Michigan State Football: Positional grades for Youngstown State win

Receivers/Tight Ends: A-

It was really tough to give this group a grade because there wasn’t a ton of passing going on. Payton Thorne did throw the ball 21 times and Anthony Russo had seven passes, but the receivers and tight ends didn’t have a ton of opportunities to prove themselves.

The game was out of hand pretty early on and Mel Tucker decided to get Jordon Simmons in there to run the ball as he finished the game with 16 carries.

But overall, I think this group did a really good job. The only reason I’m not giving this unit an A is because we didn’t see a ton from the tight ends again, and also Jalen Nailor dropped a beautifully thrown pass in the end zone which would have given Thorne five touchdowns.

Jayden Reed had one of the best games of his career, totaling 261 all-purpose yards and finishing the day with four catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He kicked the game off with a 75-yard touchdown catch and run and then added an 85-yarder later in the game. The connection between Thorne and Reed is going to be fun to watch.

Nailor did make up for his drop, catching a touchdown later in the game and finishing with four catches for 39 yards. I’d still like to see more from him.

Tyler Hunt and Terry Lockett were the only other pass-catchers with more than one reception on Saturday so that’s why this grade is an A- and not an A.