Michigan State Football: Report card for crushing loss at Ohio State

Defense

Surprisingly, this side of the ball was the biggest weakness for Michigan State from quarters 2-4. Sure, the offense stalled out in the second half, but the defense didn’t do it any favors, giving up gash plays through the air and on the ground.

Defensive Line: C

Let’s face it, this wasn’t the best game the defensive line has had. The guys up front had a hot start and looked as if they were going to dominate the line of scrimmage all game long, but they wore down in the second quarter and moreover in the second half. The Spartans surrendered over 300 rushing yards and it was due to the lanes being opened up by the Buckeyes’ offensive line. Mike Panasiuk had one of his best games yet with a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss, but Kenny Willekes had a quiet game. This unit will most surely bounce back — it needs to versus Jonathan Taylor.

Linebackers: C

Like the defensive line, I thought the linebackers had a relatively disappointing outing. The wrong holes were plugged which allowed JK Dobbins to run wild for 172 yards and a touchdown. Joe Bachie had himself a really good game outside of a missed tackle in the second quarter which led to a touchdown by Ohio State’s tight end as he had 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Antjuan Simmons was relatively steady and Tyriq Thompson wasn’t bad, but this group underperformed altogether.

Secondary: C+

Honestly, the defensive backfield was solid outside of a missed assignment in the first half which led to a 60-yard touchdown catch and run by Binjimen Victory. Josiah Scott had a strong game, leading the team in tackles along with an interception and his open-field tackling should be the example the rest of the defense follows. Xavier Henderson had a decent game outside of a wrong angle taken on Dobbins’ long run. Kalon Gervin held his own and David Dowell didn’t have a bad game, either. This group allowed 206 yards against the best quarterback in the Big Ten and held him in check outside of that 60-yarder — a rare defensive bright spot from Saturday.

Special Teams: B

Another week, another Matt Coghlin miss. When kickers are in slumps, they’re usually really bad. He missed a chip-shot against the Buckeyes which he would have made 10 times out of 10 earlier this season or even last year. He was 1-for-2 on the game on field goals, so he’s the main reason this group wasn’t graded higher. Jake Hartbarger, on the other hand, was incredible. He had seven punts for 328 yards and pinned the Buckeyes deep on just about every kick. The return games were all fair catches, though, but that’s better than fumbling.