Michigan State’s win over Toledo on Friday night didn’t make many fans feel a whole lot better about making a bowl game this season, but it had to feel a whole heck of a lot better than Michigan sneaking by Western Michigan thanks to a Hail Mary that never should’ve happened.
Sorry, felt like getting one last jab in on that school down the road.
The win over Toledo at least felt like a commanding effort until a 71-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter shifted momentum entirely. Michigan State was up 13-0 and then 19-7 and had a chance to go up 22-7 but Liam Boyd’s attempt was blocked which led to a Toledo touchdown. The Spartans would go on to win 30-20, but it probably should have been somewhere in the ballpark of 40-20 or even worse if they could have finished their drives better.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at the final report card by position group.
Quarterback: A-
Alessio Milivojevic was really good on Friday night, finishing 26-for-34 with 247 yards and a touchdown and he wa also PFF’s fifth highest-graded quarterback in the Big Ten through Saturday night’s games. He played well, but the only real gripe I had was that he didn’t know when to throw the ball away and took some unnecessary hits and sacks. If he works on that or trusts his legs a little more in the pocket, he’s going to be really good.
Running Backs: B
Not great, but not bad. The entire game was pretty solid from a running back standpoint, starting with the obvious star of the room, Cam Edwards. He was unfortunately bottled up for the most part, finishing with 98 yards and a physical touchdown run on 27 carries. That’s also on the offensive line, but there were plays where it felt like the backs tried to make something happen and ended up losing yards. Can’t fault that, especially since the line needs to be a lot better in the run game. Marvis Parrish is an exciting backup, rushing for 28 yards on six carries.
Receivers/Tight Ends: B+
There weren’t exactly a ton of targets to go around seeing as Chrishon McCray and Rod Bullard Jr. ate most of them up, but the group was overall solid. Bullard was the star, catching seven passes for 90 yards and a touchdown and he also secured a huge 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter to put the Spartans up seven. McCray was solid and he seemed to find soft spots in the defense. Both are going to be YAC (yards after catch) guys this year. Jayden Savoury was a standout at tight end, catching four balls for 36 yards. Overall, solid day for the group. Need more Carson Gulker, though.
Offensive Line: C+
At times, the line looked dominant. At times, it looked awful. It was a mixed bag and that’s why they’re staying in that C+ range. The run blocking left a ton to be desired while pass blocking was much better. The group has some solid pieces and when they put it all together, they’re going to figure out the run game. Until then, this was a slightly above average game from the line.
Defensive Line: B
Although the line accounted for just one sack (the other came from Tre Bell at corner), this group actually really impressed me, as did the entire front-seven. Outside of that 71-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Michigan State’s line closed the gaps and helped hold Toledo to just six yards on 19 carries. No, that’s not a typo, the Rockets were getting stuffed until that long run. The Spartans’ defensive line also got into the backfield a bunch and made John Alan Richter uncomfortable. Eli Coenen, Mikeshun Beeler, and Kenny Soares Jr. stood out.
Linebackers: B+
Down Jordan Hall for a short period of time, the linebackers didn’t skip a beat as they really held strong without their star player. Hall did return and he had a solid game with four tackles and one tackle for loss, but Brady Pretzlaff really stood out along with Caleb Wheatland. This group really showed a lot and there’s reason to be optimistic about it.
Secondary: C
Bell was solid and looked like a true CB1 while Charles Brantley struggled and really didn’t stand out like everyone was hoping. Michael Richard led the team in tackles at the nickel, Devin Vaught looked solid as did Nikai Martinez, and Tyran Chappell made some plays. There were some big plays that made the numbers look a little worse. The unit had too many mistakes to give it anything other than a C.
Special Teams: A
Liam Boyd was the star of the show, going 5-for-6 on field goal attempts and McCray looked good in the return game. The special teams stood out which is probably the LeVar Woods effect.
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