THE MICRO
INDIANA DEFENSE:
Indiana’s run defense is a question mark, but I’m not ready to say it’s a weakness ready for harvesting this weekend.
Indiana allowed 204 yards rushing to Ball State. Ball State ran a tempo spread attack, not quite applicable to the way Michigan State will operate the run game.
Virginia rushed for 188, but 123 of those were by the QB in a zone read keeper scheme, which isn’t applicable to the way Michigan State will play offense.
**
Overall, Indiana has some good players at each level of the defense, but speed is a bit questionable in some areas of the back seven, and tackling isn’t consistently good back there.
That being said, inside linebacker Reakwon Jones (No. 7) is pretty good, defensive back Jon Crawford (No. 9) is good, slot linebacker Marcelino Ball (No. 42) is active, and cornerback Andre Brown (No. 14) is one of those underrated two-star Georgia DBs on his way to big things.
The supporting cast is just okay, but they are well-coached, and bound together with good same pageness.
They play A LOT of second- and third-stringers, maybe too many for their own good.
* Twenty-six different players posted tackles last week. They routinely play 30 or more guys on defense in each game. They’ll put a whole new front seven on the field for the beginning of a drive. Their second-string front seven are kind of like MAC-level starters, but they serve a purpose, keeping the actual Hoosier starters fresh.
The negative to that is any dropoff in talent, experience or ability from the first string to the second and even the third string.
When they go to the second string, their defensive front is functional but there is a dropoff. Michigan State can go to the run game when the second-string defensive front comes in, as was the case during the first FG drive vs ASU’s second string defensive front.
* Something to know: Two different IU players, a safety and their hybrid ‘star’ bandit type player, were beaten deep on wheel routes vs UVa. I assume they have fixed that, but don’t be surprised if Michigan State tests it. Ball State tried it on the opening drive but back-up LB T.D. Roof covered it.
MORE TIDBITS:
* Indiana had seven TFLs vs Ball State, by five different players.
* IU had problems with the jet sweep vs Florida International in week one. MSU loves that play, and variations of it. They'll test IU with it. Last year, MSU ran a reverse to Felton Davis for about 19 yards. So if IU reacts with too much flow to the fly sweep, it will be interesting to see if MSU flips it back the other way with a reverse.
* Indiana attacks upfield in the front seven, and plays a good bit of man-to-man in the back, so they are susceptible to the QB draw or QB scrambles. I would look for one or two long runs by Brian Lewerke in this game, and Michigan State may need it.
Attacking upfield might sound like something everybody does, but fewer teams are going wholesale upfield these days. More teams are hanging back and building a fence at the line of scrimmage rather than charging upfield and getting turned inside-out by read options. Tempo is also causing defenses to keep their d-linemen home more often, rather than charging upfield.
But Indiana charges straight-line upfield any chance they get.
* Let the record show that Indiana’s defense has allowed 28, 16 and 10 points. They haven’t played the best competition, but Michigan State (so far) doesn’t look like great competition on offense. Michigan State will try to change that this weekend.
THE SCHEME:
Indiana is mostly a 4-3, over, one-gapping defense. They’ll two-gap a little bit, but they mostly one-gap, which is what MSU’s o-line is accustomed to seeing in practice. Michigan State's o-line has been most comfortable against 4-3, over, one-gap defenses over the years, but they had trouble running the ball vs IU last year (due to IU bringing safeties up to help, as mentioned in the Macro Pre-Snap read).
In coverage, every team tries to disguise things. I think Indiana is better than most.
Examples:
* Against Virginia, on a third down, they showed press and then drop back into cover-two zone. QB tucked and ran and was tackled short of the first down.
* Against FIU, the Hoosiers showed press with two deep safeties against a three-WR formation. At the snap, one of the deep safeties jumped the slot receiver, and it became man-to-man. QB thought the slot WR had a free release and threw to him quick. Safety jumped the route, pick six.
* It’s not a great Indiana defense, but they have a good bit of their crap together.
THE PERSONNEL:
in order of merit:
7 ILB REAKWON JONES (6-2, 235, Jr., Lynn Haven, Fla.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit. Also visited Florida Atlantic.
* Plays hard, plays straight, plays smart. Good enough speed.
* Dogged determination in pursuit. Looks heavier than 235.
* Solid, quality Big Ten middle linebacker.
