V-Cast: is Michigan State ready for a road test at night against a good Boston College team?
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State has made noticeable progress in each of its first three games under first-year Spartan head coach Jonathan Smith. Now, the Spartans travel to Boston College for a night game against a quality ACC opponent before diving headlong into the teeth of a brutal Big Ten schedule.
After interviews on Tuesday, SpartaMag.com staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk checked in from the George and Sally Perles Plaza outside the Tom Izzo Football Building to discuss Michigan State’s preparation for a difficult road test at Boston College in the latest V-Cast.
V-CAST TOPICS
BOSTON COLLEGE: Michigan State has an impressive road win at Maryland, but the environment the Spartans will face on Saturday night at Boston College will be more difficult to play in than what the Spartans saw in the Big Ten opener. Boston College has a formidable run game, a dynamic quarterback in Thomas Castellanos, and quality skill personnel on offense. The Eagles are coming off a gritty performance in a losing effort at Top 10 Missouri and will be eager to bounce-back strong at home under the lights. To counter, the Spartans need to play with physicality on offense and harness a level of consistency we have yet to see in the run game. Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles needs to play with poise and avoid poor decisions often result in interceptions against good teams.
OUTLOOK AT RIGHT GUARD: The bad news for Michigan State is that the Spartans simply cannot afford to sustain an injury at the right guard position without suffering significant drop-off after season-ending injuries to Gavin Broscious last weekend and Kristian Phillips in the season opener. The good news for the Spartans at right guard is that Dallas Fincher gives Michigan State experience at the position. Fincher has been on the field for the Spartans quite a bit since Phillips was lost, job-sharing at right guard with Broscious. While depth at right guard is less than ideal, having a functional option at right guard like Fincher is valuable provided he stays healthy.
BIG OPPORTUNITY: Michigan State has an opportunity to improve to 4-0 with a win at Boston College under first-year Spartan head coach Jonathan Smith. A win over a good Boston College team would move the Spartans one step closer to a winning season, and would also give Michigan State momentum going into a grueling stretch of conference games that include Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa, and Michigan. After facing Michigan at the end of October, the Spartans play Indiana, a team that is currently ahead of schedule under it’s first-year head coach .
