Michigan State Football: Report card for win over Michigan in Week 6

Michigan State football took down Michigan in Week 6 and here’s what the position-by-position report card looks like.

What a week it was for Michigan State football. The Spartans had to listen to the media all week long talk about how the Wolverines were going to roll them and how they are barely a rival of Michigan (thanks, Desmond Howard). The Spartans punched Michigan in the mouth and the Wolverines had trouble responding.

Coming away with the upset victory was huge for this young team and it has to give them confidence moving forward. They do, however, need to avoid a major letdown against Minnesota on the road.

It’s never too late to look back at the weekend that was and grade the Spartans’ performance against the Wolverines, though. Which position group do you believe performed the best?

Honestly, this unit deserves a major pat on the back. Not only did this young offensive line with two sophomores, two freshmen and a senior hold the nation’s No. 1 defense without a sack, but they helped pave the way for 158 rushing yards on 4.0 per carry.

It wasn’t pretty in the second half, though, and that’s not necessarily on the line, but rather the unimaginative play-calling. The Spartans were doing their best with the “pound green pound” mentality, but the Wolverines knew that each play would be a dive, or an iso, up the middle.

Not allowing a sack, though, in 22 pass attempts is quite impressive. The Wolverines’ defensive line was regarded as one of the best in college football, if not the best, heading into the game. Could this be the start of the offensive line gelling and becoming a premier group in the Big Ten?

As for the run-blocking, averaging 4.0 yards per carry isn’t too shabby. They did open some nice running lanes for Gerald Holmes and Madre London and Brian Lewerke also had some room to run.