9 DB JON CRAWFORD (6-2, 196, Sr., Largo, Fla.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit.
* Also visited Iowa, North Carolina, Syracuse,
* Had a 33-yard INT return for a TD vs FIU.
+ Good in run support, coming forward at the proper angle, angling off of blocks, arriving at the ball efficiently.
* Capable player. Dependable, solid tackler.
* Good in full-tilt pursuit, at any angle.
* Real good pursuit speed and finish on an edge blitz last week.
14 CB ANDRE BROWN (6-0, 200, Jr., Decatur, Ga.)
* Two-star recruit from Decatur Columbia, unranked by Rivals.com. Was ranked No. 127 in Georgia by ESPN.
* Had offers from Indiana, Duke, Harvard, Kentucky, NC State, Yale, Wake Forest.
+ Pretty good break on the ball to disrupt a jailbreak screen and stop it for a loss of a yard vs UVa.
+ Tested deep on a post by UVA in the 3Q, covered it pretty well. In off-zone, the WR had a step initially, but Brown with good make-up speed and body control at the end.
* Started 10 games last year and 8 as a freshman in 2015. Missed 2016 with an injury.
WHAT ABOUT THE DTs?
* Can they withstand a good double-team block?
They don’t have anyone as stubborn as Nate Hoff was last year. Michigan State spent most of the afternoon trying to move Hoff off the line of scrimmage and never succeeded.
No. 54 is okay against double teams.
No. 91 is quick and athletic, but not good against double-teams.
91 DT JACOB ROBINSON 6-4, 295, Sr., Westfield, Ind.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit, ranked No. 18 in Indiana.
* Pretty good feet when slanting, body lean.
* Not good enough against double teams.
* Quick feet to close in the short area.
He will see a steady dose of double-teams from Jarvis/Reid or Campbell/Beedle or Chewins/Beedle. There could be movement and room through No. 91.
54 NT JA’MEREZ BOWEN (6-4, 311, Sr.,
* Played pretty well vs Ball State.
* Decent as two-gapping stump, but not a line-basher like Renell Wren.
Bowen’s back-up is No. 51, Mike Barwick (6-0, 307. He’s serviceable but he doesn’t pass the eye test. Looks more like a MAC guy.
WHAT ABOUT THE D-ENDS
* They’re okay, but limited. They work hard. No game-breakers out there.
* No. 99 had some tools, but he isn’t a starter.
99 DE ALLEN STALLINGS (6-2, 247, Jr., Oak Park, Ill.)
* Was a 5.3, two-star recruit, with no other offers.
* He is listed as a second-string DE, but I like him. He plays bigger than his size.
* Pretty quick take-off, can bend low with it. Good shoulder dip to penetrate for key TFL in the last two minutes vs UVa.
+ Good inside slant and then a late change of direction to finish on a TFL to stymie Ball State’s opening drive.
35 DE NILE SYKES (6-2, 252, Sr.)
* Strong side DE. He starts ahead of 99.
* Pretty good take off, pretty good slight head-and-shoulder fake, not sure he can bend the corner. Pretty good heat during UVa’s Hail Mary.
* No. 69, DE Gavin Everett (6-3, 262, Jr., Center Grove, Ind.), was out with an injury last week. He's a former walk-on.
* Had a TFL early in the UVA game on a jet sweep. Good job beating the TE and setting the edge vs the fly sweep.
* Seemed limited late in the UVa game but might have been playing hurt because he missed the following week.
* Overall, he's limited.
* Off the bench, true freshman No. 6 James Head is interesting.
(6 James Head 6-5, 248, Fr., Miami, Fla.)
* Different type of athlete, is just beginning at IU.
* Defensive end but he will stand up and play inside linebacker on third down, good straight line speed, not sure how agile he is.
* Was a three-star 5.7 recruit ranked No. 33 strongside DE in the country.
* Also had offers from Michigan State, Baylor, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, South Carolina. Was a summer commitment.
WHAT ABOUT THE LINEBACKERS?
No. 43 as one of the inside linebackers has average speed and athleticism.
43 plays next to Reakwon Jones.
One is good, one is limited. That’s the way Indiana is at a lot of position groups on defense.
43 ILB DAMEONN WILLIS (6-1, 225, Sr., Cleveland)
* 5.6 three star recruit, ranked No. 54 in Ohio.
