no indication that it could be this week. Tyler Higby, who was the emergency starter earlier this season, has been out for four weeks and isn't expected to be active this week.
Khaleefa, who struggled in pass protection last week but was solid in run blocking in 24 snaps, will need to be ready to take on a bigger role this week.
4. Michigan State beat Rutgers 27-0 last week, but red zone offense remains a problem.
Michigan State crossed the Rutgers 35-yard line on nine of MSU’s first 10 possession. But Michigan State scored TDs on only three of those nine opportunities.
Maryland isn’t any good, but if you fail to finish scoring opportunities against the Terps, they have the ability to make you pay, like Illinois - although Maryland isn’t likely to have the level of commitment and enthusiasm that Illinois had, nor the quarterback play.
I realize the 35-yard line isn’t considered the red zone, but the point remains the same. Michigan State conked out in scoring territory.
Michigan State was stopped on downs at Rutgers’ 16- and 33-yard lines on fourth-and-short failures in the first half.
Michigan State attempted three field goals (making two) and had an interception in the end zone, which wasn’t Brian Lewerke’s fault. But still, this team’s inability to finish in the red zone has been a problem for more than two years and it would be nice for Spartan fans to see the offense finish against lesser competition.
On MSU’s final touchdown, Lewerke threw behind Cody White, but the junior WR made a terrific catch.
Lewerke and White are MSU’s main battery in the red zone. Combined, they were one-for-three in clutch scoring situations last week:
+ Lewerke was on target for a nice 21-yard TD pass in the first half.
+/- Lewerke was on target again on a slot fade in the second quarter, but White failed to secure a catch in traffic (the ball was knocked out of his hands for an interception).
+/- And then on the third one, Lewerke was off-target but White bailed him out.
That kind of inconsistency is a emblematic of Michigan State being in line to go 6-6 rather than 8-4.
5. As for the fourth-down stoppages last week, future players had a hand in the shortcomings.
* On the first stoppage, fourth-and-1 at the Maryland 16-yard line on the opening drive:
Michigan State tried to play hurry-up ball for that snap. Michigan State hurried to the line and ran a zone read hand-off.
Rutgers got set in time and brought a run blitz from an eight-man front against six blockers. Michigan State was beaten on the chalkboard prior to the snap.
Meanwhile, Samac and Duplain allowed penetration (getting two-gapped at the line, with run blitzers behind them).
An RPO was sewn into that play. Julian Barnett was available for a short screen to the left. Does Lewerke have the freedom to pull the ball and throw that pass? Probably. Does he have enough confidence and experience in the RPO game to throw the ball on a fourth-and-short? Maybe not.
Would an RPO pass to Barnett have worked better than the run decision? I don’t know for sure and didn’t get a chance to ask offensive coaches this week.
Decision-making for the QB position isn’t solely about making coverage reads and throw decisions. It’s also about reading the defensive front and deciding whether to keep, give or throw. Lewerke has had plenty of struggles in terms of passing accuracy this year. His struggles have also included more than a few poor decisions in the zone read/RPO game. It’s a difficult part of the job. Michigan State needs to improve in that area in the future.
Theo Day and Rocky Lombardi are decent runners. They don’t have the acceleration of Lewerke but they are pretty good athletes with some ruggedness. If Michigan State is going to continue with the zone read and RPO as part of the offense next year, which is expected to be the case, Day or Lombardi (or Payton Thorne) will need to be better with their zone read decisions.
The best case scenario for Michigan State on Saturday is to get a big lead and play two back-up quarterbacks, and let them run some zone reads and RPOs. Michigan State shouldn’t worry about hurting coach Mike Locksley’s feelings by running up the score after seeing what his Terps did to Howard and Syracuse early in the season. Michigan State has some players who need real-time work. Day and Thorne are among them.
* On the second stoppage, fourth-and-one at the Rutgers 33:
- Elijah Collins ran an inside zone left which looked like it was designed for a cutback to right tackle. Collins didn’t have any room behind the right tackle and had to bounce it outside further to the right. He was brought down by an ankle tackle inches short of the line of gain.
