The 3-2-1 for Tulsa Week
Jim Comparoni • SpartanMag
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during Mark Dantonio’sfirst regular season press conference of the year, two questions and one prediction.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. A.J. Arcuri is the starting left tackle.
The flip side of this news is that three-and-a-half-year starter Cole Chewins is out indefinitely with a back issue.
First on Chewins: Dantonio said at the outset of camp that the senior lineman would be sidelined for portions of August as coaches and trainers sought to manage a health situation. Dantonio revealed for the first time on Tuesday that it’s been a back ailment.
“He struggled with his back throughout the preseason so he is on a day-to-day basis,” Dantonio said of Chewins. “We do anticipate that he will be able to play at some point but he has had some time off here of late. He won’t play this week.”
Brian Lewerke said Chewins played in the first scrimmage on Aug. 9. It’s unclear whether Chewins played in the second scrimmage a week later.
As for Arcuri, The 6-foot-7, 306-pound junior from Powell, Ohio has seen only 22 career snaps as an offensive lineman, all coming last year. He has overcome lower body injuries early in his career to make a recent rapid rise up the depth chart.
Is Arcuri a reach? A potential weakness? I don’t think so.
I was surprised by how solid, athletic, fluid and functional Arcuri looked as a starting left tackle in the Green-White Game in April as Chewins was given the day off. Arcuri worked against walk-on defensive ends most of the day, and swallowed them up with consistency. He also neutralized edge linebacker Noah Harveyon blitzes. He repped one snap against starting defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, and stalemated him.
“He’s been athletic,” Dantonio said of Arcuri. “He has adapted well to the left tackle position. He’s a big, strong guy. He has learned that position. I think he could play across the board with possibly the exception of center.”
I mentioned Arcuri during the off-season as an unproven player who was set to make a rise into the playing group. I’m not surprised that he is getting the starting call over Chewins for this game. The only question was Chewins’ availability.
Arcuri has looked good in practices and scrimmages. Now he needs to prove himself against an actual opponents in front of paying customers.
If Chewins had been available, there is no guarantee Chewins would have been the starting left tackle. Chewins spent some time repping at right tackle in the spring, an indication that the coaches were trying to create flexibility and depth along the line, and also an indication that they felt good about Arcuri. If Arcuri performs well on the left side, it’s possible that Chewins could slide to right tackle if and when he returns.
Chewins (6-8, 303, Sr., Clarkston) has 25 career starts at left tackle but was held out of the season opener last year with an undisclosed injury, snapping a streak of 16 straight starts. Chewins was serviceable for the remainder of the season, playing 663 snaps, fourth most on the team. But he failed to improve upon the standard he set as a sophomore, possibly due to lingering health issues.
Chewins was one of several offensive lineman who added more than 10 pounds of weight during the off-season in order to eclipse the 300-pound mark.
What It Means: Michigan State should be okay without Chewins for the short term. But at some point soon, Michigan State needs Chewins’ edge ability and experience on a unit that struggled last year due to injuries and is seeking to regain a physical identity.
2. Tyler Higby is the starting left guard.
This is the biggest surprise of preseason camp. Dantonio told us at Big Ten Media Days in July that Higby missed the summer after undergoing a procedure and would likely be out until late August.
(continued below)
Jim Comparoni • SpartanMag
EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during Mark Dantonio’sfirst regular season press conference of the year, two questions and one prediction.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. A.J. Arcuri is the starting left tackle.
The flip side of this news is that three-and-a-half-year starter Cole Chewins is out indefinitely with a back issue.
First on Chewins: Dantonio said at the outset of camp that the senior lineman would be sidelined for portions of August as coaches and trainers sought to manage a health situation. Dantonio revealed for the first time on Tuesday that it’s been a back ailment.
“He struggled with his back throughout the preseason so he is on a day-to-day basis,” Dantonio said of Chewins. “We do anticipate that he will be able to play at some point but he has had some time off here of late. He won’t play this week.”
Brian Lewerke said Chewins played in the first scrimmage on Aug. 9. It’s unclear whether Chewins played in the second scrimmage a week later.
As for Arcuri, The 6-foot-7, 306-pound junior from Powell, Ohio has seen only 22 career snaps as an offensive lineman, all coming last year. He has overcome lower body injuries early in his career to make a recent rapid rise up the depth chart.
Is Arcuri a reach? A potential weakness? I don’t think so.
I was surprised by how solid, athletic, fluid and functional Arcuri looked as a starting left tackle in the Green-White Game in April as Chewins was given the day off. Arcuri worked against walk-on defensive ends most of the day, and swallowed them up with consistency. He also neutralized edge linebacker Noah Harveyon blitzes. He repped one snap against starting defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, and stalemated him.
“He’s been athletic,” Dantonio said of Arcuri. “He has adapted well to the left tackle position. He’s a big, strong guy. He has learned that position. I think he could play across the board with possibly the exception of center.”
I mentioned Arcuri during the off-season as an unproven player who was set to make a rise into the playing group. I’m not surprised that he is getting the starting call over Chewins for this game. The only question was Chewins’ availability.
Arcuri has looked good in practices and scrimmages. Now he needs to prove himself against an actual opponents in front of paying customers.
If Chewins had been available, there is no guarantee Chewins would have been the starting left tackle. Chewins spent some time repping at right tackle in the spring, an indication that the coaches were trying to create flexibility and depth along the line, and also an indication that they felt good about Arcuri. If Arcuri performs well on the left side, it’s possible that Chewins could slide to right tackle if and when he returns.
Chewins (6-8, 303, Sr., Clarkston) has 25 career starts at left tackle but was held out of the season opener last year with an undisclosed injury, snapping a streak of 16 straight starts. Chewins was serviceable for the remainder of the season, playing 663 snaps, fourth most on the team. But he failed to improve upon the standard he set as a sophomore, possibly due to lingering health issues.
Chewins was one of several offensive lineman who added more than 10 pounds of weight during the off-season in order to eclipse the 300-pound mark.
What It Means: Michigan State should be okay without Chewins for the short term. But at some point soon, Michigan State needs Chewins’ edge ability and experience on a unit that struggled last year due to injuries and is seeking to regain a physical identity.
2. Tyler Higby is the starting left guard.
This is the biggest surprise of preseason camp. Dantonio told us at Big Ten Media Days in July that Higby missed the summer after undergoing a procedure and would likely be out until late August.
(continued below)
