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Michigan State Football: Report card for Maryland loss
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Ty Johnson (6) runs for a gain defended by Michigan State Spartans defensive back Demetrious Cox (7) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
What does the report card for Michigan State football look like after the Spartans’ loss to Maryland on Saturday?
Michigan State football suffered its fifth consecutive loss of the season on Saturday night when it traveled to College Park. The Maryland Terrapins played the Spartans tough and came away with a 28-17 home victory.
Mark Dantonio is starting to show that he’s not afraid to look toward the future. Playing true freshmen should not be out of the question and he’s doing his best to prove that. Guys like Joe Bachie, Kenney Lyke, Auston Robertson and Justin Layne played prominent roles on Saturday against the Terps.
The Spartans are now just 2-5 on the year, but it’s pretty clear that the future in East Lansing is bright. These young players are gaining some valuable experience and it can only help in 2017 and beyond.
What does the report card look like for the Spartans’ Week 8 loss to Maryland? Take a look:
Offensive Line
OL, Last Week: D
Another week of mediocre play in the trenches for the Spartans started with poor offensive line play when it came to protecting the pass. Brian Lewerke was sent scrambling and threw the ball away a few times, but it seemed to get in his head throughout and he was missing easy throws.
The run lanes were opened up much more effectively this week than they were against Northwestern and the offense seemed to be switching things up regularly. That was the main improvement from last week’s performance and if the line can continue to block well in the run game, the passing offense will take care of itself.
Lewerke was sacked just once, but still being sent scrambling more often than not hurt his completion rate.
Changes were made, inserting some younger guys like Tyler Higby and Thiyo Lukusa and that’s definitely a step in the right direction for the future.
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Kenneth Goins (30) gains yardage in the fourth quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Line
DL, Last Week: F
The defensive line’s inability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks is beginning to wear down defensive backs. Maryland’s Perry Hills had an incredible game through the air and it’s because the Spartans just couldn’t get much of a push on him.
Malik McDowell continues to be the lone star on this unit through seven games, recording five tackles and his first full sack of the year. His numbers in the sack department might be down in 2016 and that’s only because offensive lines don’t have to worry about anyone else but him when facing the Spartans. He has been double-teamed like crazy.
It was nice to see Auston Robertson, Kyonta Stallworth and other freshmen get some playing time. Raequan Williams, a redshirt freshman who I think can be solid, was nearly non-existent and it’s unclear whether his injury over the past few weeks has caused him to be a bit rusty.
The team recorded just one sack which kind of goes with the theme of the 2016 season. Ever since the Notre Dame game, getting pressure on the opposing quarterbacks has been minimal and disappointing. Michigan State has just six team sacks through seven games, totally uncharacteristic of a Mark Dantonio-coached team.
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Michigan State Spartans linebacker Riley Bullough (30) is ejected from the game in the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Linebackers
LB, Last Week: C-
This grade would have been much higher had it not been for the boneheaded effort put forth by senior captain Riley Bullough. He talked all week about wanting to come out with a chip on his shoulder and how the team was ready to play tough, and he was just far too aggressive.
Yes, there is such thing as being ‘too aggressive’ as a linebacker. Making plays and delivering big hits are one thing, but getting personal fouls and an ejection for targeting just shouldn’t happen. He played too out of control and wasn’t focused on the end goal and that got him ejected.
Playing the final 50 minutes of the game without the top linebacker and leader is something that can kill a defense, and it was evident that his presence was missed.
Speaking of missed, there were far too many whiffs on tackles and long runs allowed through these linebackers. Chris Frey did play well, leading the team with seven solo tackles, 10 total, and he has become one of the more consistent linebackers this season.
Andrew Dowell finished with five tackles and was somewhat quiet. However, true freshman Joe Bachie saw his redshirt burned and he played extremely well, recording seven total tackles and 1.5 for loss.
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Levern Jacobs (8) defended after a catch by Michigan State Spartans defensive back Demetrious Cox (7) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Backs
DB, Last Week: D-
Maryland’s first touchdown of the day was on a nice, shifty run which no Spartan defender seemed to be able to stop, but the second score was much more frustrating. Even while watching missed tackles left and right, the touchdown allowed by Michigan State’s secondary in the first half was just awful.
D.J. Moore somehow got behind everyone in the defensive backfield for a 36-yard touchdown catch from Perry Hills. Not only was he open, but there was no Spartan within 5-10 yards of the receiver. Demetrious Cox was the man in ‘coverage’ and completely missed on a post route, electing to take the outside receiver instead of Moore.
That was the only major passing play other than Lavern Jacobs’ 34-yard reception in the second half. Michigan State did limit the big plays down field, but it just feels like this secondary is playing without fire. That might be due to the fact that the defensive line isn’t getting any pressure which is allowing these quarterbacks to pick apart the secondary.
