Michigan State Football: 5 reasons Spartans will shock the Big Ten in 2019
1. Spartans have an elite defense
Relying too much on the defense caused some problems in 2018. It’s not that the defense couldn’t handle the pressure — because it delivered time and time again — but it caused some late-game fatigue and holding teams to seven points or nine points and still losing games is rather infuriating for that side of the ball.
The defense returns all but three starters (Andrew Dowell, Khari Willis, Justin Layne) and should be No. 1 against the run yet again this season.
The entire defensive line returns and that includes All-American Kenny Willekes as well as all-conference talents such as Raequan Williams and Mike Panasiuk. Expect big things out of Naquan Jones and Jacub Panasiuk as well this season.
The linebacking corps have All-American Joe Bachie along with rising star Antjuan Simmons taking over for Dowell and Tyriq Thompson back for his second year of extended playing time. This group should be strong and athletic — and expect blitz packages with Brandon Bouyer-Randle, too.
Lastly, the secondary is loaded again. Josiah Scott may be the best cornerback no one is talking about and Josh Butler will do a fine job replacing Layne. He’ll have help from guys like Davion Williams, Christian Jackson, Tre Person, Shakur Brown, Julian Barnett and my personal favorite, Kalon Gervin. At safety, Xavier Henderson will replace Willis and he has a bright future ahead. David Dowell is a former first-team All-Big Ten selection at the other safety spot.
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Basically, the Spartans have one of the best defenses in the country and arguably the No. 1 unit in the Big Ten heading into the 2019 season. Defense wins championships — especially if the offense can muster more than 18 points per game.