It looked like Collins might have had a better chance to get the first down if he had planted a foot and tried to get north rather than angling to the outside. So some of the negative on that play is chalked up to Collins. The rest of it:
- Jordan Reid allowed a half-yard of movement to Rutgers’ best defensive end. Reid has been MSU’s best offensive lineman over the last month of the season. He’s been a plus as a run blocker and pass blocker, but he didn’t get movement on this play.
= Tight end Matt Seybert got enough of his man as the inside guy on a tight bunch formation.
= Trenton Gillison got enough of his man as the point man in the tight bunch formation, but probably got away with holding. His blocking isn’t as bad as it used to be, but he still has a lot of work to do.
- CJ Hayes blocked down from his outside position as the outer-most player in the tight bunch. He didn’t get enough of the play-side LB, which caused Collins to bounce outside at a wider angle than he wanted.
+ Matt Carrick got enough of his man at right guard, but Collins couldn’t wait patiently inside as the ball carrier because Reid lost.
Samac began with a double-team with Carrick, and they would have carved out more than enough room inside, but Samac had to leave the double-team in order to pick up a run-blitzing linebacker. That’s what happens when you have eight blocking vs 10 defenders. The 10th defender, the first unblocked guy, ended up making the tackle on Collins as he tried to make a cut on the perimeter.
* So who lost on that play? Reid, although that hasn’t been his m.o. lately. And Hayes didn’t get enough of his man, and Hayes has only played two games in the past month.
Was this a case of Michigan State being too predictable in short-yardage? Yes, to an extent. Mark Dantonio is still a believer that you should be able to get a single yard, even when predictable, if everyone blocks well and the ball is run correctly. That being said, if a team is playing zero-coverage run blitz, you need to have confidence that your QB can make a read, throw it accurately, and the receiver will catch it. If you’re the play caller for Michigan State, I’m not sure you have that trust in the QB and the receivers.
(As a side note, that fourth-and-one was set up by a 19-yard completion to Julian Barnett on third-and-20. For those of you who think Barnett erred in failing to get beyond first-down yardage, step off. He ran a good route into the cover-two hole, and the cover-two hole is usually at about 15 to 17 yards. He ran to the open space and Lewerke was on target.
(Barnett secured the catch. However, he caught the ball with his body. They will work to improve his hand selection and stress the importance of catching with the hands out away from the body. Bennie Fowler went through the same process).
6. Getting back to the main point, of MSU’s six red zone (or near red zone) failures last week, two were fourth-and-short stoppages. This week, if Michigan State gets into a fourth-and-short, will the Spartans opt for a play action pass?
Scattered showers and 36 degree temperatures could have a hand in play calling, but we will continue to monitor MSU’s blocking.
7. Elijah Collins is a reason to watch on Saturday. He needs 149 yards to become MSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford in 2014.
Collins is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the year.
8. Maryland’s run defense is a little bit puzzling and will offer an interesting match against Michigan State. The Terrapins allowed 305 yards rushing last week to Nebraska, 383 the week before to Ohio State. However, Maryland was pretty solid one game earlier against Michigan. Michigan rushed for 155 yards but outgained the Terps “only” 331-233.
Michigan is one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, and Maryland seems to be losing interest in the sport. But the Terps rose up and battled pretty good at the line of scrimmage that day, although the score got away from them due to a kickoff return for a TD, and failure to finish opportunities. First downs were equal that day, 16-16.
Maryland had some heat with Michigan prior to that game (heat is a pro wrestling term for bad blood), dating back to social media barbs exchanged between Maryland coach Mike Locksley and Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis as to which cook led the kitchen last year when they were at Alabama. So that might explain why Maryland got up for that game, comparatively speaking.
But Maryland seemed to quit midway through last week’s game against Nebraska on Terps’ Senior Day. Now, they have to play a second straight bad-weather game, this time on the road, as part of MSU’s Senior Day. Michigan State will likely have an advantage in the enthusiasm and commitment department. This could manifest itself in a healthy day of run offense for the Spartans and perhaps the 1,000-yard barrier for Collins.
