Michigan State Football: What worked and what didn’t against Indiana

Oct 24, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back Gerald Holmes (24) jumps over the pile against the Indiana Hoosiers during the 1st half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive line

It’s hard to criticize a unit that has seen so many injuries and that needs consistency to effective.

If a running back goes down then you bring the next guy in and he’s good or he’s not, but with the offensive line, you bring the next guy in and he may well be good. However, he has to be good with the other four guys on the line. Not only were there subs on the line, but the line shuffling was once again outrageous.

Brian Allen started at center but kept snapping it way too high and backup guard Benny McGowan moved to center. Starting right tackle Kodi Kieler had to move over to left tackle after Jack Conklin had to leave the game. Brian Allen also left the game and was replaced by David Beedle. It’s really a joke how many injuries there have been.

These guys still have to play, though, and statistically it was arguably their worst game. They gave up four sacks to Indiana — the most this season, and the running game was non-existant until late in the fourth quarter.

It should be noted that though the offensive line gave up four sacks, Connor Cook dropped back over 56 times and so there were far more opportunities to give up sacks than in previous games.

What worked: Finishing the game

One of the consistent criticisms of this offensive line was not being able to finish the game with run plays. MSU fans got used to seeing Jeremy Langford break off a 28-yard run to seal the game even though every person in the stadium knew he was getting the ball.

At the end of the Indiana game, fans saw two Langford-like runs to really seal the game from both LJ Scott and Gerald Holmes. It was nice to see the big nasties getting to eat at the end of the game for once.

What didn’t: Injuries

As noted above, the injuries issues continued for the O-Line as the game wore on. Neither Jack Conklin nor Brian Allen finished the game for the Spartans. Kodi Kieler was limping around out there and Donavon Clark went down with cramps at one point.

The coaches decided to give the team a week off from practices in hopes that they could recover from the many bumps, bruises, and sprains. No unit could use the time off more than the offensive line.

Next: Defensive line