Spring Football Update: Momentum is palpable
Brian Lewerke (14) and Theo Day (6) take snaps from Matt Allen and Tyler Higby at the outset of practice on Tuesday.
Ricardo Cooney
SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - What a difference a year and seven more wins make when you’re putting on the Spartan helmet and spring practice jersey for the first time after a bounce-back year in 2017.
There was a different feel in the air when various members of Michigan State’s football team spoke before the team’s first spring practice on Tuesday, the first of 15 sessions between now and early April, with the annual Green-White Game scheduled for 5 p.m. on April 7.
After a disastrous 3-9 season in 2016, MSU bounced back last season with a redemptive year that saw the program regain swagger and luster it had built up during the previous 10 years. Michigan State finished 10-3, earning a No. 15 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
That double-digit win total, capped by an impressive and sometimes dominant 42-17 victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, should serve a momentum builder for a program looking to remain near the top of the Big Ten heap and vie for the conference championship. In most years, if you win the Big Ten, it puts you in position to claim a spot in the College Football Playoff - something Michigan State achieved in 2015, and would have achieved in 2013 if the current system had been in place back then.
“It’s exciting. You want to come here,’’ linebacker Joe Bachie said of the football building. “When it’s 3-9, you don’t want to be here. It’s like, ‘Oh, c’mon.’
“But 10-3, you know we’re excited going into spring ball to carry the momentum with us.’’
Bachie had a team-high 100 tackles last year and returns as one of the best pure middle linebacker in the country. He signed to be part of a program known for success and title contention, coming out of Berea (Ohio) High school. However, he was a true freshman during the tumultuous 2016 season. He knew about past Spartan success, but hadn’t experienced it as part of the team until last year. Now he is looking to help avoid the pitfalls of 2016, duplicate the success of ’17, and build on it. So are his teammates.
“The momentum is good. It’s rolling around like it’s going downhill,’’ said senior wide receiver Felton Davis III.
With an offense that returns all of its top skills players in Davis, junior quarterback Brian Lewerke, senior running back L.J. Scott), the Spartans will be looking to get into an early offensive groove when MSU opens its season on Aug. 31st at home against Utah State.
MSU returns 100 percent of its passing yards from the quarterback position, 82 percent of its receptions, 81 percent of its receiving yards, and 71 percent of its rushing yards.
Out of a possible 143 starts last season at 11 positions over the course of 13 games, the Spartans are returning 119 (83 percent).
“As a whole, offense-wise, I know we started off pretty slow (last year) but we finished strong, scoring like 28 points a game at the end of the season,” Davis said. “So, we’re going to take that into this one, into spring ball, with us clicking and just run with that.
Michigan State finished last year with 42 points in the victory over Washington State and 40 in the regular season finale, a 40-7 win at Rutgers on Nov. 25.
“Coming off a 10-win season, it’s just the life in all of us,” Davis said. “I mean, we don’t lose the chip off our shoulders but last year, coming off a 3-9 season, people were kind of down, not knowing what we were capable of doing. But this season, coming off a 10-3 season, we know what we’re capable of doing, we’re capable of taking the next step, like the Big Ten Championship or the National Championship, those type of things.’’
And with a defense that boasts the return of two of its three starting linebackers from last season, all four members of its starting secondary, and 10 of its top 11 tacklers, expectations will be high, especially when you consider the fact that down in the trenches, MSU didn’t lose a whole lot key contributors.
That defense returns nine starters from a unit that ended last season ranked No. 2 in rushing defense at 95.3 yards per game and No. 7 in FBS in total defense, surrendering 297.6 ypg.
With just one major loss on the offensive line - three-time All-Big Ten center Brian Allen - there was even more of a reason to contemplate the possibility of even higher success this season when players were interviewed for the first time in 2018 about this year’s direction.
But as expected, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who is entering his 12th season on the sidelines, wants nothing taken for granted.
“I hope we always feel like we have to earn things around here,’’ Dantonio said. “Last year, we sort of re-gathered ourselves and went at things one at a time and that’s what we’ve got to (continue to) do. We’ve just got to continue to try and do things right; on the field, off the field and in the classroom.’’
Senior safety Khari Willis says complacency won’t be a problem.
