Michigan State Football: Offensive line graded second-best nationally in Week 2

The 2020 season was disastrous for Chris Kapilovic. Michigan State football had one of the worst offensive lines in college football and that had been the case for a good 3-4 years dating back to the Mark Dantonio days.

The Spartans just didn’t have the pieces or the cohesion to be a decent offensive line, but things have changed in a hurry under Kapilovic.

Signs of improvement were evident throughout last season, but Michigan State had one of the worst rushing attacks in the country. This season, the Spartans are averaging about 300 rushing yards per game and have had a 100-yard rusher in each of the first two games. Michigan State had zero rushing touchdowns by a running back last year and so far this season, it has five.

Michigan State’s offensive line has been the main reason for the turnaround offensively.

The Spartans rushed for 326 yards in the opener against Northwestern and followed that up with 272 against Youngstown State. Why? Because the offensive line has been downright dominant.

In fact, Michigan State has been graded as PFF College’s second-best offensive line in the country from the Week 2 performance, trailing only Baylor.

Is this a bit inflated because the Spartans faced an FCS foe? Yeah, probably, but a year ago, this type of grade would have never happened. Just about every top team played an FCS or inferior opponent (save a few) in Week 2, so the Spartans faring this well is impressive.

It just goes to show how much Kapilovic has fixed this group.

Chris Kapilovic was the perfect hire for Michigan State football

Mel Tucker said it best earlier this month that it’s one thing to hire a staff, but he believes he hired the right people. Kapilovic is a perfect example of that.

Players love Kapilovic and he had a great resume before coming to Michigan State. He had turned around many offensive lines before getting to East Lansing and he looked to continue that reputation as an elite offensive line coach with the Spartans. Through a COVID-19 season and two games, he’s on track to do just that.

Kapilovic has turned a unit that everyone felt was a lost cause into one of the most improved on the team. Michigan State’s offense has gone from hapless to electric. And this line is a main reason for that.

Let’s hope Michigan State can keep Kapilovic for a while.