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Michigan State Football: 5 players who need to step up in Week 4
Which five Spartans need to step up for Michigan State football in a Week 4 matchup against Wisconsin at home?
Michigan State football is coming off its biggest win since last year’s Big Ten Championship and the Spartans are riding high. It seems like the momentum they hack garnered with the Fighting Irish win is turning into major confidence for the Big Ten season.
The first conference game is approaching and the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers are coming to town with a little confidence of their own. The Badgers have beaten No. 5 LSU already this season, vaulting them from unranked to No. 9 in the AP Poll in one week’s time. Wisconsin might be a little down, though, after a tough Week 3 contest against Georgia State in which it took a fourth-quarter comeback to win at home.
Even after a big Notre Dame win, the Spartans don’t get much of a break. Wisconsin is hungry for another upset and coming into East Lansing to steal a win from the Spartans. Each time these two teams hook up, it seems to be an instant classic.
Let’s take a look at the five guys who will need to step up in order for the Spartans to come out victorious.
Raequan Williams
DT, Freshman
Sep 17, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) runs the ball for a touchdown against Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Raequan Williams (99) during the second half a game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Raequan Williams is one of those guys who Michigan State fans are just waiting for to break out. The redshirt freshman defensive tackle played well against Notre Dame Saturday, recording his first career sack, but he will need to turn up the defensive pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Michigan State succeeds when there is pressure on the opposing QB, and with Malik McDowell getting double-teamed, Williams is a key factor in exploiting the weaknesses on Wisconsin’s offensive line.
Mark Dantonio has even called Raequan a ‘major factor’ for the Spartans’ success in a Week 4 bout with Wisconsin, according to Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.
“I thought Raequan improved greatly from his first game,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday. “He’s a redshirt freshman, so every game he’s going to continue to get better and better. He’s extremely athletic, big guy. … He, like all players, is just getting started in terms of playing the game at this level. He will be a major factor in our success of failure in this game.”
Williams went on to explain how his second collegiate game really slowed down for him, more like practice, and his first contest against Furman was more of a blur.
Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans linebacker Ed Davis (43) looks over the Michigan Wolverines offense during the 1st half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Ed Davis
LB, Senior
You can’t blame Ed Davis for not getting into the game against Notre Dame last week, but you also can’t knock the coaching staff for the decision to hold him out. The newly-granted sixth-year senior may not have been fully back into football shape, but another week of conditioning and grinding out long practices may just change that.
Still, Davis needs to step up in the linebacking unit and become a leader much like Riley Bullough has. As that veteran presence of the group, Davis is also one of the more athletic and tantalizing figures who can strike fear into opponents.
The fact that he hasn’t played in two years might actually benefit the Spartans. How so? Well, the senior linebacker has seemingly been forgotten by Big Ten foes and he’s nearly off their radar. Guys like Bullough, Jon Reschke, Andrew Dowell and Chris Frey get all the attention while he’s waiting in the grass to strike.
Watching his teammates take the field against Notre Dame and come up with a big win, and his replacement from last season, Reschke, come out as the top performer on the defensive side of the ball, had to be bittersweet for Davis. He wants to be out there and help the Spartans win.
It’s time for him to show the Badgers why MSU coaches were so relentless in their pursuit to get him a sixth year of eligibility. The pressure could be on Alex Hornibrook all day long.
Sep 2, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Felton Davis III (18) is unable to make the catch in front of Furman Paladins strong safety Joe Farrar (5) during the second half at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Felton Davis III
WR, Sophomore
Missing the end of the Furman game and reportedly appearing in a walking boot wasn’t a good sign for sophomore wide out Felton Davis III. He has all the potential in the world to be a top receiver for Michigan State and even take over, along with Donnie Corley, for R.J. Shelton and Monty Madaris when they depart.
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Davis III is still listed as the starter on the depth chart this week and that’s a bit surprising since he was absent for most of the Notre Dame game. He played a handful of snaps, but didn’t catch a single pass and he wasn’t even targeted by Tyler O’Connor.
That type of play has to change against a tough Wisconsin defense this week. Sure, Georgia State’s Conner Manning was able to pass for nearly 300 yards against the Badgers, but don’t expect Wisconsin to come out lackadaisical against the Spartans’ aerial attack.
Against Furman, Davis III showed he can he a difference-maker. He caught three passes for 40 yards, nearly surpassing his total from the entire 2015 season. He also added his first career touchdown reception. O’Connor and the Spartan offense are going to need to see more of this Felton than the one from the past game-plus.
No more disappearing acts for the sophomore receiver if the Spartans want to have success.
Sep 2, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans tight end Jamal Lyles (11) celebrates with tight end Josiah Price (82) after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Furman Paladins at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Josiah Price
TE, Senior
Josiah Price could be that guy. What do I mean by that guy? Michigan State could use a go-to player on third and short or a target who can move the chains on a regular basis when O’Connor is having trouble finding something down the field. Too often against the Fighting Irish last Saturday, O’Connor decided to tuck and run, putting his body at risk, instead of finding a short route.
Through two games, Price has just three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. That might not seem like a bad thing, but for a guy who has been in the system for four years and has shown the type of promise that Josiah has, you’d expect him to be a focal point of the offense.
The senior tight end had a breakout campaign in 2014 as a sophomore, but regressed during his junior season — outside of his touchdown total. Price is on pace to have about the same production during senior season with 18 catches for 270 yards and six touchdowns.
However, the Wisconsin game could be a perfect opportunity for him to break out and really put his year-plus slump behind him. He could help O’Connor out in a big way by catching five-plus short passes and turning them into 10 or 15-yard gainers like he has the potential to.
Price needs to step up against the Badgers.
Nov 14, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Darian Hicks (2) gestures to the sidelines during the 1st quarter of a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Darian Hicks
CB, Senior
The fire from the Michigan State fan base concerning Darian Hicks needs to be put out and the only way for that to happen is if the senior cornerback can have his best game yet. He has been playing well through the first two games, with a couple of pass interference exceptions against Furman, and he still gets blamed for the Spartans’ woes in the secondary.
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Realistically, you can’t blame anyone in the secondary for DeShone Kizer’s success through the air last weekend. The Spartans took a 36-7 lead and he was struggling to throw the ball effectively, and then Michigan State’s defensive play-calling got ultra conservative.
The Spartans backed off about 10 yards from each eligible receiver and Kizer did anything he wanted over the middle and in the flats. If he needed five or 10 yards, he got it. It was that slight prevent defense that allowed Notre Dame to get back into the game via the pass.
Still, Hicks didn’t give up any deep balls and was right on receivers when they caught their passes, recording three tackles. He’s gotten much better over the years, but will need to put that on stage for all to see against the Badgers.
The Spartan secondary has the potential to be great, but it all depends on the consistency of Hicks. Tyson Smith is already pushing him for playing time.
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