Sports
Michigan State football's decline continues in Illinois: Three quick shots
1. Another tough day for MSU. What remains of this season is a different kind of difficulty.
Thank God for that Iowa game. Otherwise, this Michigan State football season would feel like an endless abyss. As it is, things aren't great, Saturday's 38-16 loss at Illinois a slow but inevitable demise, the Spartans sixth defeat in seven games.
The season is at the stage where the excitement is long gone, injuries have increased, and once the offensive line has improved it has regressed to the point where MSU has almost no chance against a decent opponent (more on that below).
What remains is a test of this team's will to finish strong, to be better than the bottom of the Big Ten, to perhaps play a 13th game, if the Spartans can win the next two at home against Purdue, Friday and Rutgers, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
That would create internal momentum and a better atmosphere. I think that matters even if the fan base shifts to basketball and hockey, two options/distractions that most schools craving football success don't have.
The problems are clear. That part of the Year 1 assessment for Jonathan Smith and Co. should clearly be the offensive line, seasoning at quarterback, depth on defense, a need for more guys who scare opponents.
From now on, the coming weeks will be about character, courage and culture.
2. Mission No. 1 this offseason: the offensive line
If the Spartans had been able to run the ball with any consistency on Saturday, they would have won the game. Everything else was good enough, the defense grew nicely into the game, the passing game had its moments where the protection held up. But offensively, everything was complicated by MSU's inability to stay on schedule with manageable downs or rely on four yards per carry.
That should be THE mission for this offseason to develop and recruit an offensive line that will give MSU a chance to compete next season and at the very least allow the Spartans to win a game like Saturday. My position was that MSU should develop a separate NIL collective for the offensive line. Make it their thing. It pays for itself in wins and raises the program floor (and ceiling) significantly. Think of a nice name. Lean into it and the reputation of offensive line coach Jim Michalczik, who is highly regarded in the industry as someone who can develop linemen.
On Saturday, Aidan Chiles was the bulk of the Spartans' running game. Nate Carter and Kayron Lynch Adams, two proven, good enough backs at the Big Ten level, carried 13 times for 42 yards. The number of carries indicates how unreliable the production was. Ideally, those two would make 15 carries each. Clearly the situation is not ideal.
Neither did pass protection on Saturday. Chiles was under pressure until the last gasp on the fourth-and-34 play of the fourth quarter. There were promising blips, including Chile's second touchdown pass, to Nate Carter, when Chiles had time to move away from his intended target and turn his eyes to Carter. But not enough of those moments.
From the line that played Saturday, MSU will lose all three interior guys after this season. Redshirt freshman Stanton Ramil (left tackle) and third-year sophomores Ashton Lepo and true freshmen Rakeem Johnson (both right tackle) are well eligible to return.
The Spartans will also get back linemen Gavin Broscious and Kristian Phillips, both third-year sophomores lost to injury early this season.
MSU's staff needs to figure out in advance exactly what it needs and find a way to prioritize the offensive line over just about anything other than keeping Chiles and Nick Marsh.
The offensive pass interference play should be able to be assessed
On a day when MSU needed all the help it could get, it couldn't afford a blunder from officials at a critical moment. Mistakes happen. Offensive pass interference pick plays are often judgmental decisions and difficult to assess. This call to freshman receiver Nick Marsh in the second quarter was the wrong call. And this is the kind of call that needs to be assessed.
With the Spartans trailing 14-6 on third-and-4 from their own 26-yard line, Aidan Chiles connected with redshirt freshman receiver Aziah Johnson for an 11-yard gain. The Spartans looked like they were on their way. But during the play, Marsh was called for offensive pass interference, for what the officials saw as a call to release Johnson. Marsh's collision with the Illinois defensive back threw him permanently off course. But it didn't seem like an intentional choice at all. It looked like Marsh was just running his route. That's legal. Replay made that pretty clear.
Instead of a first down at the 37-yard line, the Spartans were placed 15 yards on the penalty kill and faced third-and-17 from their own 13-yard line. They scored one play later, giving Illinois some pretty good field position on what would become a touchdown drive and a 21-6 lead.
Games are full of crucial moments and plays. That was one of them. That shouldn't have been the case.
Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
|
Sources 2/ https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2024/11/16/msu-football-loses-illinois-three-quick-takes-couch/76352501007/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos
to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]
 |
 |
 |