From an athletic standpoint, Maryland’s defensive front is not at a disadvantage against Michigan State. Run blocking is not a strength for Michigan State. Maryland is capable of stymying Michigan State and holding the Spartans under 150 yards rushing as a team. The question is whether Maryland is going to care enough to try to win collisions all day. Meanwhile, Michigan State has young players trying to learn their craft and earn their keep. In short, Michigan State is more likely to play hard for four quarters than Maryland.
9. Adam Berghorst, what’s his future? The true freshman defensive end has gotten into the playing group the past two games as the No. 3 tight end.
Berghorst (6-6, 260, Fr., Zeeland, Mich.) signed with Michigan State as a defensive end. He also plans to begin a baseball career with Michigan State this spring. Playing tight end wasn’t necessarily expected to be the first way he got onto a playing field in the green and white, but that’s been the necessity, with Matt Dotson injured and Noah Davis having left the team to join the transfer portal.
Michigan State might have more need at defensive end than tight end next year, but there is a more pressing need at tight end right now. Berghorst has the frame and athleticism to rep at both positions. He didn’t play much last week, but he looked serviceable as a blocker.
“We’re going to see down the road what he is, but we moved him to tight end probably about four weeks ago or so,” Dantonio said. “He's responded. He was a tight end in high school. He's got soft hands. He runs pretty good routes for a guy that size.”
He weighed in at 250 prior to the season. Dantonio says he is up to about 262.
“I just tell our coaches, use them or lose them, and so we've used them on the offensive side of the ball and he's given us depth there and he's played himself into a situation where we will play on Saturday,” Dantonio said. “We're not playing guys just for fun. He gives you a big guy that can be on the line of scrimmage and control the line of scrimmage to some degree, even as a freshman.
“So I'm not sure where his future is, but I know he has a great future, a big-time future as a football player and probably as a baseball player, too.”
Berghorst isn’t in danger of losing redshirt status. He has played in two games this year. He saw nine snaps of action against Maryland.
10. Last week, Naquan Jones was the most active and energized that I’ve seen him all year. The junior defensive tackle has been mostly quiet this season. But he caught my eye with forceful plays against Rutgers.
I checked the Pro Football Focus grades for the game and sure enough, Jones ranked No. 2 on the team in terms of overall defensive score. He was an 86, easily his highest of the year. Only Josiah Scott was higher, at a 90.9.
Rounding out the top five:
3. Xavier Henderson, 83.0
4. Kenny Willekes, 76.7
5. Jacob Slade, 70.9.
Slade and Jones will be the starting defensive tackles next year. They were good last week. They need to finish the regular season continuing their surge. They played 16 snaps last week.
In only 16 snaps, I had Jones with five plus plays. That’s a high, high rate:
+ Third drive of the game: zone read keeper. Jones with good quickness, slanted across center’s face, stopped, read, disengaged, got in on the tackle. Gain of 3.
+ Showed some life on the play in which Josiah Scott forced a fumble. He looked active, quick ,strong with a shoulder club while slanting to the B gap, stunting with Willekes. He gained penetration into the pocket.
+ Jones ripped inside the LT to penetrate the backfield to help disrupt a zone read on third-and-two. QB ended up keeping it, optioning Jacub Panasiuk but Panasiuk made the tackle for no gain, with 12:00 to go in the game.
+ On third-and-seven, gave effort pressing the pocket, then got off the block when QB scrambled out. Jones hustled to the sideline in pursuit and got in on the tackle with force, after a five-yard gain with 7:40 to play. The play was called back due to Rutgers holding.
+ Jones looked quick on a stunt to the outside on a “you” game. He turned the corner, and got into the backfield but Jacub Panasiuk already had a sack, 3:38 to play.
11. As for Josiah Scott, it seems pretty likely to me that the junior is planning to turn pro after this season. Last year, he played in the bowl game rather than preserving a redshirt year. This year, he has been excellent when healthy.
I asked him after practice on Tuesday if this will be his last game at Spartan Stadium. He gave the answer that players usually give when they’re planning to leave. He said he’s just focusing on the game ahead and isn’t thinking about those decisions at this time. So, he’s probably gone. My next question would be whether he plans to play in the bowl game, if Michigan State earns a bid.
