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

Receivers/Tight Ends: B+

This was the first game this year in which I thought the receivers and tight ends could have done a little better, but it probably had a lot to do with fatigue and the Miami heat.

There were a few more drops than normal. We saw Jalen Nailor and Payton Thorne miscommunication early in the game and a Tyler Hunt drop along with other mistakes, but overall, this group was solid and really came to life in the second half.

Nailor and Thorne weren’t on the same page in the first half which nearly led to a pick, but they figured things out and the junior receiver rebounded to have his best game of the year. He caught four passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns, including the 39-yarder which pretty much sealed the deal, putting the Spartans up 31-17.

Jayden Reed was pretty quiet with three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown and he ran in another score late in the fourth quarter on a reverse. Not bad if your “off day” happens to be two touchdowns and about 50 total yards.

Trey Mosley had a solid performance with two catches for 57 yards, including a huge 51-yarder that really got momentum going for the offense.

And finally, I have to give Connor Heyward some praise because he continues to impress in his new role of tight end/H-back. He had three catches for 49 yards and made two great blocks on Michigan State’s final score to free Reed.