Michigan State Football: 3 implications of snowy win over Penn State

Nov 27, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Jayden Reed (1) celebrates with running back Kenneth Walker III (9) and quarterback Payton Thorne (10) after making a touchdown catch during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

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Michigan State’s defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton calls out to players during the Meet the Spartans open practice on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.210823 Meet The Spartans Football 103a /

2. Scottie Hazelton has a lot to prove next season

After a nightmare of a season defensively, Scottie Hazelton has been the subject of a ton of criticism and many believe that his job should be in question this offseason.

But I don’t think that’s completely fair just yet.

While I think Hazelton had a disappointing year, I also believe that he was working with a lack of depth and the secondary’s struggles were more on the personnel than schematic issues. I do think that playing 10 yards off the line of scrimmage was a problem, but he was doing that in order to avoid the big plays (a-la Ohio State) with his defensive backs getting burned off the snap.

Hazelton had another sloppy game against Penn State in the snow, allowing over 300 passing yards again as Jahan Dotson had himself a game with 137 receiving yards and two scores.

Once Mel Tucker gets more of his guys on defense next season (through recruiting and the portal), I think Hazelton will have to show some serious improvement.

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