Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from disappointing 2018 season
2. Defense was Big Ten title, College Football Playoff-caliber
How many defenses in college football were squandered by mediocre offenses? You could argue that Mississippi State (No. 1) and Miami (No. 4) all suffered through long seasons and could have had special years if not for the offense’s inability to put points on the board with regularity.
Michigan State’s defense was a special case because it was on the field more often than not and still managed to piece together the 11th-best total yards per game mark as well as the ninth-best points per game total. The defense was playing at a playoff-caliber level and if the offense was even average, or slightly below average, we might be talking about a team that finished the regular season with an 11-1 or 10-2 record, at worst.
This tweet sums it all up:
Michigan State's last four games entering the fourth quarter:
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) December 31, 2018
Ohio State 9, Michigan State 6.
Michigan State 3, Nebraska 0.
Rutgers 7, Michigan State 7.
Michigan State 6, Oregon 0.
The defense held Ohio State to nine points through three quarters, Nebraska to no points, Rutgers to seven and Oregon to six. Moreover, in the Spartans’ other losses, they trailed Michigan just 14-7 entering the fourth, 22-19 to Northwestern and led Arizona State 13-3.
The defense kept this team in games for as long as possible and a normal offense would have found a way to win each of those games.
Michigan State had arguably the best defense in Mark Dantonio’s tenure — yes, that includes 2013 — and it was wasted thanks to a lackluster, lethargic offense.