Michigan State Football: Report card for season-opening win over WMU

Michigan State football picked up a three-score win over Western Michigan on Friday night. What do the positional grades look like?

When the clock hit triple-zeroes on Friday night’s 35-13 win over Western Michigan, Michigan State football players trotted off the field with a look of disappointment draped over their faces.

It was beautiful.

In years past, Michigan State would have celebrated winning a game by three touchdowns but in the Mel Tucker era, winning isn’t enough; execution is every bit as important. The Spartans didn’t look great in the win and they knew they left at least 17 points on the board. This game shouldn’t have even been this close.

These guys have that dog in them and they’re only going to get better.

What do the position grades look like from Friday night’s win?

Offensive line: C+

I wasn’t too mad about the offensive line play on Friday night. It opened some holes in the run game and it only allowed one sack. There are still struggles with consistency and picking up the blitz was a bit of an issue.

All-in-all, finishing the game with 7.7 yards per play wasn’t too shabby, and keeping Payton Thorne upright was the most important thing. He was forced to scramble a few times, but he was given some decent time to throw.

I think the line was slightly above average (average to me is a C) so I’ll throw them a plus here and say that they’re only going to get better.