Pre-Snap Read: MSU vs Nebraska
By Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com
East Lansing, Mich. - Congratulations. You have football back.
And it’s real football this time, not like last year. And Michigan State is 3-0 for the first time since 2015, emerging as a potential surprise team in the Big Ten and possibly the nation, set to play an important game against an underrated, credible opponent at Spartan Stadium.
These are two pretty good football teams. It’s a shame Nebraska barfed corn all over its boots in that Week Zero game against Illinois. That was an expensive loss, and everyone saw it, and dismissed Nebraska as garbage. It damaged their season and their reputation. Nebraska had the better players that day but choked the game away.
Nebraska has played good football the last two weeks. Gave Oklahoma all they could handle last week, and manhandled a quality MAC championship contender Buffalo two weeks ago.
Nebraska vs Miami would be a pick ‘em game if they played this week.
Michigan State vs Nebraska is going to be physical in the trenches. Nebraska is a naturally desperate team. Mel Tucker is trying to get his team to remain desperate. It’s a battle of skill, will and - as Tucker sees it - motivation.
If Nebraska vs Illinois is the only time you’ve seen Nebraska play this year, you need to erase that from your memory - aside from some of the mistake-prone nature of the team on that day.
The difference between Nebraska on that day and the potential of what Nebraska could do on a different given day is similar to the way Michigan State looked against Rutgers last year and the way Michigan State looked against Northwestern last year.
Of course Michigan State had a terrible time harnessing that level of play for more than a week or two last year, for various circumstances. It remains to be seen whether Nebrasks can capture and repeat a level of winning football this year like they showed against Buffalo and for portions of the Oklahoma game.
WHAT TUCKER IS DOING
Tucker is on high alert for complacency this week. He said he is looking for any signs of it. He says his assistants and leaders are looking for signs of it too. He’s been searching, try to stamp it out, trying to fan these Spartans into the type of connected, collaborative flame that they had last week in the business trip to Miami.
He’s at a new chapter in his rebuilding job at Michigan State. He’s up to the consciencly competency part of it. He said last year if you don’t know how you had success, you can’t repeat it. That’s probably a concept he learned from Nick Saban, and Saban probably learned it in a business book. But it’s applicable.
Michigan State has had good success this year. Now comes the hard part. Harnessing it and repeating it.
“Success leaves clues,” is another favorite axiom of Tucker’s. Again, probably borrowed from Saban, who probably learned it in a book. But it’s also applicable.
The clues of last week’s preparation, and not just the week of practice but the months of culture cultivation which went into last week’s gameday performance, need to be repeated.
Now can Michigan State do it?
Saban, when he coached at Michigan State, used to lament that the Spartans had trouble dealing with success. Saban didn’t have axioms such as “success leaves clues,” and the quest to find “conscience competence,” maybe because he hadn’t read those books yet. But at some point Saban became a better coach than he was while he was at Michigan State, able to build firewalls and achieve a level of rinse and repeat. Recruiting better and better athletes and creating a collective, constructive level of everyday competition for playing time had something to do with it.
Tucker has better athletes than a year ago, but a far cry from the talent pool at Alabama of course.
But Tucker isn’t trying to beat Florida, Texas A&M or Georgia this week. Michigan State doesn’t have a Top 10 opponent. But Michigan State has an opponent capable of playing Top 25 football on a given Saturday.
And Tucker is going to need to successfully challenge some of Saban’s philosophies of dealing with success and repeating it, and make them his own. That’s what he’s doing this week. You can hear it and see it.
On Wednesday when I walked into the Doug Weaver Indoor Facility following practice, I saw Tucker speaking intensely to group of 10 or 12 players. There were offensive players in the huddle, and defensive players. Tucker had their full attention, and was speaking fast and hard, like a third world dictator.
I couldn’t hear the conversation, but I have a good guess as to the subject matter.
Tucker wasn’t pleased with the team’s level of focus and rinse-and-repeat. Or maybe it was good enough, but he wanted better than good.
Whether or not Tucker can become a championship coach at Michigan State will depend in part on his ability to identify problems and get them fixed before we see them on Saturday. That’s the definition of quality control in this sport. To me, he looks like he has all the markings of a leader capable of attaining a winning level of consistent quality control. But that’s not a one-week job. That’s an every-week job. Saban is still on that task, and saw his juggernaut stagger and stumble a bit last week and almost lose.
That job changed a bit this week for Tucker at Michigan State after the win at Miami and the 3-0 start.
Last week was the first game of the rest of Tucker’s career.
Now this week is the first game of the rest of his career.
The variables have changed a little bit. Every team and every season is a fluid situation. The situation is good at Michigan State right now. But he has to continue building the firewall to protect what’s been build and set the foundation for more construction.
It’s a terrific test for the Spartans. I fully understand why Michigan State is a modest favorite in this game and why the likes of Rick Neuheisal have picked Nebraska and why Tucker is so paranoid. Nebraska is capable of spilling red-stain wine on MSU’s plush 2021 carpet before it gets fully installed.
Michigan State has been good this year. But good enough to be 4-0 and to rise up to something like No. 17 o 18 with a win this weekend? I’m not sure about that.
Football water often seeks its own level. Nebraska is better than a 2-3 team with a lame duck coach. Michigan State might not be quite good enough to be 4-0 and No. 17. But will the football gods allow it? Tucker isn’t going to wait and find out. He wants to take care of this himself, and he’s on it. And we’ll learn a lot about his leadership this week because this is a difficult task that he has, dealing with success and turning away this Nebraska team. In some ways it’s more difficult than last week. It’s a different type of motivation. It’s a motivation of trying to stay at the top of the hill in a game of king of the mountain rather than ascending it. Different leadership task. He’s on it.
THE INTANGIBLES
There is one big one in this game. In any game, I always give a big edge (not the overall edge, but a big edge) to the team that NEEDS to win the most. In some games, this factor is even. Last week, it was even.
This week, Nebraska is the team that NEEDS to win more.
Last week, Nebraska needed that win more than Oklahoma. Oklahoma was the team tasked with avoiding overconfidence.
Nebraska wasn’t mistake-proof enough to win, but the Huskers were within a bounce or two of putting of scoring a major upset as a 22-point underdog.
This week, Nebraska needs to win more than Michigan State. Nebraska is 2-2 and is better than its record. Nebraska head coach Scott Frost is severely on the hot seat. Internal opponents want him fired, that’s why they leaked information to the NCAA about Nebraska support staff members participating in unlawful coaching. Every program has quality control assistants who do more coaching than the NCAA allows. But unnamed people at Nebraska blew the whistle on Frost in August because they want him out.
He’s coaching for his job.
