Michigan State Football: 3 players who showed promise in Rutgers loss
By Carlos Araoz
Michigan State football opened the Mel Tucker era on the sourest of notes, losing to Rutgers at home. Which players showed promise, though?
Michigan State made far too many mistakes in its season opener which caused the Spartans to self-destruct. Their sloppy play included turning the ball over seven times, committing multiple costly penalties and failing to convert a couple of crucial fourth down conversion attempts.
Those watching from home couldn’t help but cringe as error after error took place throughout the course of this matchup, yet there were a few players who flashed their star potential and are providing the Spartan faithful with at least a glimmer of hope moving forward.
Quite possibly the biggest shock of the afternoon was seeing any tailback crack the lineup outside of Elijah Collins and Connor Heyward. They are both experienced ball-carriers.
After the season that Collins had in 2019 (rushing for 988 yards), it was safe to assume he would open the 2020 campaign as the workhorse tailback.
Jordon Simmons (freshman out of Georgia) out-gained Collins and Heyward as he combined for 22 more yards than them both on two fewer carries. He showed burst and decisiveness in hitting holes to get up field. He was impressive despite running behind an offensive line that lost the battle of the line of scrimmage.
Look for first-year offensive coordinator Jay Johnson to continue to find ways to get him the football in the Big Ten games to come.
Numerous SEC powerhouse programs were after him and his debut demonstrated why he was so highly sought after as a prep standout. Collins and Heyward looked lethargic while Simmons shot some life into the offense whenever he touched the ball.