Survey Time: Midseason Grades

Michigan State v Oregon — Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Analyzing the Spartans through six games

Well, Spartan fans, this football season is halfway through and that means it is time to put out another report card. The grades we (yes, all four writers contributed to this assignment; teamwork makes the dream work) are giving in this version are cumulative marks for the entire six games played so far, not just the last three. And just like after week 3, you will have a chance to give grades on each position group. Let’s jump right in.

QUARTERBACKS

Aidan Chiles: 86 for 152 (56.6%), 1,212 yards, 5 TDs, 8 INTs, 3 Rushing TDs

Tommy Schuster: 16 for 21 (76.2%), 166 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 1 Rushing TD

Statistically, Aidan Chiles is playing about the same at the midpoint of the season as he was through three games. His completion percentage is virtually unchanged, while his yards per game is down just a little bit, which is acceptable due to the increased degree of difficulty in our schedule. He is even throwing picks at the same rate/game. One place where he has fallen off is in TD throws. Over the last three games, he has only passed for one TD, a 12-yarder to Jaron Glover in the 2nd quarter against Ohio State, along with having one rushing score.

So yeah, it has been tougher for the Spartans to get into the endzone these last few games. That does not fall entirely on Chiles, but he is not immune to criticism either, obviously. Against Boston College, he threw three interceptions. Against Ohio State, he threw one interception and had one lost fumble. And against Oregon, he lost one fumble. This has been the big concern with Chiles’ play. He seems to be overly aggressive at times and that leads to him turning the ball over to our opponents. Sometimes, we need him to become more of a game-manager type of QB, and not be so concerned with the big strike play. Those fumbles of his have occurred when he is trying to fight for those extra inches rather than going down and he lets the ball get a bit further from his body and susceptible to the punch-out. Some of those interceptions have occurred when he has tried to go downfield to his receiver, but he misjudges the defense or simply throws an inaccurate pass, and the defense comes up with an easy takeaway.

In the long run, these turnovers are not why we lost to Ohio State and Oregon, but they are part of why we lost by so much. On the other hand, they are why we lost to Boston College and are not sitting at 4-2 right now instead of 3-3. I had given Chiles a B- on his first quarter report card. This time around, he is being downgraded a full letter to a C-.

RUNNING BACKS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 28 Ohio State at Michigan State

Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams: 67 carries, 338 yards (5.0 avg), 2 TD

Nate Carter: 58 carries, 245 yards (4.2 avg), 1 TD

The usurping of the RB1 role by Kay’Ron continues to be one of the biggest surprises of the season, even if we got the first hints of it in the opener against Florida Atlantic. Through three games, the two RBs, Lynch-Adams and Carter, were just about dead even in total yards, but Lynch-Adams had a 1 YPC advantage. Now, at the midway point of the season, Kay’Ron has begun to get a little separation in yardage while maintaining almost the same edge in yards per carry.

Unfortunately for MSU, neither of these two running backs seems to be doing much in the way of finding the endzone. Between the two of them, there has only been one rushing touchdown in the past three games, and that was by Lynch-Adams late in the Oregon game. We know some of this (a lot of this?) is squarely on the shoulder pads of the offensive line (more on that later), but running backs also need to create for themselves sometimes and I feel like we are seeing a bit less of that lately from the Spartans’ duo.

In the last three games, MSU has combined for just 233 total rushing yards, and that includes any yardage gained by QBs and WRs on the ground. That 233 comes out to under 78 yards per game. Simply put, having two running backs that are mostly interchangeable with one another needs to produce more than this. This position group also sees a drop in its grade, descending from a B to a C+.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

Nick Marsh: 16 receptions, 320 yds (20 avg), 1 TD

Montorie Foster Jr: 22 receptions, 274 yds (12.45 avg), 1 TD

Jack Velling: 19 receptions, 238 yds (12.53 avg), O TD

Jaron Glover: 11 receptions, 150 yds (13.64 avg), 2 TD

Aziah Johnson: 8 receptions, 145 yds (18.13 avg), 1 TD

Antonio Gates Jr: 4 receptions, 49 yds (12.25 avg), 0 TD

Brennan Parachek: 3 receptions, 39 yds (13 avg), 0 TD

Michael Masunas: 4 receptions, 37 yds (9.25 avg), 0 TD

There are other receivers and backs with receptions but we’re just going to focus on the output of those with a minimum of 35 yards receiving. Chiles has managed to spread the ball around but there is still a top tier and bottom tier level of targets. There is obviously a fair share of drops by receivers and errant throws by Chiles that could have drastically improved these numbers.

When watching the games it feels as if Marsh is not getting enough targets, but these are also numbers over only five games as he missed one. Marsh needs to be utilized more effectively to take advantage of his speed and deep ball abilities. What’s stopping that from happening? The injured offensive line in tandem with the dismal running game. Imagine if State had a viable play action and what that could do for Marsh, Glover, Foster Jr and even Velling across the middle.