In some ways, he’s doing decently. But the mistakes they made against Illinois, and some that his team continued to make against Oklahoma, have curtailed his hopes of making a Major League moviestyle comeback.
He’s running out of scenes. He needs a turning point win at Michigan State.
WHERE NEBRASKA IS DANGEROUS?
1. The quarterback, Adrian Martinez, is a senior, a four-year starter and the author of some big offensive numbers through the air and on the ground.
There is something about his throwing mechanics and lack of wins that doesn’t sit well with me. His numbers are great, but he just hasn’t been able to get over the hump as a winner, largely through no fault of his own.
But he’s capable of catching fire and carrying a team on a given Saturday.
He was a four-star, Top 100 recruit out of Nebraska. Frost has pinned his early-tenure success on Martinez, which might mean he’s pinned his entire Nebraska coaching career on him. Saturday isn’t the very last stand for Martinez and Frost, but they can see it from here - which makes them even more dangerous than they naturally are.
2. Nebraska’s defensive tackles are good. They have three of them. Good rotation, but 99 and 93 are the best ones. They’re quick and strong, sturdy. They are mostly a two-gapping team. They are hard to move. When they one-gap, they are quick and can create TFLs (that’s when they blitz and occasionally in short yardage. But mostly they are a two-gapping front).
Michigan State will have a hard time running inside. If Michigan State can achieve a good running game while moving these quality DTs, then wow.
3. The Nebraska safeties are good, rangy. They support the run well. They hit pretty hard. I haven’t seen any mistakes from them. They are experienced and excitable.
4. Nebraska’s cornerbacks are talented, long, big, good. Their best CB, No. 5, Taylor-Britt, has been gambling a little bit in the flat and on intermediate sideline routes. He’s lost three of those gambles, for small gains. I don’t think he’s been playing at his best, but he’s dangerous with the gambles he takes, because he seems to be smelling a pick six at some point.
5. Nebraska has big, tall tight ends who try to play physical. They will line up with both TEs to one side and run smashmouth football inside or off-tackle. It’s the most power-oriented pistol spread Michigan State has faced yet. Nebraska is pretty good at it. Not great. The QB run threat is a factor, although he doesn’t do a lot in terms of zone read keepers, he usually executes the handoff on zone read looks when optioning a defensive end. The tailbacks are just okay.
WHERE IS NEBRASKA SHAKY?
1. The left tackle, No. 69, had a miserable game in pass protection last week. Drew Beesley has the capacity to capitalize and deliver more game-changing, or at least drive-changing plays against him.
2. The offensive line has been mistake-prone in terms of penalties. They had four penalties on the opening drive against Oklahoma last week. They had two false starts on the first two offensive plays of the game. Crowd noise had something to do with that, but this is an insecure group.
3. The place kicker, Connor Culp is a complete enigma.
The transfer from LSU was Big Ten Kicker of the Year last year. He was 13 of 15 on field goals. His career long is 49.
This year, he is a miserable 3 of 8. He is 1 of his last 6!
He missed a 50-yarder and a 35-yarder last week. Then he was yanked, they tried another dude for an extra point and that dude’s kick was blocked and returned for two points.
Asking a 50-yarder might be a bit much, but Nebraska basically left eight points on the field last week (the two field goals they missed, and the two-pointer they allowed to be blocked and returned. Eight points by the kicking game. Nebraska lost by seven.
THE UNKNOWNS
1. Nebraska is still trying to get settled at running back. They’ve been doing it by committee. No one has stood out, but they’ve all had some flashes - kind of like MSU’s RB situation last year.
Nebraska’s starting RB, a freshman, Gabe Ervin, was lost to an ACL last week.
2. Nebraska’s WRs are a bit of a puzzle to me. They look talented at times, on some broken plays and busted coverages and occasional digs and sit-downs vs zone on third-and-long situations. But they are a work in progress too. They aren’t a group that strikes fear into you, but there is potential there. I’m just not ready to say they are good or shaky.
Nebraska hasn’t seemed like a team that can riddle you with problematic route combinations and matchups.
Martinez puts up numbers and gets jobs done, and when he forces himself to sit in the pocket and read on third downs he found openings against Oklahoma and Buffalo. But Michigan State is a defense that is starting to establish a wide variety of coverages and disguises. Michigan State has become pretty good at it, but not great.
I feel like Michigan State is a good bet to continue to improve in this area (coverages, disguises, causing an opposing QB to pause). I feel like Michigan State is building in this area more rapidly than Nebraska is building in the passing game.
Last week, Miami threw for a lot of yards, and took nice intermediate gains on hitches and curls to the sideline. Michigan State played a lot of bailing zone coverages, bailing along the sidelines. Michigan State didn’t do much of that in the first two games. Michigan State respected Miami’s ability to create explosiveness in the passing game and was willing to play with that soft cushion along the sideline in order to contain deep shot passing opportunities and also to keep an eye on a scrambling QB. In the meantime, Michigan State made sure to dish out hard hits along the way.
It worked. Michigan State was the more physical team. Miami slowed down as the game progressed. The QB became compromised with dings and pain (and is doubtful to play this week). And Michigan State limited yards after the catch, prevented big plays and ultimately surrendered only 17 points while forcing four turnovers. It was Perles Ball on defense in some respects.
Michigan State won’t play that way every week. But Michigan State, under Tucker, is going to evolve into a program that may change the way it plays, slightly, from week to week, depending on the opponent. Last week was an example.
And I feel that last week’s rules against a dangerous scramble-to-throw guy like D’Eriq King can carry over to the rules they implement for Martinez. They are different types of QBs, but similar enough to Michigan State can “King” this coverage or that concept, as in “Play it the way we played King.” Not all day, just here and there. They’ve taught it, played it, reviewed it. That card is in MSU’s hand. MSU wasn’t/isn’t great at it, but played and proven card nonetheless.
NEBRASKA ROSTER COMPARISON
You, the reader, knows the Michigan State roster. So to give you an idea of what I see on film from the opponent, I like to attempt an apples-to-apples comparison within your frame of reference. How does their talent stack up to Michigan State’s?
MSU’s o-line won’t be matching up against Nebraska’s o-line, but it’s interesting to compare the two as known commodities.
* Nebraska’s RBs are not as good as Michigan State’s.
* Nebraska has some emerging talent at WR, but Michigan State’s are more established and reliable. Plus I think MSU’s offensive scheme is more varied and problematic for a defense than Nebraska’s favorite route combinations.
* MSU’s offensive line is better than Nebraska’s, especially at offensive tackle. Nebraska’s center is mobile and useful and perhaps better than Matt Allen.
* Nebraska’s tight ends are better blockers than MSU’s. But they don’t quite have a run-after-the-catch guy like Heyward has been on screen passes.
