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Michigan State Football: 5 keys to victory vs. Michigan
Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke (14) tackled after gaining yards on a run against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Here are five keys to victory for Michigan State football against the Michigan Wolverines Saturday.
Michigan rolls into East Lansing on the strength of a eight-game winning streak going back to their bowl game. Michigan State football has owned the rivalry as of late, however, the Wolverines look to end that streak.
Is MSU really this bad? Yes and no. If you read articles from any media outlet or watch TV then you will come away with the notion that the Spartans do not have a prayer in this game. In fact, MSU might as well roll over onto it’s back at the coin flip and beg for mercy from Michigan.
OK, this Spartan team has been bad, I get it, but this is not a 2002 Bobby Williams team nor is it a 2006 John L. Smith squad. Those teams got blown out egregiously. This MSU team does give effort, which both of those squads did not do much of. Therefore, I have a difficult time believing Michigan is going to roll the Spartans on out of the stadium.
Michigan State has struggled on both sides of the ball thus far. Coach Mark Dantonio knows how to prepare and get his team ready for Michigan. The Spartans will surprise many come Saturday. For them to upset Michigan then they will need to follow these these keys to victory.
5. Limit silly mistakes
There has been much written about MSU’s injuries, attrition and graduated players and even now how this senior class has grossly underwhelmed except for R.J. Shelton.
Michigan State has been great at hurting it’s cause throughout the season. Last year, Connor Cook routinely bailed them out of third-and-longs. Fans got so accustomed to it that they expected it this season, however, that has obviously not been the case. There has been no Cook or Aaron Burbridge to rescue MSU this year.
MSU has had many good looking drives in it’s losses that have died because of penalties and turnovers. Monty Madaris’ fumble in the red zone at Maryland is a great example. The Spartans cannot afford to make any mistakes against this excellent Michigan team.
Many might say that it is impossible, and it could prove to be true. These are easier problems to fix because they take discipline and every player is capable of it. Many of the teams facing Michigan this year have been overwhelmed by the stage and are unable to perform. However, Colorado, while a good team this year in a subpar Pac-12, can hang with the Wolverines, then I like MSU’s odds on Saturday. Limiting turnovers and penalties will be huge for Sparty.
It is important to note that MSU played Wisconsin tough until two turnovers led to 14 points, which is why it is vitally important they don’t hurt their cause. Michigan will not have the comfort of home-field advantage to fall back on when this game is close in the fourth. Although that did not help the Wolverines last year when they muffed the punt.
Sep 17, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver R.J. Shelton (12) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Avery Sebastian (4) during the second half a game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
4. Execute, execute, execute
A huge issue for the Spartans has been their inability to execute their offense. Part of this problem has been the offensive line’s poor blocking and this has led to many lineup changes.
However, the Spartans have been turning to redshirt freshman Tyler Higby and true freshman Thiyo Lukusa in the trenches. They have performed well in their opportunities and will be called on again Saturday.
If this game were in Ann Arbor then I would not be as optimistic about Higby and Lukusa because of that huge stage, but with the home crowd, they should be fine.
Michigan is notorious for blitzing, but MSU will counter that with quarterback roll-outs as well as a more spread look. It is about executing the plays as Shelton mentioned this week. Therefore, everyone must do their part.
Last year, MSU didn’t do many quarterback roll-outs and with its beat-up offensive line and Michigan was able to sack Cook multiple times. This year will be slightly different because of the mobility of the quarterbacks.
Play-calling always appears great when the plays are executed correctly. There have been times when the Spartans have done this well and opposing fans have been caught reaching for their remotes to turn off the disaster unfolding.
This team knows it is capable of executing and Saturday it will need to bring it.
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
3. Win time of possession battle
The defense has struggled mightily. However, not having Riley Bullough and John Reschke for several games this year has hurt the Spartans. What has been even more devastating is the time of possession versus opponents.
Everyone remembers that long drive to end the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa and the long drives to score against Ohio State but there has been none of that this season.