Aziah Johnson pops out as a bit of a surprise who the Spartans should get into the action more and see if he is capable of adding on to these numbers. Glover has only played in four games and will likely see more targets throughout the season.

Overall, the biggest disappointment I see is the lack of touchdowns. Only five receiving touchdowns through six games is pretty pathetic for an offense we were all expecting more from. Inaccurate quarterback, injured players and tough defenses faced aside, I think I downgrade the corps from a C+ to a C.

Offensive Line

A common refrain the last couple of seasons has been the cupboard is bare. At the start of the 2024 season that wasn’t the case exactly – there was some good talent, but there was also limited depth. Then injury struck and forced several freshmen into the rotation. Two true freshmen are on the two-deep. Six of Ten overall are underclassmen.

Not that underclassmen can’t excel but going against two of the toughest D-lines in the nation, in Ohio State and Oregon, in the first half of the season was going to be a challenge for anyone. ’Yay’ for some reps under the belt. Though with that experience difference, not all of those were “quality” reps. As a result, the remade O-line hasn’t yet gelled since the original starting 5 broke up.

So are we grading on a curve? No. We’ll look through the lens of results on the field.

MSU is currently 108th (out of 134) in rushing with 120.2 yards/game and 3.8 yards/carry. The national averages are 162.9 and 4.5 (median 164.1 and 4.6).

It is a step up from the 127th 88.9 yards/game (2.9 yards/carry) from 2023, but it’s not good enough to contend.

While some of that mess has included scheme coupled with first step (or lack thereof), we were averaging 4.6 yards/carry through the first four games. The rebuilding O-line is not connecting and sustaining – and it’s not just for run blocking. Unfortunately, MSU is ranked 96th with a 2.5 sacks-against average (15 total). That number is skewed slightly by OSU & Oregon with their 4 and 5 sacks, respectively. It is not higher because of Chiles’ wheels.

There are bright spots. As mentioned above, Kay’ron’s rushing average by himself for 6 games is 5.0 yards/carry and even Carter is averaging 4.2 – which doesn’t seem to jive with my eyes’ experience. That points slightly away from purely the line being the issue. Pass blocking has moments, in that Aiden Chiles has had time to throw on occasion – particularly when the pocket moves. Tanner Miller and Luke Newman have been excellent additions, but the others (read: youngsters) need this bye week to find their footing, fast.

So for the first six games, as much as I’d like to give a higher grade, and even with recency bias aside, 108th in rushing and 96th in sacks against isn’t where we need to be: D+

Defensive Line

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 14 Prairie View A&M at Michigan State

We’ll hold off on anointing anyone the surprise stars of the defense through the first six until after we discuss the DBs. That said, the defensive line has held their own. The rush D has held opponents to an average of 130.8 yards/game, 30+ yards below the national average. More importantly, heading into the Ohio State game, the Spartans were among the nation’s leaders in sacks with 15, fairly well spread across seven D-Linemen, two backers, and Ed Wood. Coming out of the Oregon matchup, we are (checks the spreadsheet)… tied for 18th with 15.

14 of those sacks came in the non-conference. But this is the B1G, and the big beasties up the middle, like D’Quan Douse, and speedster off the edge, Khris Bogle, need to get home regardless of the opponent. They have been getting there, just not against a couple of the nation’s best just yet.

On the brighter side, despite the new defensive scheme, MSU is also tied at 18th in the land in tackles for loss at 39 (6.5/game). The D-line has grown quickly into their responsibilities. Though the 27 TFLs in wins (9 per game) vs the 4 per game in losses highlights the criticality of the D-line getting a good push. The D-line is far from perfect, as the last two games showed. Though the reason this collective team has been able to allow the offense to find room to grow has been in large part due to staying stout up front.

Overall Grade Through the Midpoint: B+

LINEBACKERS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 07 Michigan State at Maryland

Over the last three seasons, one thing we knew we could rely on as Spartan fans was seeing Cal Haladay running all over the field racking up tackles. For some reason, that has not been the case in 2024. Through six games this year, he only has 28 tackles, which is well below the pace of even his lowest season tally, the 89 he had in his first season in 2021. And while he is still among the team’s leaders in tackles, currently 3rd, he also has ten missed tackles on the season, which is 2nd most among linebackers in the Big Ten. Even worse, in the last game against Oregon, Haladay scored a PFF grade of 36.9, the lowest of his career. To put it nicely, he is struggling right now.

Jordan Turner, on the other hand, has been playing great for MSU. His 37 tackles and 3 sacks are both leading the team. He also has an INT which he returned 36 yards. The sack mark already matches his career high, and he is on pace to have a career high in tackles as well.