* Is/was Payton Thorne better than D’Eriq King? Probably not. But he stirs the drink and plays winning football. Most would think Martinez is better than Thorne, but I wouldn’t trade Thorne for Martinez for what Michigan State is trying to accomplish with its skilled players.
* MSU’s defensive ends are better than Nebraska’s, but Nebraska’s defensive tackles are better than Michigan State’s.
* Michigan State’s linebackers are improving steadily. Nebraska’s guys are scrappy, but I would give the edge to Michigan State.
* MSU’s cornerbacks are still getting settled. Nebraska’s are pretty good. Slight edge in established consistency to Nebraska.
* Xavier Henderson is better than either of Nebraska’s safeties, but Nebraska’s safeties as a tandem are a bit more reliable in that MSU’s talented Angelo Grose is still making mistakes. Those mistakes will subside at some point. Michigan State needs it to happen now.
* Give an edge to Michigan State in the place kicking department, although that could swing drastically on a given day.
* Both teams are solid in the punting department. Bryce Baringer has quietly improved. Former Michigan State punter Will Przystup entered the season as a back-up, but emerged as the starter last week due to injury and banged a 48-yarder and a 52-yarder. He will be jacked to punt against his former teammates. That’s an interesting side story to watch, Saturday.
We hear that Nebraska doesn’t recruit well enough. But you know what? They notoriously didn’t recruit all that great in the Tom Osborne days, per the recruiting rankings. They were the antithesis to the recruiting rankings in those days.
Of course Nebraska doesn’t have the strength training edge, walk-on edge, or state-of-the-art triple option X’s and O’s edge that they had in those days.
But they aren’t weak on the recruiting trail. Their QB was a four-star, Top 100 from California, their top RB was a four-star from New Jersey, their top d-lineman was a four-star from Arizona. This isn’t a sad sack outfit.
THE TAKEAWAY: If Nebraska had a more explosive tailback run game, a better left tackle, a better kicker, they wouldn’t just be a better team, they would be a Top 25 team.
The question is how long Frost can keep this team united, how long can he get buy-in from them if they lose this game and the seat gets hotter. I don’t know. But right now, this week, they are dangerous. Maybe last week was their last stand; I don’t know. But to me they looked like an improving team last week.
NEBRASKA’s RESULTS
L 22-30 at Illinois
W 52-7 vs Fordham
W 28-3 vs Buffalo
L 23-16 at Oklahoma
Those last three defensive outputs are good. Buffalo is a solid team, good running attack, MAC divisional champion last year, had won 11 of its previous 12 games going into that game. Nebraska handcuff them. Buffalo followed up with a strong showing last week against No. 16 Coastal Carolina, losing 28-25.
Note: Buffalo changed coaches after last year. Their head coach took the head coaching job at Kansas.
Oklahoma has been an offensive juggernaut in recent years. They’ve been a little slow getting going this year. Nebraska played a lot of two-deep zone, kept the throws underneath, surrendered decent yardage on the ground, stayed in the game, had a chance to tie on the final drive (but ended up with two sacks).
VS OKLAHOMA
* Nebraska punted only two times against Oklahoma. Nebraska had the ball nine times. Oklahoma punted four times. It was a game of long possessions.
* (Nebraska attempted field goals three times (missed two), had one INT).
* Oklahoma led 7-3 at halftime. Could have been 7-6 if Nebraska had it a 50-yarder.
* Classic Nebraska 2021: Nebraska out with vigor at the beginning of the 2H vs Oklahoma. Down 7-3, Nebraska took the second half kickoff and put together a respectable, pounding drive.
They utilized two-TE blocking for strong inside runs and off-tackle runs, a counter boot pass to the TE, some quality red meat Midwestern offense.
Had a dominant double-team block or two up front. But they missed a 35-yard field goal that would have cut the lead to 7-6 with 9:00 left in the third quarter. Martinez turned his head in disappointment after seeing that field goal, and the offense’s hard work, go to waste. Been that kind of year. Looking for a turnaround.
Stats:
First downs: Oklahoma 21, Nebraska 18
Rush Yards: Oklahoma 194 (5.5 per carry), Nebraska 95 (2.5 per carry).
Pass Yards: Nebraska 289 (11.6 per attempt), Oklahoa 214 (6.3 per attempt).
Martinez: 19 of 25 for 289 with 1 TD, 1 INT.
Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, the national preseason favorite for the Heisman despite never being a starter for the Sooners prior to this year: 24 of 34 for 214 with 1 TD.
* Nebraska was the better team through three quarters. Could have been Nebraska 9, Oklahoma 7 late in the third quarter.
Nebraska cut it to 14-9 on the last play of the third quarter, but Oklahoma blocked the extra point and returned for two Oklahoma points. That made it 16-9, when it should have been 14-10. Add two missed field goals and it might have been Nebraska 16, Oklahoma 14 on the last play of the third quarter.
* If Nebraska can eliminate their bone-headed mistakes, they’re pretty good.
* Nebraska had held seven straight opponents under 400 yards prior to the Oklahoma game, then the Sooner inched over with 406.
Penalties, turnovers, kicking game. A terrible decision by a punt returner resulting i a safety was the turning point at Illinois. The results remind me a little bit of John L. Smith’s Michigan State, although Frost is a stoic, quite polar opposite of Smith.
“If we play with speed and precision we have enough talent to be in every game that we play,” Frost said. “I do not think there is a team that we cannot play with and are not going to have a chance against. Mistakes get you beat. They have gotten us beat too often and we need to keep being intolerant (of mistakes).”
“I want kids to go into games expecting to win. And I think they did. They were disappointed after. So we have to balance that disappointment with the enthusiasm of how much better of a game they played and how much better of a team we are right now. But we have to prove that and we get another opportunity against another ranked opponent on the road this week.”
* Nebraska tried to do a lot of multi-TE, closed formation grind-it-out running attack against Oklahoma but they just don’t have the o-line or the explosiveness at RB to make it work often enough to really scare you with it.
* Nebraska attempted 27 runs and 15 passes through Nebraska’s first 42 plays of the game last week, midway through the third quarter.
NEBRASKA OFFENSE STYLE
* Nebraska is a pistol formation team. They go with two tight ends and one back quite often, trying to establish smashmouth ground game.
They’ll go to 3 WRs and 4 WRs like everyone else.
They try to pass once in awhile out of two-TEs, and try to run once in awhile out of 3WRs, but for the most part if they are in two TEs, they are 60-plus percent run. And if they are in 3 or more wide outs, they are 60-plus percent pass.
* They run some remnants that resembled old school Osborne Nebraska option, but they do it out of the pistol.