* Willis considered retiring after last season. According to Allen, Willis was “beat up” after last season, but then had some time away from the field and decided to come back.
* I hate to say he has average speed and athleticism, considering that Coach Allen said the kid was beat up last year. I give him credit for battling through, but the truth is he just a little bit slow to the edge. On a QB spy play against Virginia, he took the wrong angle, got banana peeled, allowed the QB to turn the corner on a scramble.
* But this kid is experienced and smart, and give Indiana some straight-line aggressiveness between the tackles. He had seven stops vs Michigan State last year.
**
As for special teams, Indiana had a field goal and a point-after blocked against Virginia, which turned what should have been a 24-7 lead into a 20-9 game, and put IU in severe trouble in the final minutes.
But it looked like they figured out their protections last week.
**
WHAT ABOUT THE PASS RUSH?
* The defensive ends are okay, but not great. I don’t think they are a down-in, down-out nuisance.
On third down, IU will bring six players to the line of scrimmage and not attempt to conceal that they are blitzing.
Crawford at safety is a pretty good finisher as a blitzer, but you can’t play that card too often
WHAT'S IT SPELL?
Overall, we should expect Indiana to stack the box again with nine, and I think Michigan State will have the balance to attack and move the ball better than last year. They had better, because Indiana will be charged up and if they are holding Michigan State under 10 points for three quarters, that momentum will carry over to Indiana’s offense, and the Spartans could get in trouble.
But I think that’s a slightly less-likely scenario. I think MSU’s offense has the balance and the quarterbacking to put drives together better than last year. And when Michigan State gets in the red zone, they had darn well do better than 25 percent touchdowns, or else this will be a third-straight nail-biting game.
I think Indiana’s mediocrity vs double-teams inside, especially when they go to the second string, SHOULD enable Michigan State to get an inside run game going. And if the safeties come down early to stuff it, then Michigan State needs to test IU deep more frequently than we’ve seen from Michigan State in the first two weeks.
Mark Dantonio said during his radio show that they need to do more to make sure Felton Davis is involved and getting more touches. If Indiana is selling out to stop the run, Michigan State needs to find a way to make them pay via Davis.
INDIANA DEFENSE:
Indiana’s run defense is a question mark, but I’m not ready to say it’s a weakness ready for harvesting this weekend.
Indiana allowed 204 yards rushing to Ball State. Ball State ran a tempo spread attack, not quite applicable to the way Michigan State will operate the run game.
Virginia rushed for 188, but 123 of those were by the QB in a zone read keeper scheme, which isn’t applicable to the way Michigan State will play offense.
**
Overall, Indiana has some good players at each level of the defense, but speed is a bit questionable in some areas of the back seven, and tackling isn’t consistently good back there.
That being said, inside linebacker Reakwon Jones (No. 7) is pretty good, defensive back Jon Crawford (No. 9) is good, slot linebacker Marcelino Ball (No. 42) is active, and cornerback Andre Brown (No. 14) is one of those underrated two-star Georgia DBs on his way to big things.
The supporting cast is just okay, but they are well-coached, and bound together with good same pageness.
They play A LOT of second- and third-stringers, maybe too many for their own good.
* Twenty-six different players posted tackles last week. They routinely play 30 or more guys on defense in each game. They’ll put a whole new front seven on the field for the beginning of a drive. Their second-string front seven are kind of like MAC-level starters, but they serve a purpose, keeping the actual Hoosier starters fresh.
The negative to that is any dropoff in talent, experience or ability from the first string to the second and even the third string.
When they go to the second string, their defensive front is functional but there is a dropoff. Michigan State can go to the run game when the second-string defensive front comes in, as was the case during the first FG drive vs ASU’s second string defensive front.
* Something to know: Two different IU players, a safety and their hybrid ‘star’ bandit type player, were beaten deep on wheel routes vs UVa. I assume they have fixed that, but don’t be surprised if Michigan State tests it. Ball State tried it on the opening drive but back-up LB T.D. Roof covered it.
MORE TIDBITS:
* Indiana had seven TFLs vs Ball State, by five different players.
* IU had problems with the jet sweep vs Florida International in week one. MSU loves that play, and variations of it. They'll test IU with it. Last year, MSU ran a reverse to Felton Davis for about 19 yards. So if IU reacts with too much flow to the fly sweep, it will be interesting to see if MSU flips it back the other way with a reverse.