Hills, an average quarterback at best, went 21-of-27 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. His fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Jacobs in the corner of the end zone sealed the game and the coverage on that play was lackluster as well.
The bright spots in this unit were Montae Nicholson, as always, along with Khari Willis who led the team with 11 total tackles and Justin Layne.
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) runs the ball defended by Maryland Terrapins linebacker Shane Cockerille (2) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs
RB, Last Week: F
Here you have it, the highest-graded position group on the team from Saturday and it’s really not that big of a surprise. The run game got back on track in a big way, recording its most rushing yards of the season with 270 — 10 more than it had against Notre Dame back in Week 3.
Having a quarterback that can run the ball well also helps. Lewerke finished with 79 yards on 10 carries, ranking second on the team. Right behind him was Gerald Holmes who had 13 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
LJ Scott had the monster game for the Spartans and led all rushers with 128 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. It was the first time he carried the ball 20 times since the Notre Dame game and it paid off.
In the three games that he has 20 or more carries this year, he has picked up 331 total yards and is averaging 5.3 per carry. In the four games in which he has less than 20 rushes, he’s averaging 4.3 yards per touch and has a total of just 131 yards.
The only issue I had with this unit was not with the actual players, but the coaching staff deciding to take out a red-hot Scott for Holmes in the second half. That can mess with a kid’s momentum and when Scott is having the type of game he had, the staff needs to leave him in there until he cools down.
Overall, the running backs might be getting back their mojo with a 250-plus yard performance for the second time this year. It was their first 100-plus yard game in three weeks.
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive back Alvin Hill (27) intercepts a pass intended for Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Donnie Corley (9) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers
WR, Last Week: A-
There were some tough drops by this unit, which gives it a ‘B’ grade, but there is still major potential oozing from the receiving corps. Guys like Shelton, Donnie Corley and Felton Davis make this group look like one of the best units in the Big Ten. Not many teams have depth at receiver like Michigan State does.
Michigan State’s wide outs would have gotten a higher grade if it weren’t for a couple of drops, but they also played well when it came to a few poor throws by Lewerke. They shook it off, didn’t get too frustrated and went back out to run their routes.
A major issue I saw with the receivers was the fact that only three caught a pass against the Terrapins. Shelton, Monty Madaris and tight end Jamal Lyles were the only guys to even record a reception on Saturday night.
Corley, Davis and Josiah Price were all silent, which was a bit surprising. That’s what happens when a quarterback completes just 11 total passes, though.
Shelton continues to be the team’s top receiver and he has proven to be a valuable commodity for this offense. He caught a team-best seven passes for 89 yards and he is looking like one of the best receivers in the Big Ten.
Madaris’ fumble at the Maryland five-yard line killed the Spartans’ second-half momentum.
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke (14) led the offense against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterbacks
QB, Last Week: B-
After watching some film from the game, it was evident that Brian Lewerke did not play as solid of a game as I previously though. No, he didn’t play poorly, by any means, but there are areas that he needs to work on.
For one, he needs to relax in the pocket. I get that the offensive line has been Swiss cheese for the past few weeks, but he has to remain poised and get the ball out quicker. He was on the run for most of the game, which is fine, but he did rush some of his throws which could have led to easy touchdowns.
One that comes to mind is his toss to Donnie Corley in the red zone where he threw it at the freshman’s ankles instead of in stride. Hitting him down the middle of the field would have likely resulted in six points, but it ended in a field goal instead. That may have helped the Spartans gain some momentum and even help lead to a win.
Lewerke finished his second career start going 11-of-24 for 156 yards and a poor interception throw. He needs to work on his collectiveness in the pocket and not panic as much. For the most part, you’re seeing a freshman grow into a full-time starter, but he has some kinks to iron out.
Oct 10, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Michigan State Spartans place kicker Michael Geiger (4) almost has field goal blocked by Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Blessuan Austin (10) during the second quarter at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Special Teams
ST, Last Week: C-
It’s tough to think that this unit had as bad of a week as it did against Northwestern, but a fake field goal in the second quarter nearly forced me to give this group an F. Thinking back, though, that was more on the play-calling than it was on Michael Geiger’s inability to run 30 yards for a touchdown.
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Dantonio admitted after the game that he made the mistake by calling for a fake, but it’s understandable why he would want to try something like that. The team was desperate for a spark and scoring a touchdown on a fake field goal going into halftime may have changed the outlook and momentum of the entire game.
Still, Geiger isn’t going to run 30 yards on the short side of the field for a touchdown — ever. He did, however, knock down a 34-yard field goal and both of his extra points.
Jake Hartbarger averaged just under 33 yards per punt, which wasn’t ideal, but he was often punting from around midfield.
The major special teams star had to have been R.J. Shelton who finished with 92 return yards on three kickoffs, including a 52-yarder that gave the Spartans great field position.
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