If you see a flanker orbit motion back behind the tailback, that’s usually a sign that they are doing a triple option. They put it in the belly of the tailback, make a read, and have the orbit motion flanker as a pitch man.
HOWEVER, in the two games I’ve studied, Martinez almost always leaves it in the gut of the RB, even if the DE being optioned stays low to play the run. Martinez doesn’t seem to like to pull it out and keep it.
This looks like triple option, but I haven’t seen Martinez utilize all three options. But it appears to be installed.
They will run speed option (without the belly freeze). He will pitch it on the option from time to time but it’s not like he is a complete headache of an option specialist. He isn’t Randle-El on this play.
They will run some counter option, with a counter step BY THE QB in one direction, then spin and come back the other way with the speed option and the pitch man available. This is completely old school. I haven’t seen it be completely effective. But it looks good. And I wonder if Frost as it in the offense partly to get a rise out of the fanbase and donors. Not sure. But it looks like Nebraska, although it’s from the pistol.
* Nebraska rushed for 231 against Buffalo on 41 carries (5.6 per carry).
* The most unique trait of their blocking scheme is when the center, No. 51, snaps and pulls. He is quick, he’s active and energetic with what amounts to pin-and-pull trap blocking, or pin-and-pull power.
* The passing game for Nebraska: I’m not sure the route combinations and the way they threaten a defense is all that intimidating. They just seem a little vanilla in that category. I would like to study it further but it just seems a little ordinary and forced, although Martinez’s completion percentages are high.
* As for Martinez, I think one of the reasons his completion percentage has been so high lately is because he’s just plain judicious. If a guy isn’t open, he tucks and runs. Seems like a novel concept.
On third down long yardage situations, he will sit in the pocket longer and longer, and gosh darn it he found openings in those Oklahoma and Buffalo zone defenses. The windows will be different this weekend, not necessarily more difficult than vs Oklahoma, but different. I think Michigan State has a chance to tie up his visuals a little more than previous opponents.
NEBRASKA DEFENSE STYLE
Nebraska is mostly a 30, two-gapping front. The DTs are good and firm.
Nebraska blitzed A LOT in the second half with the lead against Buffalo, but not much against Oklahoma.
In the secondary, Nebraska played a lot of two-deep coverages against Oklahoma. Played it soft and somewhat conservative in order to keep a lid on Oklahoma’s explosive offense. It worked pretty well but I thought Nebraska stayed with the two-deep TOO long, and should have come out of it when Oklahoma went into its four minute run offense at the end of the game. That cost Nebraska a couple of first downs and three minutes of clock.
Nebraska played more single-safety deep, press coverage against Buffalo. THey wanted to stop Buffalo’s running attack, and challenged Buffalo’s WRs to beat Nebraska’s CBs in press. They couldn’t do it.
Uncommon trait: They keep three linebackers in the game. Their slot LB, No. 13, isn’t small (at 6-1, 230). He runs okay, but I’m not sure he has the coverage ability of a 4-2-5 nickel like Dowell or Snow. But Nebraska chooses to stay a little bigger with the slot LB.
Guess The Gameplan I: Michigan State Offense vs 13
* Nebraska keeps three linebackers in the game in conventional down and distances. No. 13 (JoeJo Domann, 6-1, 230) plays the slot. You can match up a WR against 13 in zone defense without much of a problem to your advantage.
A WR should be able to get separation vs 13 in zone.
If Nebraska is in man, they will put 13 on a tight end.
If you move your tight end out widest of the formation and 13 goes out with him, it declares that Nebraska is in man-to-man (and likely to blitz).
Can you then attack Connor Heyward against 13? Kind of, but Heyward is a possession receiver, not necessarily someone who is going to get a step on 13 deep.
But any team that keeps three LBs on the field at all times these days, like Nebraska does, invites some interesting chess move opportunities for an offense. Michigan State just doesn’t have a mismatch type of TE to take advantage of it (unless Maliq Carr is ready to be that guy). If you catch them in man-to-man, that’s a potential deep shot opportunity for a guy like Carr.
GUESS THE GAMEPLAN II: Nebraska Defense
So will Nebraska treat Michigan State like Oklahoma or Buffalo? Most likely Buffalo. Most likely, they will want to stop RB Kenneth Walker III. But this is where Michigan State is difficult this year. Michigan State has the QB to get the Spartans out of bad plays and into good plays, and he has the throwing ability and the WRs to make you pick your poison. If you want to go single high safety and stop the run, Michigan State has the capacity to throw play-action and attack with quality WRs, and an adaptive offensive coordinator to scratch where it itches.
Michigan State will have a new test in this category this week, as Nebraska’s defense is pretty good. If Michigan State can put Nebraska into pick-your-poison mode and slowly kill them, then wow. No small accomplishment.
NEBRASKA RUN DEFENSE Vs Michigan State RUN GAME
* Last year, Buffalo averaged 287 rush yards per game, No. 2 in the nation.
Buffalo rushed for 135 (4.1 per carry) against Nebraska.
So if Nebraska rushed for 194 against Nebraska, and Buffalo rushed for 135, and both averaged more than 4 yards per carry, what does that mean for MSU’s hot running attack?
It means Michigan State has a chance, just like last week and the Northwestern game, to wrestle control of the game on the ground, and it’s priority one for the opponent to stop them.
Nebraska has the DTs to help get it done, and Nebraska has good run support at safety. Nebraskas LBs run a little hot and cold. I’ve seen all three of them miss tackles. They can be juked. That’s Walker’s specialty (along with vision, and speed, and power. He has a few specialties).
Overall, this is the best run defense Michigan State has seen thus far - but not a great one. And Michigan State might be the best running attack Nebraska has seen thus far, including Oklahoma. Fascinating matchup right there.
NEBRASKA’S PERSONNEL
ADRIAN MARTINEZ (6-2, 212, Jr., Fresno, Calif.)
* He was a four-star, national Top 100 recruit.
* 31 career starts; the first three-time captain in Nebraska history.
* Ranks in Nebraska history:
No. 3 in pass yards
No. 5 in QB rush yards
No. 2 in completion percentage
No. 1 in yards per game
GUESS THE GAMEPLAN III: Michigan State Defense vs Martinez
* Oklahoma spied him with LB Nik Bonitto (6-3, 240) all day. If you can get a pass rush with four, and feel good about multiple coverages in the back, you can afford to put a spy on him and take away his tuck-and-run threat on third down.
I think Michigan State has just enough at DE to make this work, especially with the occasional beatings of LT 69.
Coverages haven’t been perfect for Michigan State this year, but I think Michigan State can bet on the come in that category. It’s headed in the right direction.