* Indiana attacks upfield in the front seven, and plays a good bit of man-to-man in the back, so they are susceptible to the QB draw or QB scrambles. I would look for one or two long runs by Brian Lewerke in this game, and Michigan State may need it.
Attacking upfield might sound like something everybody does, but fewer teams are going wholesale upfield these days. More teams are hanging back and building a fence at the line of scrimmage rather than charging upfield and getting turned inside-out by read options. Tempo is also causing defenses to keep their d-linemen home more often, rather than charging upfield.
But Indiana charges straight-line upfield any chance they get.
* Let the record show that Indiana’s defense has allowed 28, 16 and 10 points. They haven’t played the best competition, but Michigan State (so far) doesn’t look like great competition on offense. Michigan State will try to change that this weekend.
THE SCHEME:
Indiana is mostly a 4-3, over, one-gapping defense. They’ll two-gap a little bit, but they mostly one-gap, which is what MSU’s o-line is accustomed to seeing in practice. Michigan State's o-line has been most comfortable against 4-3, over, one-gap defenses over the years, but they had trouble running the ball vs IU last year (due to IU bringing safeties up to help, as mentioned in the Macro Pre-Snap read).
In coverage, every team tries to disguise things. I think Indiana is better than most.
Examples:
* Against Virginia, on a third down, they showed press and then drop back into cover-two zone. QB tucked and ran and was tackled short of the first down.
* Against FIU, the Hoosiers showed press with two deep safeties against a three-WR formation. At the snap, one of the deep safeties jumped the slot receiver, and it became man-to-man. QB thought the slot WR had a free release and threw to him quick. Safety jumped the route, pick six.
* It’s not a great Indiana defense, but they have a good bit of their crap together.
THE PERSONNEL:
in order of merit:
7 ILB REAKWON JONES (6-2, 235, Jr., Lynn Haven, Fla.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit. Also visited Florida Atlantic.
* Plays hard, plays straight, plays smart. Good enough speed.
* Dogged determination in pursuit. Looks heavier than 235.
* Solid, quality Big Ten middle linebacker.
9 DB JON CRAWFORD (6-2, 196, Sr., Largo, Fla.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit.
* Also visited Iowa, North Carolina, Syracuse,
* Had a 33-yard INT return for a TD vs FIU.
+ Good in run support, coming forward at the proper angle, angling off of blocks, arriving at the ball efficiently.
* Capable player. Dependable, solid tackler.
* Good in full-tilt pursuit, at any angle.
* Real good pursuit speed and finish on an edge blitz last week.
14 CB ANDRE BROWN (6-0, 200, Jr., Decatur, Ga.)
* Two-star recruit from Decatur Columbia, unranked by Rivals.com. Was ranked No. 127 in Georgia by ESPN.
* Had offers from Indiana, Duke, Harvard, Kentucky, NC State, Yale, Wake Forest.
+ Pretty good break on the ball to disrupt a jailbreak screen and stop it for a loss of a yard vs UVa.
+ Tested deep on a post by UVA in the 3Q, covered it pretty well. In off-zone, the WR had a step initially, but Brown with good make-up speed and body control at the end.
* Started 10 games last year and 8 as a freshman in 2015. Missed 2016 with an injury.
WHAT ABOUT THE DTs?
* Can they withstand a good double-team block?
They don’t have anyone as stubborn as Nate Hoff was last year. Michigan State spent most of the afternoon trying to move Hoff off the line of scrimmage and never succeeded.
No. 54 is okay against double teams.
No. 91 is quick and athletic, but not good against double-teams.
91 DT JACOB ROBINSON 6-4, 295, Sr., Westfield, Ind.)
* Was a 5.5 three-star recruit, ranked No. 18 in Indiana.
* Pretty good feet when slanting, body lean.
* Not good enough against double teams.
* Quick feet to close in the short area.
He will see a steady dose of double-teams from Jarvis/Reid or Campbell/Beedle or Chewins/Beedle. There could be movement and room through No. 91.
54 NT JA’MEREZ BOWEN (6-4, 311, Sr.,
* Played pretty well vs Ball State.
* Decent as two-gapping stump, but not a line-basher like Renell Wren.
Bowen’s back-up is No. 51, Mike Barwick (6-0, 307. He’s serviceable but he doesn’t pass the eye test. Looks more like a MAC guy.
WHAT ABOUT THE D-ENDS
* They’re okay, but limited. They work hard. No game-breakers out there.
* No. 99 had some tools, but he isn’t a starter.
99 DE ALLEN STALLINGS (6-2, 247, Jr., Oak Park, Ill.)
* Was a 5.3, two-star recruit, with no other offers.
* He is listed as a second-string DE, but I like him. He plays bigger than his size.
* Pretty quick take-off, can bend low with it. Good shoulder dip to penetrate for key TFL in the last two minutes vs UVa.
+ Good inside slant and then a late change of direction to finish on a TFL to stymie Ball State’s opening drive.
35 DE NILE SYKES (6-2, 252, Sr.)
* Strong side DE. He starts ahead of 99.
* Pretty good take off, pretty good slight head-and-shoulder fake, not sure he can bend the corner. Pretty good heat during UVa’s Hail Mary.
* No. 69, DE Gavin Everett (6-3, 262, Jr., Center Grove, Ind.), was out with an injury last week. He's a former walk-on.
* Had a TFL early in the UVA game on a jet sweep. Good job beating the TE and setting the edge vs the fly sweep.
* Seemed limited late in the UVa game but might have been playing hurt because he missed the following week.
* Overall, he's limited.
* Off the bench, true freshman No. 6 James Head is interesting.
(6 James Head 6-5, 248, Fr., Miami, Fla.)
* Different type of athlete, is just beginning at IU.
* Defensive end but he will stand up and play inside linebacker on third down, good straight line speed, not sure how agile he is.
* Was a three-star 5.7 recruit ranked No. 33 strongside DE in the country.
* Also had offers from Michigan State, Baylor, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, South Carolina. Was a summer commitment.
WHAT ABOUT THE LINEBACKERS?
No. 43 as one of the inside linebackers has average speed and athleticism.
43 plays next to Reakwon Jones.
One is good, one is limited. That’s the way Indiana is at a lot of position groups on defense.
43 ILB DAMEONN WILLIS (6-1, 225, Sr., Cleveland)
* 5.6 three star recruit, ranked No. 54 in Ohio.
* Willis considered retiring after last season. According to Allen, Willis was “beat up” after last season, but then had some time away from the field and decided to come back.
* I hate to say he has average speed and athleticism, considering that Coach Allen said the kid was beat up last year. I give him credit for battling through, but the truth is he just a little bit slow to the edge. On a QB spy play against Virginia, he took the wrong angle, got banana peeled, allowed the QB to turn the corner on a scramble.
* But this kid is experienced and smart, and give Indiana some straight-line aggressiveness between the tackles. He had seven stops vs Michigan State last year.
**
As for special teams, Indiana had a field goal and a point-after blocked against Virginia, which turned what should have been a 24-7 lead into a 20-9 game, and put IU in severe trouble in the final minutes.
But it looked like they figured out their protections last week.
**
WHAT ABOUT THE PASS RUSH?
* The defensive ends are okay, but not great. I don’t think they are a down-in, down-out nuisance.
On third down, IU will bring six players to the line of scrimmage and not attempt to conceal that they are blitzing.
Crawford at safety is a pretty good finisher as a blitzer, but you can’t play that card too often
WHAT'S IT SPELL?
Overall, we should expect Indiana to stack the box again with nine, and I think Michigan State will have the balance to attack and move the ball better than last year. They had better, because Indiana will be charged up and if they are holding Michigan State under 10 points for three quarters, that momentum will carry over to Indiana’s offense, and the Spartans could get in trouble.
But I think that’s a slightly less-likely scenario. I think MSU’s offense has the balance and the quarterbacking to put drives together better than last year. And when Michigan State gets in the red zone, they had darn well do better than 25 percent touchdowns, or else this will be a third-straight nail-biting game.
I think Indiana’s mediocrity vs double-teams inside, especially when they go to the second string, SHOULD enable Michigan State to get an inside run game going. And if the safeties come down early to stuff it, then Michigan State needs to test IU deep more frequently than we’ve seen from Michigan State in the first two weeks.
Mark Dantonio said during his radio show that they need to do more to make sure Felton Davis is involved and getting more touches. If Indiana is selling out to stop the run, Michigan State needs to find a way to make them pay via Davis.