Interestingly, senior Josh Butler played his fewest snaps of the season, last week. He played five snaps. Fellow back-up cornerback Kalon Gervin, a redshirt freshman, also played five snaps.
Last week, Tre Person played 11 snaps, mostly as part of the nickel defense. Interestingly, we didn’t see Michael Dowell in the playing group. However, I noticed one player staying on the field longer after practice, putting himself through extra tackling drills, on his own, and it was … Michael Dowell.
12. As for C.J. Hayes, I mentioned the 6-foot-1 sophomore earlier, regarding a fourth-and-short stoppage. But there’s a reason Hayes was on the field as part of a tight bunch formation on that play: He is MSU’s best blocker, among wide receivers.
PFF listed Hayes as MSU’s most proficient run blocker last week, overall. He rated at 88.7 in run blocking. He played 33 snaps.
MSU’s next best run blockers:
2. Julian Barnett, 77.5
3. Jordan Reid, 69.5
4. Matt Seybert, 67.5
5. Tre Mosley, 61.2
6. Mustafa Khaleefah, 60.9.
The worst: Dobbs at 45.9.
Hayes turned in a 24-yard reception in the third quarter. It was his first catch since the Wisconsin game.
MSU ran a new concept on that play, and took advantage of Hayes’ reputation as a blocker.
On this play, Hayes faked like he was blocking to the inside, and then released vertically. This is called a crack-and-go, as in a crack block
Michigan State had two RBs on the field for that play, with Collins and Anthony Williams in a split backfield. Michigan State had shown that formation earlier in the game on a run play for little or no gain.
The second time, they faked a power and ran the crack-and-go for Hayes.
Meanwhile, Williams released on a deep wheel route.
13. Brandon Wright is one of the most interesting players to watch this week. He has played four games. One more, and his redshirt comes off.
He has played a total of 16 snaps.
He played six snaps lats week and looked good.
Frankly, he is better, more productive than Williams as the No. 2 RB.
Wright (6-2, 223, Euclid, Ohio) is playing up to his size. He has some burst and some leg drive.
Wright rushed five times for 25 yards last week. He had a nice 10-yard gain late in the game, including five yards after contact. On each of his carries, he picked up at least one yard after contact.
He can help this team as the No. 2 RB this week and in the bowl game. But is it worth losing the redshirt year?
Wright, Dobbs, Mosley and special teams guy Tate Hallock have each played four games. If any of them play one more game, they lose the redshirt.
Dantonio said Hallock will redshirt. He didn’t travel to Rutgers.
Mosley has nine catches on the year and is firmly in the playing group as one of MSU’s top five or six receivers.
“My perspective, if you're playing 30 plays, if you're in the mix of playing, then you play on,” Dantonio said. “But you have discussions with your players to see what they want to do. We have had discussions with two of the three guys and that's what they want to do, they want to play on.
“So in the case of Dobbs, he's slated to start. In the case of Tre Mosley, he's played 30 plays a game here the last number of games, so he's an integral part of our offense, as well. So I see them playing on.
“Brandon Wright, now he's either a two or a three, depending on how much he's playing, but again, a guy that we don't hesitate to put him in the game.
“We’re trying to deal with them as individual decisions and let it play out.”
14. Sophomore LB Noah Harvey is playing well, with a high ceiling of potential. He has to shore up his tackling and pass defense, but he is showing plus “shock,” as Dantonio would call it, as a pass rusher.
On two occasions as a pass rusher against Rutgers, Harvey blasted through an attempted pass block from a running back to get to the quarterback - once for a half-sack, and once to disrupt the QB’s arm for a near interception.
I’ve seen Harvey blow up an offensive guard as a pass rusher this year. At 6-3, 229, Harvey plays with a lot of force when coming forward on the pass rush.
Harvey has the rare ability to play all three linebacker positions. He’s tough and forceful enough to play inside backer, and runs well enough to play in the slot. The slot might not be his best position, but it says something about his quickness and athleticism that coaches have deployed Harvey at slot, or “star,” linebacker early in his career whereas Joe Bachie was never entrusted to that type of assignment.