Even if Michigan State gives up the soft cushion along the sideline like they did against Miami, Michigan State isn’t allowing yards after the catch, and they’re hitting pretty hard.
I would anticipate Michigan State using a spy scheme like Oklahoma’s on third down. Quavaris Crouch is similar to Oklahoma’s Bonitto. He has the speed to do it and the bash brawn to take receipts.
* As a runner, he is not as fast as D’Eriq King, not as much burst in the short area. A little more like a faster version of the Youngstown QB, who was an effective runner against Michigan State.
* Three-quarter arm slot delivery, held it and held it and held it against a 3-man rush and found big 6-foot-4 WR Omar Manning on a 20-yard dig vs Oklahoma. They looked kind of dangerous as a duo on that play, although Manning is kind of new for them.
* Quick release on that funky three-quarter delivery.
+ Perfectly accurate touch pass on a third-and-6 pass to the wide side of the field on an out route to the motion man, over his shoulder, in the bucket for an 8-yard completion on the opening drive against Oklahoma.
You think his delivery is kind of weird, and he might miss wild here and there, but then he throws a perfect one like that out route. Not an NFL pass. Just a perfect college touch pass.
* In four-down territory they will run QB power to cut into the yardage on third-and-medium. Designed keepers on third and long in four-down territory. Youngstown did something similar vs Michigan State and Michigan State was never quite able to stop it. Nebraska will see that and look to saddle up the QB run, perhaps even more than usual. They NEED this game.
* One of the reasons Martinez’ completion percentage is so high is that if no one is open, he is more likely to tuck and run than your garden variety pocket passer.
But on third-down, he will hang in the pocket, slide around in the pocket, pump and keep his eyes downfield and find people in the openings of zone coverages. He’ll look awkward doing it, but he does it often enough to get a nod of respect.
* Has more than 6,000 career passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards.
* He is playing the best football of his career right now. He is delivering the ball on time and he has explosiveness with his legs.
* Old school counter speed option out of the pistol gained 5 on the second play of the game last week.
* Gained 4 on a designed power vs Oklahoma in the first drive last week.
* Ran for 112 yards against Buffalo.
+ Really nice pass to 5 Omar Manning on a dig to convert third down on the opening drive last week. Time to throw, calmly surveyed the field and delivered a dart.
* Oklahoma blitzed him only three times the entire game, according to PFF. He was 3-for-3 when blitzed for 24 yards.
* Oklahoma was able to get pressure on him 18 times (Martinez was 4 of 8 on those plays for 60 yards).
(Michigan State blitzed D’Eriq King on 15 of 60 pass attempts. That’s a low blitz rate, and the stats show it was wise to play it that way.
(King was 12 of 15 for 125 yards [8.3 per pass attempt] vs Michigan State blitzes.
(King was 26 of 45 for 263 yards [5.8 per pass attempt] when Michigan State didn’t blitz.)
PFF charted that King was pressured 10 times on 60 attempts. He completed 50 pct of those passes (5 of 10) for 6.9 yards per attempt.
On the other 50 pass attempts, he completed 66 percent (33 of 50) for 6.4 per attempt.
The accuracy was much better when he wasn’t pressured (as you would expect). But the yards per attempt was pretty much the same. Why? My guess is due to Michigan State playing softer zones than usual, which - if played right - gets hats to the ball soon after the catch. Michigan State did this, and finished tackles. You didn’t see much yardage after the catch by Miami’s dangerous, shifty receivers.
* Michigan State blitzed Northwestern 18 of 52 dropbacks.
* Michigan State blitzed Miami 19 of 69 dropbacks. Michigan State blitzed Miami less. That’s part of wanting to put a fence around him.
GUESS THE GAMEPLAN IV: Michigan State Blitzes?
So how much will Michigan State blitz Martinez? Michigan State will go into the game prepared to do either. They’ll feel it out and see if they get pressure with four like Oklahoma did. Beesley vs No. 69 needs to produce for Michigan State. Then they can do like Oklahoma and rarely blitz him.
HOWEVER, he did have a good bit of passing success against Oklahoma. Like King did against Michigan State. Is Michigan State willing to take that exchange again this week? You’ll know when I know.
RUNNING BACK
* Nebraska has had a committee of starting RBs this year. Freshman Gabe Ervin was lost to a knee injury at Oklahoma. He had started against Illinois and Fordham.
“Ideally we have one lead guy,” Frost said. “It has not worked out that way. I think we have several capable guys. I was really impressed with Rahmir (Johnson) and how he played. He ran hard. He gives us a little bit of spark with his speed. (Markese) Stepp had some really good plays when he has been in there. Sevion (Morrison) has done some good things.”
RB 14 RAHMIR JOHNSON (5-10, 185, R-Fr., Oradell, NJ/Bergen Catholic)
* Was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 10 in New Jersey. Was a spring commitment.
* Started against Oklahoma.
+ Gain of 27 on a throwback screen last week when they caught Oklahoma in man-to-man.
* Gained 42 yards on 11 carries against Oklahoma.
“Rahmir (Johnson) and how he played. He gives us a little bit of spark with his speed. We gave him a shot. I thought he took advantage of the opportunity. He ran hard and fast. I am sure he will be in the mix again this week.”
MARKESE STEPP (6-1, 230, Soph., Indianapolis Cathedral)
* Was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 237 in the nation.
*Transfer from USC.
* Started against Buffalo.
* He rushed for 307 yards at USC in 2019 in seven games.
* He rushed for 165 yards in six games for USC last year. He rushed for 82 yards against Arizona.
* This year, he has been sporadic. He didn’t play against Oklahoma.
* He had 18 carries for 101 yards against Fordham.
* He had 3 carries for 10 yards against Illinois.
* So technically he is their leading available rusher at the tailback position, but he didn’t play last week and I don’t know what to expect from him.
FROST ON THE NEBRASKA RUN GAME:
“I thought we went toe to toe with them up front on both sides of the ball. Still wanting to see some more crease runs. That really is the piece that is missing. One little block a little bit better hitting a hole a little bit better and generating explosive plays in the run game. We start doing that we will be pretty dangerous.”
RB 22 GABE ERVIN (6-0, 215, Fr., Burford, Ga.)
* Lost for the season with an ACL last week. Was their third leading rusher (behind Martinez and Stepp).
OFFENSIVE LINE
FROST ON THE NEBRASKA OFFENSIVE LINE:
“I think they are getting closer every week. That is still a work in progress. We are still young there. But they have been getting better. They will have another chance this week. If they take another step forward like they did last week I expect even a better game and we have a big time opponent a good team that we are going up against so we need those guys to come off the ball and create some movement up front.”
* O line had four penalties on the opening drive against Oklahoma. Had false starts on their first two plays of the game against Oklahoma crowd noise.