Yes, the offensive line has contributed considerably to this issue. Albeit, there have been QB misfires, wide receiver drops, fumbles, penalties and overall sloppy play that have been the real culprits. A rested defense is one that plays better late in games. This defense breaks down, because the offense puts too much pressure on it.
The Spartans have had trouble with third-down defense as well as getting pressure to the quarterback. MSU cannot even remember the last time it got a sack.
Time of possession is huge and the opposing team cannot score if the offense is taking time off the clock with long sustained drives that produce points. Keep the Michigan offense off the field and Sparty has a shot at a win.
Oct 8, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Donnie Corley (9) attempts to make a catch against Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Dayan Lake (5) during the 1st quarter of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
2. Spartan receivers need to step up
This is a tall order but one that must happen for the Spartans to have a chance. Michigan boasts one of the best secondaries in the conference, if not in all of college football. However, the best quarterback Michigan has faced is arguably Colorado’s Sefo Liufau and he was injured in the second half.
Interestingly enough, Colorado stalled out with their starter out and Michigan was able to come back and add a few touchdowns to make the game look as if it were a blowout in the second half. Outside of that, Michigan has not been challenged by any opponent.
Brian Lewerke is not yet on the same page with his receivers. In the Maryland game Lewerke would run and yet the receivers still could not get open. Communication must improve.
There is plenty of talent at the position with guys like Shelton, Donnie Corley, Felton Davis and Monty Madaris. Heck, even Josiah Price and Jamal Lyles could help out in the passing game, but they need to be on the same page.
The wideouts have to help out whoever the quarterback is. They are talented enough and must have confidence to go out there on this big stage and make the grabs and plays that are there to be made. If they can do that, then MSU will be in this game. If not, it’ll be a long day for Michigan State.
Oct 15, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Tyler O
1. Quarterbacks need to be poised
The quarterbacks cannot let the powerful pass rush of the Michigan defensive line get to them, mentally. They must be poised and seek out the play to be made against this aggressive defense. Yes, there will still be plays to be made.
Must Read: MSU Football: 5 reasons Brian Lewerke should be the starter
If the defense is blitzing, then someone is most likely open. For this reason, I suspect Tyler O’Connor will play at some point on Saturday. He understands the offense and he’s a senior, and Dantonio loves seniors, especially in rivalry games. The head coach will have a quick hook as he needs to find the QB with the hot hand.
Whoever is in the huddle will have to command respect and challenge his team to play better. Cook always seemed to do a great job of this, even though he was not elected a captain. I have not seen this at all this year. What I’ve liked about Brian Lewerke is that he was a fiery competitor in high school and if MSU is going to win with him then he will have to bring that.
Lewerke has been good and he gets better each week. Although last week, as I mentioned earlier, his receivers failed to help him out. Michigan State needs to get some quick shotgun passing plays early to help the confidence of these quarterbacks and if they can connect then they’ll have an opportunity to stay in this game and pull off the upset.
Michigan State is going to play hard every snap in this game, because it cares so much about beating the Wolverines. Michigan does, too, but the Wolverines also care about Ohio State, who flat-out embrassed them in the Big House last year — looking ahead may doom them.
Will the score be 75-0 in this game? Of course not. The winner of this game will have to play all 60 minutes in order to win. It’ll be a close game at halftime and potentially into the fourth quarter.
I believe many Wolverine fans will be panicked if this happens because they were “supposed to” annihilate the Spartans. But outside of Wisconsin, this Wolverine team has not been truly challenged. They’ve had an easy schedule thus far, but to be fair they have beaten the teams in front of them which the Spartans have not.
This is a classic deceptive game to predict where people overestimate an already over-hyped team that has not been challenged much, but has looked good beating down the sisters of the poor.
Many media members and fans, alike, are not giving the Spartans much, if any, chance. This is exactly where Dantonio wants to be. The “chip” is now a boulder on the shoulder of MSU, which is what Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh does not want. The Spartans have nothing to lose in this game, therefore, I expect them to throw everything at the Wolverines.
It’ll be close, but MSU pulls a win out.
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