“We still want to create positive momentum, just trusting each other and really, really wanting to get better,’’ said senior safety Khari Willis, who finished last season’s turnaround as MSU’s fourth-leading tackler. “We’ve seen things on film already after the year with coaches doing studies and looking for ways for us to get better. It was less baggage (coming into this spring) but our approach is still the same. We’re still digging and we’re still trying to find it.
“But first, we want to get our young guys acclimated first, stay positive with our team and make sure everybody’s on board and finish off strong academically. And as far as football goes, we always want to take strides as far as winning the (Big Ten) East. That’s always been a mantra here, even when were 3-9.’’
CENTER OF ATTENTION
Dantonio usually doesn’t broach the subjects of potential trouble in filling a vacated position, but he did make special mention of the center position on Tuesday.
With the loss of Brian Allen, it is widely believed that redshirt sophomore Matt Allen, the third and last of the three Allen brothers to don a Spartan uniform, would step in and fill that role.
That may not be the case though.
If Allen’s talents are needed more at the guard position, the Spartans may need to fill that position by converting another offensive lineman to center.
Entering spring ball, redshirt junior walk-on Bryce Wilker is the only o-lineman listed on the spring roster as a center. At the outset of practice on Tuesday, Allen, Tyler Higby, Jordan Reid and walk-on Blake Bueter (6-4, 300, R-Fr., Howell/Detroit Catholic Central) provided reps for early QB/C snap exchange drills.
“I think the biggest loss is our center,’’ Dantonio said. “We’ve got to find a proven center. We’re young at that position but we’ve got talented guys.’’
MAINTAINING FOCUS
As expected, Dantonio was asked about the situation still hanging over the football program and Michigan State after an ESPN report on sexual assaults debuted on Jan. 26.
When asked if he had something he wanted to add in terms of a response to his initial statement on Jan. 26, Dantonio said, “Only that I want to commit to be part of the solution. I made my statement on how I feel about things and hopefully, we’re healing as a community and healing as a university. It’s a step-by-step process. A lot of times spring’s a time for new beginnings and I’ll use that in this case as well. It’s an opportunity to grow and get better at everything we’re doing and looking at.’’
Brian Lewerke (14) and Theo Day (6) take snaps from Matt Allen and Tyler Higby at the outset of practice on Tuesday.
Ricardo Cooney
SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - What a difference a year and seven more wins make when you’re putting on the Spartan helmet and spring practice jersey for the first time after a bounce-back year in 2017.
There was a different feel in the air when various members of Michigan State’s football team spoke before the team’s first spring practice on Tuesday, the first of 15 sessions between now and early April, with the annual Green-White Game scheduled for 5 p.m. on April 7.
After a disastrous 3-9 season in 2016, MSU bounced back last season with a redemptive year that saw the program regain swagger and luster it had built up during the previous 10 years. Michigan State finished 10-3, earning a No. 15 ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
That double-digit win total, capped by an impressive and sometimes dominant 42-17 victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, should serve a momentum builder for a program looking to remain near the top of the Big Ten heap and vie for the conference championship. In most years, if you win the Big Ten, it puts you in position to claim a spot in the College Football Playoff - something Michigan State achieved in 2015, and would have achieved in 2013 if the current system had been in place back then.
“It’s exciting. You want to come here,’’ linebacker Joe Bachie said of the football building. “When it’s 3-9, you don’t want to be here. It’s like, ‘Oh, c’mon.’
“But 10-3, you know we’re excited going into spring ball to carry the momentum with us.’’
Bachie had a team-high 100 tackles last year and returns as one of the best pure middle linebacker in the country. He signed to be part of a program known for success and title contention, coming out of Berea (Ohio) High school. However, he was a true freshman during the tumultuous 2016 season. He knew about past Spartan success, but hadn’t experienced it as part of the team until last year. Now he is looking to help avoid the pitfalls of 2016, duplicate the success of ’17, and build on it. So are his teammates.
“The momentum is good. It’s rolling around like it’s going downhill,’’ said senior wide receiver Felton Davis III.
With an offense that returns all of its top skills players in Davis, junior quarterback Brian Lewerke, senior running back L.J. Scott), the Spartans will be looking to get into an early offensive groove when MSU opens its season on Aug. 31st at home against Utah State.