15. So what is Antjuan Simmons going to be next year? He was a slot linebacker prior to Bachie’s ineligibility. He played Mike linebacker for three games, and then moved back out to “star” linebacker for the Rutgers game, to give Michigan State more quickness on the perimeter.
Dantonio says the opponent’s strengths will dictate where Michigan State plays Simmons, and therefore where it plays Harvey and Tyriq Thompson in the latter stages of the season.
As for next year, Chase Kline and Jeslord Boateng have emerged as the top two linebackers off the bench. Last week, Kline played four snaps and Boateng played three.
Boateng is getting reps in the slot. Kline is an inside backer, who also has some ability to play d-end in pass rush situations.
With the versatility of Simmons and Harvey, you could see a trio next year with those two players inside and Boateng in the slot. Or if Kline is deemed to be the third-best LB on the team, then Kline is more likely to be an inside linebacker, which means Harvey or Simmons could bump out to the slot. There will be options. In the meantime, their development will be interesting to watch.
THE BOOK ON MARYLAND
We won’t go deep on the opponent this week. I think there is some fatigue on behalf of the readers in that area.
In short, this is what you need to know about the Terrapins:
* Maryland is 3-8 and at the bottom of a 24-month roller coaster.
* Maryland went 5-7 last year and was 5-3 when they lost to Michigan State at home in 2018. Maryland went through an emotional, tragic 2018, with former player Jordan McNair passing away after a practice. Former coach D.J. Durkin was fired as a result.
* Mike Locksley was hired during the off-season. He has a bad record as a head coach in his previous stops. He was 2-26 in three years at New Mexico. He surfaced as an analyst, and then offensive coordinator at Alabama, and was hired at Maryland.
He previously went 1-5 as an interim coach at Maryland in 2015 after Randy Edsall was fired.
Locksley has been a strong recruiter in the past, including a stop at Illinois as offensive coordinator for Ron Zook’s Rose Bowl team. Maryland is hoping he can repair some of the wounds from the McNair tragedy and help the Terps start to reach their potential in Mid-Atlantic recruiting. But he’s off to a bad start.
Actually, he got off to a great start with Maryland winning its first two games 79-0 (vs. Howard) and 63-20 vs. then. No. 21 Syracuse.
Then came a 20-17 loss to a decent Temple team.
Then they lost 59-0 to Penn State, and they’ve been terrible ever since, other than a 48-7 victory over Rutgers.
Maryland has lost six straight:
Purdue 40, Maryland 14
Indiana 34, Maryland 28
Minnesota 52, Maryland 10
Michigan 38, Maryland 7
Ohio State 73, Maryland 14
Nebraska 54, Maryland 7
* Maryland was hoping to show a pulse against Nebraska, a program that is undergoing similar self-examination. But the Terps didn’t show up last week. They were beaten 531-206 in yardage and 31-9 in first downs.
“We are better than what we show on Saturdays,” Locksley said after the game. “The things that sits in my craw is it’s us hurting us. We had four turnovers. You don’t win games when you beat yourself. Our defense played well enough early in the game, but the other two phases weren’t good enough.”
“When we stop beating ourself that’s when we’ll turn the corner.”
Maryland gave good effort three weeks ago against Michigan. If they give good effort this week, they can stay within 16 points of Michigan State. That’s up to them.
* Maryland has explosive running backs, and an enigmatic quarterback situation. Their defense can slug for a few rounds, but eventually suffers errors in containment or pursuit angles, and the whole thing collapses.
MARYLAND PLAYERS TO KNOW
RB 20 JAVON LEAKE (6-0, 206, Jr., Greensboro, NC)
* Was a 5.7 three-star recruit, ranked No. 15 in North Carolina. He was a summer commitment and didn’t take any other official visits.
* Has rushed for 716 yards, averaging 65.1 per game.
* No. 2 in the nation in yards per carry at 7.8 among power five school players with at least 60 carries.
* Terrific kickoff returner.
