Michigan State Football: 3 players who showed promise in Rutgers loss

Jayden Reed by no means played a stellar game as his overall performance was marred by two lost fumbles and a critical drop.

The transfer from Western Michigan made his presence felt immediately. His quickness and talent were on full display though as he caught 11 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He and Jalen Nailor, who racked up 84 yards receiving to go along with a touchdown grab but also coughed up a fumble of his own, give Michigan State two electric playmakers.

Many fans were rather astonished to see Rocky Lombardi throw for over 300 yards (coupled with three touchdown passes) and deliver some nice balls to his pass-catchers. In the past, he has struggled with accuracy but versus the Scarlet Knights, he completed 72 percent of his throws. He needs to be productive and efficient because he has Payton Thorne breathing down his neck.

Reed is able to create tremendous separation from defensive backs which is something that MSU’s wide outs in recent years have not been able to do with consistency.

If he can improve his ball security, he has the capability to be an all-conference wide receiver. It’s exciting to watch Reed and Nailor find holes in the opposing secondary. If they can stay healthy and clean up their blunders, this pair could prove to be a dangerous duo.