At depth, Jordan Hall and Wayne Matthews III have both been serviceable, giving the starters short respites, but they are also not showing anything to wow the coaching staff and eat into Haladay’s snaps.

Overall, just a slight drop for the linebackers, slipping from a B- to a C+.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The defensive backs may honestly be the brightest star shining among all the positions. The unit themselves has 6 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. Brantley has been the guy with 3 of those interceptions and a TD all on his own as well as 5 blocked passes. Brantley, along with Spencer and Martinez, are in the top five on the team for total tackles. That all being said, the DB unit is a big-time improvement from last year.

The hustle, not giving up on plays, and some timely turnovers have made for some exciting moments. I’d still like to see even a bit tighter discipline from them and continue to cut down on unnecessary penalties. I also would like to see them turn around quicker on coverage to look for the ball.

Having played a couple of top 5 teams and some softer opponents, I think this unit has been ideal. They have kept the Spartans close, played hard and not been the cause of a loss. I’m going to stick with the quarter mark grade and keep them at an A.

SPECIAL TEAMS

NCAA Football: Michigan State at Maryland

Jonathan Kim: 9-9 FG’s, long of 51; 11-12 XP’s

Ryan Eckley: 23 punts, 48.0 avg, 3 inside the 20

This group received an A+ through 3 games. Since then, Eckley’s punting average is down slightly from 50.6 to 48 and he’s had a couple of un-Eckley kicks in the last few games. Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams has also made a couple of questionable decisions to return kicks rather than taking the fair catch, which haven’t worked out. One resulted in a fumble at Boston College which gifted the Eagles 3 points.

It’s pretty tough to top an A+ performance and, while Kim and Eckley remain strengths of the team, overall this unit has not been quite as solid in the last few weeks. This group gets a B through 6 games.

COACHING

The coaches received an A- after three games, with the reason for the “-” being the number of penalties committed by the Spartans through 3 games. Against FAU, Maryland, and PV A&M, MSU averaged a staggering 11 penalties for 114 yards per game. This is down to 3.33 for 28.33 yards in the last three games with the worst effort being 5 for 41 yards against Oregon. This included a couple of silly dead ball personal foul penalties. Overall, a huge improvement here.

The other major problem in games 1-3 was turnovers where MSU gave the ball up 6 times while causing 4 turnovers. This has not improved against BC, OSU, and Oregon with the Spartans’ defense causing another 4 turnovers but the offense giving it up 8 times. This included a game ending interception against Boston College and some absolutely momentum crushing red zone fumbles against Ohio State and Oregon.

When trying to evaluate a coaching staff, it seems like some of the main considerations are:

1. In game management. Some people were critical of kicking the game winning field goal with time still left on the clock against Maryland. MSU had to kick off and I suppose Maryland could have lateraled their way down the field or something. However, other than this possible exception, I don’t recall any glaring in game coaching mistakes.

Smith has chosen to go for it on fourth down in crucial situations. It didn’t work on their first possession against Ohio State, where a field goal would have tied the game. He made the same decision against Oregon where a Chiles to Marsh conversion put MSU on the Oregon 2-yard line.

Perhaps you could argue the play calling but I think the decisions to go indicate to the players that the coaches believe in them and players want to play for coaches like that. Smith has stayed aggressive with the “big risk, big reward” philosophy mentioned in our last grade report.

2. Are they making the most of the talent available to them and putting players in the best possible situation to succeed? The linebackers’, and specifically Cal Haladay’s, struggles against Oregon have been pretty well documented. The offensive line has struggled all year, with the situation made worse by being down to their third option at right guard. How much of these struggles are due to talent and how much is due to player development, game planning, and scheming? It will be interesting to see what MSU does with the linebackers and offensive line after the bye week.

Another huge factor is obviously the massive step up in competition in the last three games but the bottom line is 3-0 has become 3-3 and MSU has shown that they still have a ways to go to be among the Big Ten’s elite. The coaches, along with the players, need to share in this. Just based on what he has said in press conferences and interviews, I think Smith might agree. He has not sold out the players and instead put the responsibility on the coaches. I’m still a huge fan of Smith and his staff and believe in what they are doing but, for now, they go from an A- to B.

Thank you for partaking in this survey. Now I have one last question for TOC Nation. You know I have been quite vocal about my pleasure with the new writers – Mike, Steve, and Brian. What we would like from you is to hear what you think. Are you enjoying the content we are putting out? Anything you don’t like? Is there something you would like to see that we are not doing? Please share your thoughts with us, either in the comments or you can email us at theonlycolorseditors@gmail.com. We want to make TOC the best site possible for MSU fans and among the best throughout the SB Nation family (we may already be).

Thank you for your continued support. Oh, and please help spread the word about TOC to all your fellow Spartans.