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Michigan State football: Power ranking defensive position groups for 2023

By Scott Tolonen

PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 09 : Head coach Mel Tucker of the Michigan State Spartans during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Michigan State defeated Rutgers 31-13. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 09 : Head coach Mel Tucker of the Michigan State Spartans during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Michigan State defeated Rutgers 31-13. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 29: Avery Dunn #98 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after a fumble recovery against the Michigan Wolverines during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 29: Avery Dunn #98 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after a fumble recovery against the Michigan Wolverines during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

3. Defensive Ends

The good news is that Michigan State was in the top half in the Big Ten in sacks last season. The bad news is that 41 percent of those sacks came in the first two games of the season.

In fact, in the Spartans’ seven losses, they tallied zero sacks in three of them and one in two of them. The Spartans did get to Indiana’s Dexter Williams II three times in the first 32 minutes of the game, and zero after that and we all know what happened in the last 28 minutes of that game.

The trend seems to go that if the Spartans are getting to the quarterback, they can win games and that just didn’t happen enough from the defensive end spot last year.

Of the 29 sacks, only six came from defensive ends, but the good news is that every single sack came from an edge rusher that is returning this year.

Another year of experience for Avery Dunn, Zion Young, Khris Bogle, and Brandon Wright along with the additions of five-star transfer Tunmise Adeleye, Ken Talley, and freshmen Bai Jobe and Andrew Depaepe should have the Spartans in much better position to get the defense off the field in 2023 with the help of new defensive line coach Diron Reynolds.

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