Grading Michigan State football's performance at Indiana

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch grades Michigan State’s football team after its 38-13 loss at Indiana on Saturday.

OFFENSE: 5

MSU’s offense did a great job out of the gate of not only putting together consecutive scoring drives, but eating clock and keeping Indiana’s potent offense off the field. We could quickly see how important that was. No team this season has put together longer drives against Indiana (in terms of game time) than MSU’s first two drives. The Spartans might have put together a third straight scoring drive, but third-and-7 from the Indiana 38-yard line became 4th-and-9 from the 40 and MSU punted. The Spartans moved the ball on four of their next five (and final) possessions, but didn’t score again until a late field goal. Still, MSU’s 367 yards (293 through the air) were the most the Hoosiers have allowed all season.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles returned to his earlier-season form (and perhaps beyond, given the opponent) and played an efficient game (20 straight completions at one point) and made some important plays with his legs. MSU’s top three receivers were targeted 20 times combined, nine for Nick Marsh, who had seven catches, including a touchdown. This was a promising effort, relative to the previous two weeks and the opponent. 

DEFENSE: 1

This would be a zero if not for the fight the Spartans showed at the end, which was different than a week ago, with two stops late. That included forcing a field goal at the very end, which showed some gumption. Mostly, though, the Spartans were a sieve, providing little resistance to the Hoosiers through Indiana’s first five drives, all of which ended in touchdowns.

The Spartans only allowed slightly more yards Saturday (464) than they did against UCLA (418), with the same final score. Indiana’s offense — both weapons and up front — is better than the Bruins, so, from MSU’s perspective, there’s that. The Spartans didn’t record a sack or a hurry and had only three tackles for loss. That just won’t do.

SPECIAL TEAMS: 6

Martin Connington made 38- and 34-yard field goals, the second in difficult weather conditions, and missed a 50-yarder that could have cut the deficit to 15. Punter Ryan Eckley’s only punt went for 50 yards and Aidan Chiles’ first punt of his career went for 40 and looked pretty good. Neither team had any returns of note. Special teams were not a problem for the Spartans.

COACHING: 5

For a staff under fire and a team that looked like it was done after last week, this was an effort, which says something. MSU played smartly and efficiently offensively out of the gate. I thought offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren did a nice job of creating rhythm and did well on a couple fourth-down calls. Even one fourth-and-2 that barely worked was at least in Aidan Chiles’ hands, which is the way to go. Lindgren’s third-and-7 call from the Hoosiers’ 38-yard line, with MSU trailing 14-10, was one that he should want back. The run wide with Makhi Frazier never had a chance and lost two yards, which killed MSU’s chances to keep pace. Defensively, MSU didn’t quit, but didn’t do much else. That the team hasn’t lost its will says something decent about the staff.

BOTTOM LINE

Saturday’s game didn’t exacerbate the questions about Jonathan Smith’s tenure, but it didn’t make things any better. My sense is that he’ll be in charge for at least a couple more weeks, at least until the next bye, with an opportunity straight ahead against Michigan that, if tackled correctly, would be the beginning of his argument that he’s not done yet.

RELATED:Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 38-13 loss at Indiana and what it means

Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU football grades for the Spartans' performance at Indiana