The first 30 minutes of Saturday’s game between Michigan State and Eastern Michigan didn’t go exactly as Pat Fitzgerald planned, but he clearly had the right message for his team at halftime as they dominated the final 30 minutes, winning 35-7. And it should have really been 42-7 if not for a fumble inside the 10 by Cam Edwards.
Fitzgerald had to feel good about the final 30 minutes which should give the team some confidence heading into a massive test against Notre Dame in South Bend.
Max Bullough gets to return to where he got his coaching start.
Before we look ahead to next week, let’s look at some winners and losers from the Spartans’ win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday,
Winner: Cam Edwards
Although he had nearly 100 yards in the opener, it took him 27 carries to get there and he was really banged up throughout. Fitzgerald doesn’t want to overwork his running back, but he got another 20-plus-carry game on Saturday with 21 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. He was more explosive, shifty, and he seemed to find the holes better than he did in the opener (and they were actually more present against EMU). Edwards was a huge winner from the win.
Loser: First-half defense
Missed tackles, horrible routes to the ball, and just an overall lack of toughness that didn’t exactly resemble a Fitzgerald-coached team. The defense was getting out-toughed up front and Eastern Michigan was playing with way too much confidence because of it. The second half was thankfully a different story as Joe Rossi made adjustments, but allowing over 100 rushing yards in the first half and giving up several third-and-longs was disappointing to watch. That’s the biggest loser from Saturday.
Winner: Charles Taplin
The redshirt freshman wide receiver stuck around through the coaching change and that may have just earned him a spot in the Spartans’ starting lineup. There had been plenty of speculation about who the Spartans’ third receiver should be and it looks like Taplin may have just won the job with his 65-yard performance on Saturday. He caught three balls and reeled in a long touchdown in the second half. His game against Eastern may have won him a starting spot.
Loser: Liam Boyd
No, Liam Boyd isn’t a loser because he played poorly, but rather because he wasn’t utilized once. He’s more so a loser from Saturday’s win because he didn’t get any practice kicks before the Notre Dame game. Maybe Fitzgerald was just resting Boyd’s leg after he went 4-for-5 in the opener. Either way, Boyd probably fell asleep on the sidelines on Saturday and his only shot to kick a field goal resulted in a conversion on 4th-and-11.
Winner: Eli Coenen
The defensive line was much more impressive during the second half on Saturday afternoon as they finished with four sacks and seven tackles for loss. Two of those sacks were from Eli Coenen who was a real breakout candidate during fall camp. He looked the part against the Eagles, finishing with two sacks and four total tackles. He was a problem and he joins Kenny Soares Jr. and Ben Roberts on a really intriguing defensive line.
Loser: Brennan Parachek’s snaps
Brennan Parachek has long been on my breakout candidate radar, but through two games, he has just one catch and his performance against Eastern Michigan wasn’t his best. He missed a critical block in the second half that led to an Eastern Michigan stop while Michigan State was trying to put a drive together. He also had a false start and I don’t remember a single target that went his way.
On top of that, Jayden Savoury looked like a budding star with a big 46-yard catch-and-run in the second half, finishing with four receptions for 63 yards. Parachek’s snaps may be decreasing soon.
Bonus winner: Cam Fancher
Nick Sheridan decided to switch some things up in the second half and he put Cam Fancher in to give a fresh look and it worked as he led a scoring drive and finished 6-for-6 on the game with 42 yards. He also had eight rushing yards on two quarterback keepers. Fancher looks like a legit backup quarterback and Michigan State fans have to feel better about that spot if Alessio Milivojevic ever has to miss time.
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