Michigan State Football: Report card for Notre Dame win
RB. Last Week: N/A. RUNNING BACKS. A.
These Michigan State running backs are good. Although Madre London and Gerald Holmes switched roles from Week 1 as LJ Scott’s backup, the Spartans didn’t seem to skip a beat, rushing for 260 yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries. Averaging 5.0 yards per carry is no joke against a team like Notre Dame with a tough front-seven.
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The offensive line, as mentioned earlier, created a ton of running room for Scott and Holmes and even though the play-calling was unimaginative, they found a way to pick up big chunks. Holmes’ longest run of the day happened to be the Spartans’ longest of the year, picking up a touchdown on a 73-yard burst through the middle of the line, untouched.
Holmes finished the game with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries while Scott had 98 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. You can’t fault Scott for the 4.5 yards per carry average, though. He was forced to try to make things happen running between the tackles on about 90 percent of his touches.
When a player is forced to run into a pile of defenders, there’s not much else he can do but gain a yard or two before a cloud of dust.
R.J. Shelton’s wide receiver sweep worked well, gaining 16 yards on three carries while the Damion Terry Wildcat package never seems to work but always seems to be called for in the worst situations. He finished with two carries for two yards.