Michigan State Football: No. 1 run defense will be tested early, often in 2019

Michigan State football had the No. 1 run defense in the nation for many weeks in 2018 but it will be tested early and often by some big names in 2019.

Defending a crown in sports is never easy. Whether it’s a national title, conference championship or even a statistical category, it’s never easy to repeat as the best and Michigan State will soon find out.

As the No. 1 run defense in the country for 2018, Michigan State was able to stymy names like Eno Benjamin, JK Dobbins, Mike Weber, Miles Sanders (outside of one big run), Karan Higdon and the talented backfield of Oregon, but the 2019 season will see a much tougher road.

Looking at the schedule, Michigan State is going to face three of USA Today’s top 10 running backs in the nation by the middle of October.

Starting with Benjamin and Arizona State on Sept. 14, the Spartans will have a tough road. Though Northwestern’s Isaiah Bowser didn’t quite reach 1,000 yards, he did break out for the Wildcats in 2018. He’ll be a strong 1,000-yard rushing candidate in 2019.

After that, 1,000-yard rusher Stevie Scott leads Indiana’s offense after a breakout freshman season.

The next two-game stretch after facing Indiana on Homecoming will feature two of the top 10 backs in the country on the road for the Spartans. Dobbins will give the Spartans a tough battle on Oct. 5 in Columbus but the toughest matchup will be against Jonathan Taylor on Oct. 12 in Madison when they take on the Badgers. He’s arguably the best running back in college football and the top Heisman candidate not named Trevor Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa.

And you might think Penn State would be a nice relaxing game for the run defense, but even with Sanders’ departure, the Nittany Lions have Ricky Slade, Journey Brown and talented incoming freshman Noah Cain as a dynamic trio.

Illinois also has a 1,000-yard rusher in Reggie Corbin who averaged a monstrous 8.5 yards per carry last season and might be the most underrated back in the conference.

Michigan might be in limbo still, trying to figure out who will get the nod between Tru Wilson, Christian Turner and Zach Charbonnet. All are talented, but the lack of experience may play into the Spartans’ favor.

To round out the year, Rutgers will give the Spartans a decent break even though Raheem Blackshear is a solid talent but Maryland is led by Anthony McFarland who averaged 7.9 yards per carry and rushed for 1,034 yards in 2018 as a freshman.

If Michigan State is going to have the No. 1 run defense again in 2019, it will be more than earned and will deserve some major recognition.