Michigan State Football: Revisiting Week 1 goals vs. CMU
![Michigan State running back Nathan Carter (5) celebrates his 31-yard run on the first offensive play of the season against Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Michigan State running back Nathan Carter (5) celebrates his 31-yard run on the first offensive play of the season against Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5e8428fa7d8bae3653cc9d0f7223b6a86cd26c6a8ccdd1350eec76e749ecd873.jpg)
2. Two turnovers with one being an interception
Hye, 50 percent ain’t bad. There was an interception albeit by a linebacker. It’s tough when Central is a run-heavy team and only attempted 25 passes.
There were a few opportunities for interceptions that slipped through the fingertips of Spartan defenders which was a microcosm of the first half with having a hard time with those little inches that make the difference between winning and losing.
Early on, Central Michigan had their tight ends running open making for easy throws for Bert Emanuel Jr. Again, it could have been first-game jitters as the defense settled in, holding CMU to 3-for-16 on third down conversions.
Richmond is much more pass-heavy than CMU so the back end of the defense will have more opportunities to defend through the air with a young quarterback poised to make a few mistakes.