MSU returns 100 percent of its passing yards from the quarterback position, 82 percent of its receptions, 81 percent of its receiving yards, and 71 percent of its rushing yards.
Out of a possible 143 starts last season at 11 positions over the course of 13 games, the Spartans are returning 119 (83 percent).
“As a whole, offense-wise, I know we started off pretty slow (last year) but we finished strong, scoring like 28 points a game at the end of the season,” Davis said. “So, we’re going to take that into this one, into spring ball, with us clicking and just run with that.
Michigan State finished last year with 42 points in the victory over Washington State and 40 in the regular season finale, a 40-7 win at Rutgers on Nov. 25.
“Coming off a 10-win season, it’s just the life in all of us,” Davis said. “I mean, we don’t lose the chip off our shoulders but last year, coming off a 3-9 season, people were kind of down, not knowing what we were capable of doing. But this season, coming off a 10-3 season, we know what we’re capable of doing, we’re capable of taking the next step, like the Big Ten Championship or the National Championship, those type of things.’’
And with a defense that boasts the return of two of its three starting linebackers from last season, all four members of its starting secondary, and 10 of its top 11 tacklers, expectations will be high, especially when you consider the fact that down in the trenches, MSU didn’t lose a whole lot key contributors.
That defense returns nine starters from a unit that ended last season ranked No. 2 in rushing defense at 95.3 yards per game and No. 7 in FBS in total defense, surrendering 297.6 ypg.
With just one major loss on the offensive line - three-time All-Big Ten center Brian Allen - there was even more of a reason to contemplate the possibility of even higher success this season when players were interviewed for the first time in 2018 about this year’s direction.
But as expected, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who is entering his 12th season on the sidelines, wants nothing taken for granted.
“I hope we always feel like we have to earn things around here,’’ Dantonio said. “Last year, we sort of re-gathered ourselves and went at things one at a time and that’s what we’ve got to (continue to) do. We’ve just got to continue to try and do things right; on the field, off the field and in the classroom.’’
Senior safety Khari Willis says complacency won’t be a problem.
“We still want to create positive momentum, just trusting each other and really, really wanting to get better,’’ said senior safety Khari Willis, who finished last season’s turnaround as MSU’s fourth-leading tackler. “We’ve seen things on film already after the year with coaches doing studies and looking for ways for us to get better. It was less baggage (coming into this spring) but our approach is still the same. We’re still digging and we’re still trying to find it.
“But first, we want to get our young guys acclimated first, stay positive with our team and make sure everybody’s on board and finish off strong academically. And as far as football goes, we always want to take strides as far as winning the (Big Ten) East. That’s always been a mantra here, even when were 3-9.’’
CENTER OF ATTENTION
Dantonio usually doesn’t broach the subjects of potential trouble in filling a vacated position, but he did make special mention of the center position on Tuesday.
With the loss of Brian Allen, it is widely believed that redshirt sophomore Matt Allen, the third and last of the three Allen brothers to don a Spartan uniform, would step in and fill that role.
That may not be the case though.
If Allen’s talents are needed more at the guard position, the Spartans may need to fill that position by converting another offensive lineman to center.
Entering spring ball, redshirt junior walk-on Bryce Wilker is the only o-lineman listed on the spring roster as a center. At the outset of practice on Tuesday, Allen, Tyler Higby, Jordan Reid and walk-on Blake Bueter (6-4, 300, R-Fr., Howell/Detroit Catholic Central) provided reps for early QB/C snap exchange drills.
“I think the biggest loss is our center,’’ Dantonio said. “We’ve got to find a proven center. We’re young at that position but we’ve got talented guys.’’
MAINTAINING FOCUS
As expected, Dantonio was asked about the situation still hanging over the football program and Michigan State after an ESPN report on sexual assaults debuted on Jan. 26.
When asked if he had something he wanted to add in terms of a response to his initial statement on Jan. 26, Dantonio said, “Only that I want to commit to be part of the solution. I made my statement on how I feel about things and hopefully, we’re healing as a community and healing as a university. It’s a step-by-step process. A lot of times spring’s a time for new beginnings and I’ll use that in this case as well. It’s an opportunity to grow and get better at everything we’re doing and looking at.’’
