Michigan State Football: Report card for win over No. 24 Miami

Sep 18, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne (10) hands the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III (9) during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

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Michigan State’s Jeff Pietrowski, left, and Jacub Panasiuk celebrates after stopping Youngstown State during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.210911 Msu Youngstown Fb 159a /

Defensive Line: C+

It was frustrating to watch this group struggle to get pressure all afternoon long as D’Eriq King was able to sit back and pick apart the secondary because he had all the time in the world.

Early on, there were some nice pressures, and the dual-threat quarterback was even dropped for a loss on the first play of the game, but this group struggled to remain consistent. Tank Brown and Michael Fletcher missed the game and Drew Beesley and Drew Jordan were fresh off injuries so it makes sense that the unit is struggling a little, but things need to turn around soon.

If each quarterback is able to sit back and pick apart the Spartans’ secondary, it could be a long season on this side of the ball.

I did come away impressed with Beesley as he was one of my top players from the win, but he was pretty much the lone bright spot outside of a Jeff Pietrowski sack and Jacub Panasiuk tackle for loss.

Hopefully the Spartans can get healthy in the trenches soon.

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