V-Cast: Can Michigan State take the good things from last weekend on the road to Oregon?
East Lansing, Mich. – Coming off a tough game against the Buckeyes in which the final score didn’t accurately reflect some of the good things Michigan State did on both sides of the football, the Spartans travel West for a Friday night against another Top 10 opponent in Oregon.
After interviews with Michigan State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, and players Aidan Chiles and Jordan Turner, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk checked in from the Perles Plaza with the latest V-Cast.
V-CAST TOPICS
Aidan Chiles: Lindgren indicated on Tuesday that he has seen solid week-to-week growth from first-year starting quarterback Aidan Chiles. As Michigan State moves deeper into conference play, however, Lindgren is looking for his sophomore starter to take the next step in his development by putting everything together. Lindgren is encouraged by the improved decision making he saw from Chiles against Ohio State in comparison to one week earlier against Boston College. Chiles said after practice on Tuesday he believes the game is slowing down some with five games of starting experience to draw upon. Decision making and occasional bouts of inaccuracy have been the biggest stumbling blocks for Chiles in his role as a starting quarterback.
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Measuring up physically: Michigan State wasn’t pushed around by Ohio State at the line of scrimmage on either side of the football. On offense, there were a handful of run plays that weren’t blocked correctly or pass protection that was slightly off, but the Spartans were not dominated by the Buckeye front seven. On the other side of the football, Michigan State also measured up against Ohio State when the Buckeyes were trying to impose their will on offense via the run game. In the second half in particular, the Spartans continued to play stout run defense when Ohio State tried to wear them down between the tackles. That bodes well for the Spartans moving forward, especially if back-up defensive linemen like Jalen Satchell and Ben Roberts continue to play as well as they did against the Buckeyes.
Young guys getting experience: Last weekend’s game against Ohio State provided an opportunity for several young football players to get on the field. Some of those underclassmen, like Rakeem Johnson who made his first career start for the Spartans as true freshman offensive tackle, got into the game earlier than others. One of the most promising underclassmen to take the field for Michigan State in the blowout loss to the Buckeyes last weekend was Justin Denson, a freshman defensive back who earned the praise of both head coach Jonathan Smith and Rossi after his performance. Denson was physical as a run defender, and being so could earn him additional reps throughout the season