* Rushed for 158 yards in a 34-28 loss to Indiana on Oct. 19.
* Had 107 yards on just seven carries in a 63-20 victory over then-No. 21 Syracuse on Sept. 7.
* Last week he rushed for 80 yards on eight carries, including a 58-yard TD.
* Fumbled twice last week.
* Allowed a sack in pass protection, failing to identify a blitzing linebacker .
RB 5 ANTHONY McFARLAND (5-8, 193, Hyatsville, Md/DeMatha Catholic)
* Was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 142 in the nation and No. 2 in Maryland.
He also visited Miami and Penn State.
* Rushed for 1034 yards last year as a freshman (7.9 per carry).
* Has 480 yards this year (4.5 per carry).
* Rushed for 132 yards in a 20-17 loss to Temple in September.
* Last week he rushed 10 times for 35 yards.
* Leake has eight rushing TDs and Anthony McFarland has 7. Maryland and Boston College are the only teams in the power five with two RBs who have seven or more TDs.
* Maryland uses run schemes similar to Michigan State, with some pistol formation, zone read and an inconsistent offensive line. But Leake and McFarland are faster and much more explosive than MSU’s running backs.
QUARTERBACK: Musical Maryland Chairs
Maryland has used four different QBs this year, and things haven’t gone well since September.
We’re most likely to see junior Josh Jackson on Saturday, with back-up Tyrrell Pigrome also in the mix.
“The inability to throw the football continues to piss me off a little bit,” Locksley said. “We just can’t execute, whether it’s protection, quarterback decision making, pitching and catching. We had a drop on a big play down the field, we had late balls, high balls with people open. The passing game is where we need to make our biggest improvement.”
Maryland’s passing yardage in its last four games:
131 vs Minnesota
104 vs Michigan
77 vs Ohio State
57 vs Nebraska (rain game)
QB 17 JOSH JACKSON, 6-2, 18, R-Jr., Saline, Mich/Ann Arbor Huron)
* Was a 5.7 three-star recruit, ranked No. 13 in the state by Rivals.com.
* Last week he was 4 of 12 for 33 yards against Nebraska. He rushed six times for 9 yards.
* His accuracy and completion percentage has been horrific. He is completing 48 percent of his passes on the year, which is a stat out of the 1950s for a starting QB.
* He has thrown 11 TDs and five INTs.
* His father, Fred Jackson, was a long-time assistant coach at Michigan, but Jim Harbaugh did not regain him. Michigan State and Michigan did not recruit Josh Jackson.
* But he has had a lot of quality outings in his career.
* On Sept. 7, against Syracuse, he completed 21 of 38 for 296 yards. When coupling that with an explosive, talented run game, the Terps offense looked excellent and legit.
A week earlier, he threw for four TDs in the first half of his first game at Maryland, in a 79-0 victory over Howard.
Where has that part of the pass game gone? I have no idea.
* He is a grad transfer from Virginia Tech. He missed most of last year with Virginia Tech after going down with a fractured left fibula on Sept. 25 of 2018.
In his first two games last year, he was 12 of 16 for 217 yards against William & Mary. He was 16 of 26 against Florida State.
He started all 13 games for Virginia Tech in 2017 as a redshirt freshman. He threw for 2,991 yards and 20 touchdown and rushed for 324.
He led all power five freshmen in passing yards.
* Jackson operated the offense well in September, and briefly made Maryland one of the hot topics of the early season. But that all fizzled. Can he regain any of that form? We don’t know.
* Jackson went down with an ankle injury during the Oct. 5 victory over Rutgers. He didn’t play against Purdue or Indiana.
He returned to throw only two snaps in a relief effort against Minnesota, four games ago. But his passing ability seems to have been compromised.
QB TYRRELL PIGROME (5-10, 209, Jr., Birmingham, Ala.)
* Was a 5.6 three-star recruit, unranked in Alabama by rivals.com or ESPN.
* He started three games at mid-season after Jackson went down with an injury.
* He has completed 58 percent of his passes with 3 TDs and 6 INTs.
He has gained 244 yards rushing this year (lost 100 for a net of 144).
