Michigan State Football: Report card from first month of 2021 season

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Michigan State cornerback Chester Kimbrough (12) tackles against Youngstown State wide receiver Luke Hensley (85) during the second half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. /

Secondary: C

Honestly, I feel like I’m being fairly generous with this grade. The secondary has been pretty bad this season but I’m sticking with a C here instead of a lower grade because, well, I believe a lot of the struggles have been scheme-related.

Scottie Hazelton and Harlon Barnett have instilled the “bend but don’t break” coverage scheme which sees defensive backs playing 5-10 yards off the line of scrimmage constantly.

Opposing quarterbacks have noticed this and they’re taking advantage, lighting the Spartans up on short and intermediate routes. These are like glorified run plays and they’re keeping the defense on the field for far too long. Northwestern, Miami, and Nebraska all killed the Spartans with these pass plays and the scheme needs to be fixed.

Xavier Henderson has been a star, however. He leads the team with 42 tackles and he has four tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, and an interception.

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