Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from Central Michigan win

Sep 4, 2015; Kalamazoo, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back Gerald Holmes (24) runs the ball against the Western Michigan Broncos during the 1st half of a game at Waldo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

3. Gerald Holmes is better than advertised

All the talk after the first three games of the season was about how good the combo of Madre London and L.J. Scott were, but no one spoke of Gerald Holmes’ potential. Heck, I’m also guilty of shunning the Spartans’ third-string running back and praising the other two, but he proved everyone wrong against Central Michigan.

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Holmes finished the game with just four carries for 22 yards and two touchdowns as well as a 17-yard reception late in the game.

When he came into the game, the offense was stalling a bit and the run game was nothing spectacular, but he provided a spark with some solid, shifty runs and nice catch out of the backfield that got things going late for the Spartans.

Michigan State was looking an upset right in the face when he subbed in, up 17-10, but he scored both second-half touchdowns for the Spartans and really helped put the game away for good.

Look for Holmes to get more carries in the near future as he really proved to be a valuable asset on the offensive side of the ball. The two-headed monster of a backfield is soon to be a three-headed monster.

Next: 2. Shilique Calhoun is a monster