* Last week he was 3-of-7 for 24 yards against Nebraska. He rushed two times for a net of -5 yards.
Pigrome’s stats as a starter this year:
17 of 27 for 210 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT vs Indiana.
21 of 39 for 218 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs vs Purdue.
6 of 9 for 43 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs vs Minnesota.
* Pigromme started two games at QB last year. For the year, he was 23 of 44 for 376 yards.
* Last year’s starting QB, Kasim Hill, transferred to Tennesssee during the summer.
* Last week, there was some interest in true freshman QB Lance Legendre of New Orleans. But he left with a dislocated shoulder while fumbling and Jackson had to come back into the game.
Josh “has been nicked up but he finished the game for us,” Locksley said.
* No. 3 QB Tyler DeSue is in the picture. He has played four games. He was 4 of 12 for 88 yards against Minnesota. DeSue was a 5.6 three-star recruit in 2018.
ON DEFENSE
* They run a two-gapping 30, which sometimes one-gaps. Similar to Rutgers.
* Last week, they were hurt by two fumbles (one on special teams) deep in their own territory in falling behind 17-0. Adherence to discipline and team concepts deteriorated rapids.
Some negatives in the first half of last week’s game:
- Outside LB loses leverage/contain and a run play gets outside for 11 yards.
- LB lets the TE run free on a delayed release for a 25-yard reception.
- Defense looked misaligned and they were out-flanked for a 12-yard run in the 2Q.
- Linebacker Isaiah Davis (No. 22) misses a tackle and Nebraska runs for 16 yards.
Personnel Of Note:
S 25 ANTONIE BROOKS (5-11, 210, Latham, Md.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit
* Was second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches last year.
* Runs and hits well as a single-safety deep pursuer.
* Leads the Big Ten in solo tackles at 5.9 per game.
LB 4 KEANDRE JONES (6-3, 220, Sr., Olney, Md.)
* Was a five-star recruit, ranked No. 30 in the nation and No. 1 in Maryland.
* He saw action in 34 games in three seasons at Ohio State, but never earned as starting job.
* Leads Maryland in sacks with 7.0, No. 10 in the Big Ten.
* Has 45 tackles and eight TFLs in the last six games.
* had eight tackles and two sacs and forced a fumble against Syracuse.
MARYLAND SPECIAL TEAMS: Careful
D.J. Turner had a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown against Howard in week one.
Javon Leake has two kickoff returns for touchdowns (100 yards vs Rutgers and 97 yards vs Michigan.)
Only two schools in the power five have a kickoff and punt returns for TDs in 2019: UCLA and Maryland.
Maryland leads the Big Ten in punt return average (13.5 per).
* Nebraska went with pooch kickoffs and had success. Leake fumbled one of them last week, resulting in a short-field TD for the Huskers.
“Most teams don’t want to kick the ball to No. 20,” Locksley said.
Teams have kicked to open spaces and covered the ball.
* Maryland’s kicker has attempted only four field goals and has made only one. I’ve never seen a stat like that, this late in a season. That’s like something from the 1940s.
ADD IT ALL UP
This reminds me of December of 2001 when a sub-.500 Missouri visited Michigan State with no hopes of the postseason, and Michigan State needed a win to secure a bowl bid. That game was rescheduled due to 9/11.
Michigan State destroyed Missouri 55-7 on a cold afternoon. That Michigan State team was brimming with talent with sophomore Jeff Smoker, Charles Rogers and TJ Duckett part of the attack under Bobby Williams.
This year’s Spartans don’t have that type of talent at the skill positions, but Michigan State genuinely seems engaged and motivated to get to 6-6 this week. Against a teetering Maryland team with attention problems on defense and severe questions in the pass game, Michigan State should be able to win comfortably if there are no problems on special teams, the Spartans build a run game, Lewerke doesn’t throw any pick-sixes, connects with open receivers on the short throws, and red zone offense shows a pulse.
Best case scenario: Michigan State builds on last week’s game, plays better in the red zone, gets a comfortable lead, and we see some back-up players at QB and on defense. As for the o-line, they’re already playing back-up players.