* Outside zone didn’t work vs Oklahoma to the left, Nebraska’s zone blockers buckled.
* They are committed to trying to get the power running game going, but they spring leaks when trying to run outside zone, even with three TEs.
* O line gave Martinez a lot of time to throw in the first quarter vs Oklahoma, but pass pro broke down as the game progressed.
* Pass protection had trouble in the second quarter with a late blitzer up the middle, whether it was a delayed LB blitz or a DE stunting to the middle.
* O-line has average size. That’s not the way Nebraska used to be in the glory days.
* They will play with three TEs at times, with one WR and try to run outside zone.
* OL had trouble with Oklahoma’s one-gapping quickness last week.
- Allowed a sack vs a four man rush on the first play of Nebraska’s final drive, down 7 with :57 to play. Lost seven yards and :20 seconds. And sacked again on third down. They just didn’t have an intelligent pass game assortment to attempt a late drive. Terrible attempt at a two-minute drill.
LT 69 TURNER CORCORAN (6-6, 300, Fr., Lawrence, Kan.)
* Four-star recruit, No. 64 in the nation.
* He’s not good enough right now. Might be good some day, but not yet.
- Expensive false start on third-and-1 in the 1Q
- Not great against a bull rush punch.
- Allowed QB heat on a shoulder club to Oklahoma’s Jalen Redmond, who looks decent, not great.
- Mediocre in pass protection. Doesn’t move laterally well. Allowed a sack in the fourth quarter last week on a wipe-and-rip.
- Allowed a hurry on a bull rush.
- Lost with his hands, allowed DE to get off and make a tackle for no gain in the red zone vs Buffalo.
He’s a weakness. Drew Beesley usually plays right DE for Michigan State. Michigan State needs disproportionate production in that matchup this week.
LG 57 ETHAN PIPER (6-3, 305, R-Fr., Norfolk, Neb.)
* Was a three-star DT prospect, No. 5 in Nebraska.
3-5 vs Oklahoma: Blitz got home untouched but Martinez made the guy miss and scrambled 71 yards. Miscommunication by the left guard.
C 51 CAMERON JURGENS (6-3, 290, Soph., Beatrice, Neb.)
* Four-star recruit, No. 1 in Nebraska.
+ Snap and pull kickout, delivers it with punch. Pin and pull trap block to the strong side. Quality player on the move. Maybe not great at interior run blocking.
RG 70 MATT SICHTERMAN (6-4, 310, Jr., Cincinnati)
* Three-star recruit, No. 25 in Ohio. Had offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Colorado State. Was a spring commitment.
- Allowed sack late in the 1H last week, on a miscommunication on a DT stunt.
RT 54 BYRCE BENHART (6-9, 330, R-Fr., Lakeville, Minn.)
* Was a four-star recruit, No. 139 in the nation, No. 2 in Minnesota. Also visited Tennessee and Nebraska.
* 54 and TE 83 leaned on Bonitto of Oklahoma, double team and ran outside for a 7 yard gain on pin and pull for the center. During the first drive of the second half. Indicative of the type of physicality they can put on you at some positions.
WIDE RECEIVERS
WR 5 OMAR MANNING (6-4, 225, Jr., Lancaster, Texas)
* Junior college transfer.
* Looked good, delivering a big catch on a 20-yard dig to pick up third down on Nebraska’s opening drive last week.
* He had 2 catches last week (52 yards), 3 catches against Fordham (54 yards) and 2 against Illinois (26 yards).
* He played one game for Nebraska last year.
+ 21 yard TD on a double move to the post to cut the lead to 23-16 with 5:38 to play.
* Former TCU player.
* He was the first player Frost was asked about during this week’s press conference.
“It has been hard being patient as a coach but it has been necessary to be patient with him,” Frost said. “It is going to be a good story if he keeps on the trajectory that he is on. When he is in there he can make plays.”
WR 3 SAMORI TOURE (6-3, 190, Sr., Portland, Ore.)
* Transfer from Montana.
* Has had some big plays this month.
* 2 catches for 136 yards with two TDs against Buffalo.
++ 68-yard TD at the end of the first half against Buffalo on a skinny post against a safety (39) with a quick stem on the skinny. Isolated him on a safety and attacked it.
Nebraska will try to do the same with No. 3 vs Grose when they get a chance.
WR 15 ZAVIER BETTS (6-2, 200, Fr., Bellevue, Neb.)
* Was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 59 in the nation by Rivals.com.
* Good length. Showed good outside release move vs press coverage on a deep go route for 55 yards.
+ Deep ball last week, beating press coverage.
* He played in six games last year, had 12 catches.
WR 89 OLIVER MARTIN (6-1, 200, Jr., Coralville, Iowa)
* Former four-star recruit. Ranked No. 206 in the nation.
* Michigan State recruited him hard, came in second to Michigan. Then he transferred to Iowa. Then he transferred to Nebraska.
* Has missed action in the past three games due to an injury.
* He has played in only one game, at Illinois, and had six catches for 103 yards in that game.
Frost: “We need some more big play threats. Manning and Zavier (Betts) both showed up in the game. Those would both be big pieces for us. He has a lot of football ahead of him. Both of them do. And both are going to have chances to make plays.”
TIGHT ENDS
TE 11 AUSTIN ALLEN (6-9, 255, Jr., Aurora, Neb.)
* 5.6 Three-star recruit, No. 1 in Nebraska.
* Two-time captain. On the Mackey Award Watch List.
+ Four yard catch on fourth-and-2 in the 1Q last week. Nebraska had him in a tight bunch, ran a mesh route shallow crosser against man to man to get him on a rub.
+ Decent blocker ran a zone behind him for a gain of 5 in the first half last week.
* Caught a 3-yard out route last week, not much of a threat after the catch.
* Dude does a decent job of getting low block for a tall guy.
+ Caught a pass over the middle on a 15 yard skinny post, took a big hit and held on.
* Has 13 catches on the year, had a 26-yarder against Fordham, a 14-yarder against Illinois and a 14-yarder against Oklahoma.
TE 83 Travis Vokolek (6-6, 260, Jr., Springfield, Mo.)
* Was a two-star recruit who signed with Rutgers.
- Beaten inside for TFL by a one-gapping DE last week.
+ Gain of 39 last week on a fake throwback screen and snuck the TE out on a wheel from the opposite side.
* Missed the Buffalo game with an injury.
TE 49 NATE BOERKIRCHER (6-4, 220, Fr., Aurora, Neb.)
* Caught a little drag route on the opening drive against Buffalo on a late release drag, gain of 8.
