Know The Enemy – Q&A With Michigan State

I actually took the time to do a Q&A to find out more about our opponent this week, the Michigan State Spartans.

Oren “O” Basse is the editor of theonlycolors.com.  An MSU grad and lifelong Spartan fan, he has been running TOC for the last 3 years.  O is a Detroit native where he owns a business.  And in his spare time, he is also a novelist.  When watching a Michigan State game, he enjoys drinking a bourbon, neat.

You can find his books here on Amazon.

What are your thoughts on the job Jonathan Smith has done? What are their expectations for the football program going forward? Should they be competing for the CFP annually? Every several years?

It pains me to say it, but I have not seen anything yet from Coach Smith that makes me think he can bring this team to the level it was a decade ago during the Dantonio Era.  In other words, I do not see MSU as a contender for the CFP at any point in the foreseeable future.

There are three things a college coach needs to do:

1. Recruit;

2. Develop skills; and

3.  Create and adapt the game plan to win a game. 

So far, Smith does not get a passing grade in any of these categories, not to the level needed to be a top-12 program.

When I look at a school like Michigan State, I think it’s the exact opposite of Nebraska In terms of where budget priorities lie. I firmly believe that Nebraska will have problems competing in men’s basketball in the Big Ten because we’re not going to put the money into basketball that’s required to finish in the top half of the conference. Is this the case for Michigan State when it comes to football?

Let’s preface this answer with me admitting I do not have a strong grasp of how MSU’s athletic department handles its budget, and even less of a grasp of how athletic departments around the country are raising money for NIL in the new landscape, no matter how many articles I read about it.

That said, from what I do know and see, I can’t say that MSU is not spending on football.  The team facilities (locker room, training/weight rooms, etc.) are all top notch.  The stadium keeps getting upgrades in the offseasons.  And, to my understanding, every team has the same 20.5M to spend on NIL.

MSU’s new athletic director, J Batt, who just came on in June, supposedly is a wizard when it comes to fundraising.  At least that is what we saw in his previous role at Georgia Tech.  Time will tell if he brings the same skills to East Lansing.

Michigan State is 48th in scoring offense with 34.3 points per game. 72nd in rushing offense, and 78th in the pass. What is it that Michigan State does really well on offense that Nebraska has to be prepared for?

I don’t mean to brag, but it’s actually 76th in pass!

Let’s start with what MSU does not do well offensively.  That would be run-block.  The left side of the OL is a mess, and that was before the starting LT Stanton Ramil was lost for a month with an injury.  And certainly some of these stats are being influenced by early season games against Western Michigan and Youngstown State.  The real MSU running game is, probably, lower than #72 in the nation.

Conversely, I think the talent that MSU has at WR and TE is the strength of the offense, and I expect to see these stats skew more in that direction as the season goes on. 

Sophomore Nick Marsh is a future NFL starter.  Transfer Omari Kelly has cemented himself as WR2 and gets better each week.  He currently leads the team in yards.  The TEs, Jack Velling and Michael Masunas, are reliable weapons who catch and block.  When the pass game is clicking, MSU can put up points and keep itself in games.

What players on offense do we have to worry about?

I guess I should have read all the questions before answering.  My answer to this is in the previous response.  Put your best DB on Nick Marsh.  I would say double team him, but we saw what Omari Kelly does when the opponents do that.

The best thing about Nick Marsh, which is greatly improved from last year when he already was really good, is his strength and ability to take hits after the catch. 

There was a play in the Boston College game where Marsh caught a slant at the 8 yard line, was immediately wrapped up by two guys, spun out of it, shouldered through a third would-be-tackler, and scored.  He leads the Big Ten in broken tackles.

Michigan State is 105th in scoring defense. 47th in  rushing defense, and HOLY COW – 117th in pass defense, down around the likes of Charlotte, Arkansas State, Ball State, and interestingly enough, Notre Dame. What is going on with the pass defense and why is it so atrocious?

The best ability is availability, right?  Well, against USC, the toughest team we’ve played so far, we were without some of our best defenders.  Linebacker (and green dot) Jordan Hall was booted early for targeting.  He is the leader of the defense along with his co-LB Wayne Matthews III… who went out with an injury in that game.  On top of that, our best DB, Nikai Martinez – who missed the first two games due to injury – also got knocked out of the USC game.

But beyond that, to put it lightly, the MSU secondary is not very good in coverage.  No way to sugarcoat this.  If a WR runs a route, chances are he’ll get open.

Want to give me a score prediction?

There was a time that MSU playing Nebraska was an automatic loss.  In fact, the Cornhuskers started this series off 7-0.  Then MSU finally won a game in 2013, and have won 3 of the 5 since then.  Those two wins by Nebraska were by a total of 4 points.

Sure, MSU still has never won in Lincoln, but I feel like there is a chance this time.

Both offenses seem to be better going to the air, and certainly the edge on defense goes to Nebraska.  But MSU has been opportunistic.  We have come up with some big turnovers this year.  Our punter is the best in the world (seriously, check out how many punts Ryan Eckley has pinned within a step of the endzone).  So if this can become a matter of field position and who can avoid the crucial mistake, MSU will pull this one out.

And I say that is what happens.  I’m going 30-28 MSU. 

GO GREEN!