Air Force vs Michigan State: 5 players to watch

Sep 4, 2015; Kalamazoo, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Vayante Copeland makes a stop on Western Michigan Broncos wide receiver Daniel Braverman (8) during the 1st quarter of a game at Waldo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve mentioned him before, and for good reason. Redshirt freshman Vayante Copeland is probably the favorite right now in an unproven secondary to get the job done week in and week out. It’s been impressive to watch him do his thing and put the secondary on his back.

Must Read: Air Force vs Michigan State: 5 players who need to step up

Copeland has already come away with a pass deflection and an interception in his first season as the starting cornerback, and he’s making the gap between him and Arjen Colquhoun, Darian Hicks grow by the day.

Although he was injured in the final quarterback of last Saturday’s game, Copeland will be ready to go in this one as he will be out there facing a wide receiving corps who is passed to very little.

The redshirt freshman may not experience much action in the pass game, but it will be interesting to see if he can tackle in the open field against Air Force’s strong run game with the same success that he had last week against Oregon and strong running back Royce Freeman.

I was impressed with his open-field tackling and how he doesn’t shy away from contact, so let’s see if that continues this week.

Next: 4. Jalen Robinette