DEFENSE
INTERESTING CHARACTERISTIC:
* When they blitz, it’s usually someone from linebacker depth, whether it’s a LB or a safety. They disguise their blitzes pretty well, and don’t usually telegraph it by crowding people fidgeting up toward the line of scrimmage.
Their blitzers usually come from deep, which gives the QB a little more time to find a sight adjust, if he happens to notice that they’re blitzing. Nebraska figures that the lost step of depth is worth the surprise element.
GUESS THE GAMEPLAN V: Michigan State Offense
* If Nebraska sells out to stop the run the way the Huskers did against Buffalo, Michigan State will have to go to the play-action air first and get that established before running later.
* Good job on third-and-eight vs Oklahoma on Sooners’ second series, playing cover-three. Did a good job matching the routes, forcing Spencer Rattler to tuck and run for no gain.
* Defensive tackles are short but pretty good. They don’t look like the DTs you would see at OSU, Bama, Georgia, the teams they are trying to chase. Those DTs aren’t bad, but when you have short DTs like that, it means you’ve had to settle for three-star recruits.
DEFENSIVE LINE
* Tough, firm and quick at d-tackle. The best DT tandem Michigan State has faced this year.
* No difference-making pass rushers for Nebraska.
* They are firm at one DE position with No. 44 but a little questionable at the other when No. 2 plays there.
DE 44 GARETT NELSON (6-3, 245, Soph., Scottsbluff, Neb.)
* Pietrowski type. Not bad on the edge as a pass rusher.
* Sneaky good pass rusher, rip and bend.
* Plays stand-up DE quite a bit.
* Decent pursuit speed.
OLB/DE 2 Caleb Tannor, 6-3, 225, Jr., Stone Mountain, Ga.)
* Was a four-star recruit, No. 33 in Georgia. Also officially visited Auburn and Florida.
* Plays like a defensive end.
* Will drop into coverage as part of zone blitz.
+ Pursues fast to the sideline; chased down Oklahoma RB with a good, hard, athletic hit.
* Not the most firm guy against the run. You can run right at him. Isolate him.
DT 95 BEN STILLE (6-5, 290, Sr., Ashland, Neb.)
* Super senior.
* Honorable Mention All-Big Ten last year.
+ Good quickness in hitting and shedding to make a tackle to thwart a shovel pass on third-and-ballgame with 1:50 to go last week, giving Nebraska one more shot on offense.
NT 93 DAMION DANIELS (6-3, 325, Jr., Dallas)
* Was a three-star recruit, No. 54 in Texas.
* Quality player, probably going to get All-Big Ten mention this year.
+ As a two-gapper in a 30 front, he will get into an offensive lineman and knock him back a yard while reading the play.
+ As a one-gapper, penetrated and made first contact for a TFL during Bufallo’s opening drive of the game.
+ Nice TFL as a one-gapper, crossing face and sticking the RB. Good play, good player.
DT 99 TY ROBINSON (6-6, 305, R-Fr., Gilbert, Ariz.)
* Was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 98 overall in the country by Rivals.com. Also visited Oregon, Alabama, USC.
+ Pretty strong when two-gapping inside. Looks like a good player for the future.
* I think he’s playing better than any Michigan State defensive tackle right now.
* Reasonably quick feet and hits pretty hard.
+ Terrific two-gap vs the LG, got off, made the tackle for no gain vs Buffalo in the 1Q.
+ When he surprises you with a one-gap, he’s by you. Hard for an o-lineman to adjust to that. Like the two-yard TFL he had on an inside zone against Buffalo late in the third quarter.
97 DT/DE Deontre Thomas (6-2, 285, Jr., Mustang, Okla.)
* Was a three-star recruit, No. 12 in Oklahoma.
+ Nice job splitting double team and penetrating the backfield on first-and-goal at the 1 last week, for no gain.
+ Good quickness sideline to sideline to bury an Oklahoma RB for a short gain as he tried to turn the corner.
GUESS THE GAMEPLAN VI: Michigan State Offense
* Nebraska might be a little questionable at defensive end (the DE that isn’t No. 44). Send a double-team at the other DE (especially if it’s No. 2) and see if they can hold up vs off-tackle runs. Might be able to make a dent there.
* Send counters and pulling action at DE No. 2. He will struggle.
* In a short-yardage situation, like fourth-and-one or at the goal line, you might not be able to go between the guards on Nebraska. Might need to go off-tackle, which is a wider trek, and sets you up for a possible TFL if Nebraska decides to one-gap on that play. Not an easy puzzle in short yardage. Play action pass might be the way to go.
NEBRASKA RUN DEFENSE
* They are firm at DT and most of the DL positions when two-gapping, HOWEVER I haven’t seen their DTs disengage from those two-gapping techniques to make a lot of tackles. The good two-gapping teams are firm, control, disengage and get in on tackles. I don’t see that from these guys. They have the capacity to do it but that’s something they lack.
They leave the tackling up to the LBs and the LBs are decent players, occasionally deliver nice highlight plays, but they are inconsistent tacklers.
Add it up and although Nebraska will be bent on containing Kenneth Walker III, I think there’s a good chance he gets away for a few rumbles and has another 100-yard day.
Oklahoma rushed for 194 yards (5.5 per carry), although Oklahomea did their damage against a Nebraska defense that played two-deep most of the day, willing to be soft against the run in order to contain the Sooner passing attack.
Nebraska played much less two-deep coverage against Buffalo. They might show two-deep, but would rotate to one-deep at the snap. Nebraska didn’t respect the Buffalo passing game as much and wanted to stop Buffalo’s chief weapon, which was their run game.
Which way will Nebraska play Michigan State? Probably a little bit of both, depending on down-and-distance, personnel groups and formations. But I think Nebraska will lean mostly toward trying to stop the run like they attempted to do against Buffalo.
MSU’s play action pass game will be put to use.
When Nebraska goes with single-safety deep, the corners will be playing either press man or bailing cover-three of course. Nebraska’s CBs aren’t susceptible to giving up the deep ball down the sideline either way. Michigan State will go deep once or twice because Jay Johnson believes in it, but I think it will be harder to connect with the deep ball in this game than against most opponents. If Michigan State gets it done, then wow.
LINEBACKERS
* Three solid but unspectacular LBs. Kind of Haladay and Kline types. I’ve seen all three starting linebackers get juked at least once in the last two games. No real shame in that, but they need to improve that as they get ready for Kenneth Walker III.
LB 42 NICK HENRICH (6-3, 225, R-Fr., Omaha, Neb.)
+ Pretty good lateral quickness
+ Decent sideline to sideline speed vs a fly sweep by Buffalo to secure the edge for a loss of one yard. (2 Caleb Tannor, 6-3, 225, Jr., Stone Mountain, Ga.)
