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

Antjuan Simmons did everything in his power to keep Michigan State within striking distance during his premier as the conductor of new defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton’s unique 4-2-5 scheme. He was all over the field and he possesses a true nose for the football.

Noah Harvey is his sidekick and he was adequate but he needs to be excellent each time he lines up alongside Simmons. One of the only mistakes Simmons made was when he lost his footing on a quarterback draw by Rutgers that went for a score. He led the way with 11 tackles (three of them for loss) and a fumble recovery.

It was evident that he was imploring his teammates to play with energy and enthusiasm. Most of his fellow Spartan defenders did not answer the bell. He is quickly emerging from Joe Bachie’s shadow to become the unquestioned leader of the defense.

The cornerbacks played below average (it may be time to let Julian Barnett loose) and the defensive line did not apply enough pocket pressure (outside of a surprisingly solid performance by defensive end Drew Beesley) on Rutgers’ Noah Vedral.

The interior of the defensive line did not generate nearly enough push either.

MSU will surely count on the leadership of Simmons and safety Xavier Henderson along the back seven as the year unfolds. This unit must make stops to give MSU a chance to win a few contests this year. Granted they were on the field much too often as a result of the MSU’s offense giving it away more than a half dozen times.