MLB 28 LUKE REIMER (6-1, 225, Soph., Lincoln, Neb.)
* Former walk-on. Had an offer from Buffalo.
* Cal Haladay type when in pursuit.
* Slow to pounce and strike when the action is straight at him, is a little bit of a “catcher.”
+ Good job buzzing to the flat to tackle the RB on a swing pass on fourth and three against Buffalo in the 2Q.
- Missed a low tackle on a third-and-1 situation vs Buffalo which resulted in a 30-yard gain for the tailback.
+ Deflected pass and intercepted it, returning it 20-plus yards to the 1-yard line against Buffalo to turn a 14-3 lead into a 21-3 situation.
+ Pretty good pass rush and arm-over move against a RB to get heat on Rattler for a flush and INC on third-and-six last week in the 1H.
LB 31 Chris Kolarevic (6-1, 230, Jr., Traverse City St. Francis/Northern Iowa)
* He can play. Good short-area quickness and speed to deliver a hard hit on a swing pass against Buffalo.
* This guy was a standout at Northern Iowa and was interested in transferring to Michigan State. He reached out to Michigan State. Michigan State evaluated him but opted for Quavaris Crouch and Ben VanSumeren.
LB 13 JOJO DOMANN (6-1, 230, Colorado Springs, Colo.)
* Plays slot LB against 3-WR formations. They keep him on the field on third-and-long, in the slot.
+ Good closing quickness for a QB pressure on a fourth-and-two INC vs Buffalo.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
* Good talent at all four positions; and they will run varied coverages. Solid group.
* Pretty good cover-three zone pass defense (four man rush) on third-and-10 to force QB scramble keeper (gain of 2) to force a punt on Oklahoma’s second drive.
CB 6 QUINTON NEWSOME (6-1, 185, Soph., Suwanee, Ga.)
* Three-star recruit, No. 56 in Georgia.
+ Good job vs the run. Against Oklahoma in the 3Q, came in hard, took on a pulling guard low, axed him, and made the tackle. Very good play.
CB 5 CAM TAYLOR-BRITT (6-0, 197, Jr., Montgomery, Ala.)
* Three-star recruit, No. 27 in Alabama. Also visited Missouri, Auburn, Florida Atlantic.
* Nebraska’s best DB, one of the best CBs in the Big Ten.
* Was second-team All-Big Ten last year.
* Has a big reputation, but he’s been imperfect a few times that I’ve seen in the last two games.
* Strong frame.
- Bit on a play fake and allowed No. 1 WR to get open for a 1-yard TD pass on third-and-goal. Cornerback biting on a run fake, missing his assignment on the No. 1 WR in a tight bunch? That’s just poor discipline and one of the back-breaking mistakes that have caused Nebraska’s to have a 2-2 record.
- Squatted on a pass to the flat incorrectly allowed a catch and run for a first down against Buffalo.
- Squatting on a pass in the flat, going for a pass break-up or INT, gets neither the ball nor the tackle, WR for Oklahoma gets out for a 6 yard gain.
* He’s taking chances, smelling a pick six. Set him up for the hitch and go?
(CB 11 Braxton Clark, 6-4, 200, Orlando, Fla.)
* 5.5 Three-star recruit.
* One of the tallest CBs I’ve seen. Oklahoma challenged him on a deep post last week, Clark covered it pretty well for an INC. Mis-timed the jump or else could have gotten an INT.
* Looks pretty solid to me.
S 9 MARQUEL ISMUKE (6-1, 210, Sr., Compton, Calif.)
* Was a four-star recruit, No. 41 in California.
* Honorable mention All-Big Ten last year.
* Pretty good pop as an upper body blaster tackler.
+ Buffalo tried to beat him with a deep corner route on third-and-four. Ismuke played press, one of the rare times Nebraska shows a lot of press. Nebraska blitzed two LBs on the play. Ismuke covered pretty well, incomplete.
S 8 DEONTI WILLIAMS (6-1 ,205, Sr., Jacksonville, Fla./Jones County JC)
* Was a three-star juco recruit.
* Looks like an NFL player to me.
* Was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten last year.
* Has two INTs on the year.
* Solid hitter.
+ Good sweep tackler.
* Quality tackler.
* Will stick his nose into a lead blocker for team defense.
+ Lined up int he slot in man to man against Buffalo and really broke on the ball and drove into the WR well in the short area.
* Two interceptions against Fordham.
+ Played press in the slot occasionally against Buffalo; they tried to attack him with a deep fade to the flag but he covered it well.
+ Good job jamming a slot receiver’s attempted wheel route on fourth-and-two against Buffalo. Nebraska was in man-to-man. He reacted well to a switch release and wheel. Williams and the CB were on different levels so they could stay with their man on the switch release without bumping into each other. QB threw an INC.
SPECIAL TEAMS
* Connor Culp hit a 51-yarder last week. But had a streak of 1 for 6 including two straight misses against Oklahoma. Culp was replaced by Kellen Meyer midway through the game last week.
* Missed from 50 (off the upright), wide left from 35.
* Missed a 32-yarder to end Nebraska’s opening drive against Buffalo.
* Missed two extra points against Illinois.
* Was Big Ten Kicker of the Year last year but his head is messed up right now.
* Freshman Dan Cerini did a good job pinning Buffalo inside their 10-yard line. He only averages 36 yards per punt, though. Former Spartan William Przystup has attempted only two punts this year, banging a 52-yarder and a 48-yarder.
ADD IT ALL UP
Michigan State seems a little more reliable at place kicker. Nebraska is more likely to make mistakes, whether it’s missing field goals, or having penalties stall drives.
Michigan State is going to tackle better. MSU’s pass rush and pass protection is better than Nebraska’s. All of that, plus playing at home, makes Michigan State the favorite, just like Vegas sees it.
Nebraska’s defense, especially its pass defense, is problematic. Nebraska is better back there, and at DT, than anything Michigan State has seen thus far. And the QB is pretty dynamic.
As was the case in the Northwestern game and the Miami game, the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. This game is that precarious. Michigan State needs to continue it relatively clean-game ways, and would be happy to see Nebraska relapse to its mistake-prone ways.
If this game were played in Lincoln, I would pick Nebraska.
Nebraska has some interesting variables in that WR Omar Manning is just coming onto the scene, as is their RB committee. WR Oliver Martin is an interesting x-factor; I’m hearing he is probably out again, but guys like him and RB Markese Stepp could be pivotal players.
Michigan State has been the more consistent team thus far, and is playing at home with an improving run defense and a three-pronged offense that is settling in nicely.
Tough game. If Michigan State wins, it won’t get the credit it deserves, but it will deserve plenty.
Last edited:
