MSU football aims to grow against Eastern Michigan

0:00Hi and welcome to Spartan Speak, a production of the Lansing State Journal Detroit Free Press and USAD Day Network. I'm Graham Couch, the Lansing State Journal with Chris Salari of the Detroit Free Press. Here to talk some MSU football ahead of Michigan State's second game of the season against Eastern Michigan at 330 this Saturday. It's Spartan Stadium. MSU of course is 1-0 after a win over Toledo in which they had to come back from down briefly early in the third quarter to win 30-20. So a little bit to get in there. We're going to look ahead mostly as well. Chris, how you doing, man? Oh, I feel like I got an extra second this week. So I'm doing okay. The, well, nice second chance at the second game, right?

1:05Those are the stories that are like my deadline nightmares because doing like instant column type stuff with a quick takes. Like I think back to the trouble with the snap play in Ann Arbor, I think back to the tunnel gate. And I just, I think back to like how hard it was to react to that stuff in real time. Sometimes. Yeah. Yeah. If you're not, if you're not just simply the chronicler of history that, and you're trying to give us an informed and insightful opinion, that's one thing. It's another thing when you're standing at the top of the Michigan State Impress Box. Then you're watching that play unfold in front of you. And Jalen Watts Jackson scores a touchdown. Then you all of a sudden see Rex road stand up with his hands on his head, just freaking out that he had to completely rewrite his story. And I got to leave and go down. So that's funny how time has changed over 11 years now.

2:06That would be your freak out today. Yeah, I remember that day well because I believe it was the, I believe Sean Windsor's mother passed away. And I was filling in, so it was, I wasn't just writing for the L.S.J. that day. I was trying to meet like a couple different free press deadlines. And which, which, you know, because I don't even think we were doing the quick take yet. I think it was just one of those things where I had different instant responsibilities and different secondary and just like, oh, wait a second. What? Yeah. Anyway, I had the 1A story. And so I was able to, I had a little more wiggle time and didn't have to do it immediately, you know, it was later that it happened. We still, at that point, still printed a newspaper at a normal time to print a newspaper. Well, and I remember the tunnel gate situation. This is a, this is where the quick takes bite you, you know, and we've sort of decided they're worth it because, you know, people want them and most of the time it's, it's,

3:07it's worth doing. But like I, I had no idea what had happened. And you know, you were only three of us who really digs. Yeah, you were, you were in the, you were in the, in the throes of it. And, but by the time I got down there in Michigan, like the worst place to cover a game because you're, the press box is on the opposite side from where the media stuff is. You got to go against the traffic of fans and then you got to come outside the stadium and kind of come back in to get to the visiting spot. It's a mess. It's, it's, and you do it. And so I finished the, the quick takes got down there and I get into the press commerce. This is it starting and people are sort of asking a little about something that it's have. I'm realizing something has happened. I have no idea what. So I don't even feel comfortable asking a question about it because I don't know to what they're referring. And I feel like I'm more on for it. And so there are instances where it actually bites you quite a bit. But anyway, so I was thinking about that with the, the last second hill, Mary and just how, how challenging that could be from a, you know, it's always nice when it's not

4:10your game. That's right. That's right. Michigan States game did not end that dramatically. It was a game that was close. It was a game that we thought could be close. It's a game that probably didn't have to be close. Michigan State had not settled for six field goal attempts and, you know, if they had not given up a couple of big plays, but you know, if are, you know, if school get you beat, they become coach speak after a while, you know, and so one of the things I think's fascinating about this week, Chris, and moving forward is, you know, if Michigan State doesn't give up a 71 yard touchdown run by having two guys in the same gap. And if Chuck Brantley doesn't get beat by having his eyes in the wrong place or whatever that on the 60 yard, which time you also got beat on the other up and out, you know, where it was in the wrong spot and went to play the screen. And that was four big plays led to basically 75% of the yards for Toledo. And if Michigan State doesn't commit a couple of the holding penalties or sacks when

5:15they got into Toledo territory, maybe it is a blowout, like it could have been a blowout. And so the question becomes this week, and I don't think Eastern Michigan's going to be quite as good as Toledo. But then again, we don't know that for sure. We don't know exactly what Toledo is. If those things don't happen this week, if there's, you know, if they're more, they execute the better rate in the red zone. If they don't give up the big plays, then those things are things that got corrected. Well, you can't be as in week four saying, well, you know, we're close. If we just don't do this because eventually it's just part of your DNA. And I think that's the big question I have for this week, Chris, is like things that were mistakes, things that were strengths. What is true to this team's DNA versus what is what was just an anomaly in something that happened last week? Yeah, it's a question of the development, right? I mean, Pat Fitzgerald has talked so much about being a developmental program. Well, that doesn't just mean developing guys to get into the NFL.

6:16That means developing week over week to fix those mistakes like that. I mean, you got a veteran and Charles Brantley that got beat on the up and out for the touchdown. But then later, and this is where Joe Rossi talked about the defense being overly aggressive, came up hard on a fake screen down the line, you know, quick hit to the wide receiver and left the deep route open and gave up a big play there. You know, those are the kind of things that have to get fixed. You can live with some of the, I think they had four penalties in the game, which I think is a reasonable number, especially for a first game, especially considering none of them were false starts. None of them were off sides on the defense. None of them were substitution errors as Rossi said. I mean, they were in the moment whole in, you know, they were costly. Those also can be fixed. Those are easier to fix sometimes than the mental errors.

7:17So that's, I think, the big thing is they got to be able to show that ability to recalibrate in those areas where they were a little prone to giving up those big plays. And that's where it was. I mean, the big run, you had a couple guys going to the wrong gap, the same gap actually and it allowed a big crease. And, you know, you still got to be able to track down that kid. But that's, I mean, still, it's four plays. I mean, but that's what doesn't get you against Toledo will get you in abundance against against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, et cetera, et cetera, Nebraska as the big 10 open. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Probably not against Eastern Michigan, but then again, you know, it doesn't mean you don't want to fix things that, you know, that that went wrong the previous week. And there are, you know, look, there are lots of intriguing things I want to see about this team that came out of the first week.

8:19Alessio Milavoy, is somebody who is showing some signs of being a really good quarterback, right? And I did a column this week on just how he racks, at least how he rates relative to the best first five starts of quarterbacks in MSU history, statistically. And it's not like everybody's got different receivers, different circumstances, all that stuff. But, you know, it's not like Alessio is dealing with a, you know, a Rolls Royce here that he took over and I didn't actually, what I sat down to write that part of the column, or research that part of the column, I didn't have any idea of it. That wasn't the plan going and I was like, I was just sort of curious. So I started looking back at a couple of the previous quarterbacks. And then you go, all right, well, now we're all the way back to the age where I got to go to newspapers.com and go through LSH, you know, game day sections and green and white sections from yesterday year and what was Jim Miller doing in his fifth stat and all that stuff and your fifth start. So I found that interesting. I, you know, but we still haven't seen from him as efficient as he's been, as tough as

9:24he's been. And he made critical throws and important times, 26 yard or 15 yard or a fourth and one touchdown, all those things against the lead. We haven't seen him, you know, stretch of defense with his arm going deep this year. You know, we haven't seen and this goes back to last year great efficiency in the red zone yet. And so these are things that, you know, you, you, you want to see are they, you know, are they in his repertoire a little bit? And I also don't want to see them if you don't have to against Toledo and Eastern Michigan. You want to kind of keep stuff back a little bit for those that the back part, you know, the last 10 games when you got Notre Dame. I, I think that, you know, he had, I thought the corner ball that he threw to Rodney Bollard was a beautiful pass that went through Bollard Tant and again, we know another one of those plays where we talk about where they could have gone up big and, you know, could have swung

10:24it the other way and not have to, you know, have he breathed down the stretch with, with, losing the lead. But he, he showed resilience and that's something I thought Joe Rossi in particular talked about this on Wednesday because he was asked about what he thought of Mill of Boyvich and he said, and it's great to hear a defensive coaches perspective on this rather than just hearing the offensive guys that are trying to keep certain guys positive, keep certain guys focused on certain things. I mean, he said the kids got it between the ears. He said that's what the separator is between a, a acceptable quarterback at this level and a guy that can thrive. And, you know, that's, you know, but at the same point, I've seen a lot of quarterbacks who do have it between the ears that they aren't getting the blocking, they get the happy feed or if they, they have one mistake, they keep getting in their own head because there's little two cerebral. I don't see that from him. He's got not necessarily a Connor Cook short term memory who I've never seen a guy wipe

11:31things like that Rose Bowl interception and coming back and leading a drive right after that. Like that, that kid had something completely different in terms of being able to flush and move on. We'll see about that with Mill of Boyvich. We'll see because he's, he's had some games where he's been hit big, right? But he also had maybe a little more offensive weaponry a year ago, but this, again, this goes back to the developmental program. I think they still got talent that can get to that point around him, but they're going to need him to play sound and efficient football. Hold the ball, not fumble it. When he is getting hit, like he did a good job of that, not throw any interceptions. He had a couple spots where he was thrown some dangerous balls at middle screen to the tight end on the touchdown drive could have been a game changer the other way. So there were certain things that you see. So it is really, you know, he's still a young quarterback, you know, third year, really

12:35the second year getting some experience. So this is the developmental side that I think that you want to see in season for the results of the season, not just to move a guy to the NFL. Yeah, and I think, you know, it receiver, there are some interesting guys. I mean, obviously, is Rodney Bullard a guy who is a true number one, right? Kenny, is he going to be able to do that? And again, you won't know it against Easter Michigan because the level of competition will go up and that's when you find out. Grishon McCray and it was good and those two guys consistent, you know, it tight end, you know, Jaden Savry was so good. And you're talking about a young player who has a chance. Chris, we talked about before the season quite a bit on the idea of do they have enough difference makers? And I think Savry has a chance to be one of those guys and develop one of those guys. Kenny, do it this year. You know, we'll see. I know one thing he's screwing up my spell checks on the words Savry quite a bit. And all the auto corrects and things in the way his name is spelled.

13:39But he, you know, you just, you watch him play and you go, wow, that guy, there's something to him. And so these are all guys you want to see a second time. There's some other receivers. There's some running backs beyond cam Edwards. You want to see a second time. A line can they lean on somebody? Can they clean a few things up? You know, Connor Moore had some rough moments. Can like I, you know, a lot of it, you just want to see them again and get another data point. Yeah. And that I think the, the kind of more thing is one that's an interesting thing to keep watch on because they did move him inside to left guard with Moralski. Now that was after the summer when Paffits Gerald said he planned to put Sharpen Moralski on the same side. So which at that point alluded to more staying outside at right tackle. And I thought he had a sound year last season at right tackle. So and, you know, Rakeem Johnson had some moments where he struggled at the tackle spot. So moving forward, are they going to have an ability to move some guys around?

14:42They put Robert right there at right tackle. So maybe they feel more comfortable with Robert right at right tackle. Maybe one of those guys moves inside. It'll be interesting to see this week the type of shuffling that happens up front if there is any or if some of the younger depth guys come along. Because I think that there are some younger offensive linemen that have a chance to make an impact and join this playing group. They just need, I think that Nick Sheridan talked about needing consistency for a lot of guys. And I think that's right now, if Moralski's your most consistent guy at left guard, you know, he's going to need to ground his feet and kind of get solidified in that position a little bit or maybe move outside too. But they need him on that line moving guys at some point somewhere. Yeah, I mean, again, lots of stuff defensively. There's lots of stuff. You know, some guys showed some some acts were making plays or a couple of guys who have

15:47that look surprised and good. I think there's, but it's, you know, we, the problem with week one at any level really. We talked about this as well as you don't know exactly what the opponent is and where their weaknesses are and what matchups create difficulties and opportunities for a team that aren't necessarily true to who they are yet or the situation. And so each game is another, another data point with that. I will be interesting with Eastern Michigan because they played two games and Alessio talked about this a little bit. The idea that, you know, it's a team they don't have to use old film as much with like they do with Toledo and Mercer and all that stuff. And part of that's not just because it's we, you know, by the time you get to week three, there are always two games on every team, but they're lucky in some ways you get two games on Eastern Michigan and week two because they played a week zero game. You know, they have a win over Sacramento State and a loss to San Jose State. And you know, there are some things with Eastern Michigan that I'm curious about.

16:49Like I think Eastern Michigan has decent crafty enough receivers to get some things done if they can protect Noah Kim. And but I don't, you know, I look at their running game and outside of one 50 yard run, this is a team that's averaging a little over two yards of carry in their first two games. They're just not, they don't really have much there. I don't think they're going to get any hay there. So they're going to have to do it through the air. And I question whether that's going to be something that's fruitful for them. Well, that's where I think when you look at that Toledo film, it's going to show, you know, that's where Toledo did the most of their jamage, right? I mean, they had the 171 yard run, but outside of that, I think they had what, maybe six yards on the ground total. And it wasn't like there were a ton of sack yard. I think Michigan State had two sacks in the game and that was it. One from Traybell and one from Eli Cohen and the defensive tackle who I thought played a really good game in the middle.

17:52Him and Ben Roberts and Ben Roberts went down the cramping. That's kind of the hard thing about the injuries, right? You know, you don't know who, you know, Jordan Hall, you knew probably wasn't a cramp when he's coming out with a sleeve on his right arm. The other guys, you know, Cam Edwards came back, Moralski came back. I don't think Marvis Parish came back, but I thought he looked good when he was running the ball early on too, but back to the defensive side. They were able to pick up big chunks on occasion in the past game. And that's, and a score touchdown through the year. So there, I think when, when Eastern Michigan looks at Michigan State's film, that's going to be their first adjustment is they're going to say we can open it up on this team. Well, that's where Michigan State needs to have that week one to week two growth and make them make them one dimensional. Take away that pass and force them to try and run the ball on them. And that's it. I don't think Eastern could do that.

18:53Now I do think that this defensive line, you know, there's some potential there. I don't know. I think the biggest takeaway I had coming out of Friday's game was that the top end depth looks serviceable to above average, to compete in the big 10. But beyond that, that's when you, so when Jordan Hall was out, the past defense struggled. I mean, he's such an orchestrator in there. So like him, the kind of Martinez, I think Roberts on the, on the defensive line, those are guys that they need. They need those guys to be on the field, communicating as veterans. And if they're not on the field, there's a big drop off. And they also play without linebacker D on Crawford too. So that I think also maybe complicated things a little bit. I thought Pretzloth, Brady Pretzloth had a good game for, especially for his first start.

19:54But he's better when Jordan Hall's next. So I mean, I think the whole defense is better when Jordan Hall's out there. Yeah, it's one of those things where in football, there are going to be injuries. And you know, as seasons go on, you're going to miss some of these guys. And it, you're right. I think it came a little bit apparent that like there are, there are guys that the drop off is going to be noticeable. And so one, you know, the team you see one week, you may not be able to count on seeing at the same exact level because one guy missing in a key spot will change that. And that's going to be a tricky thing for them. And they're going to have to take advantage of weeks when they're really healthy because weeks against similar competition when they're not may not go as well. And I'm thinking of that that that stretch once they get through the Notre Dame game, we're just about everybody they're playing for a while is sort of this, you know, there's look, UCLA looked really good. You know, Wisconsin, that's a moment to get Notre Dame. I'm not saying these are teams at varying level to some degree Illinois, all the stuff, but Nebraska, but like, there are going to be weeks where the best of them is going

20:57to look, you know, they're going to have a better chance to beat one of those teams in other weeks. Even if the other team isn't any better than the team they faced the previous week because of health, that is one of the things until you have great depth. And that's really the case in college for a while period. And it's one of those things that gets lost a lot. But I, you have to take advantage of the weeks where you're healthy enough at the key spots to win. Let me ask you brought up that that was constant Notre Dame game. And they're obviously both on Michigan State schedule here coming up within the next month. If you were Michigan State, would you take the result that was constant had in that that first half they were in that game and they were throwing them around and they were, they looked like they had again, like Michigan State, the top end. But then once you started wearing down, you saw the talent differential really open things up. I mean, they're not going to say it, but I would. Right. I'll not them. I know they won't say it. Everybody's going to say they're going to go down there.

21:58But even they would and privately or even the way they feel about it, I think, because I still think this program is in that place. And I think, you know, Joe Rossi said something interesting on Wednesday this week where he was just talking about all the teams, he goes, there are these teams up here and he was kind of as hands high and then all the teams vying to catch them and who improves the most will do so. And he was sort of putting themselves in this next batch like, there's a, you know, you get people say, ah, the goal is to win a big 10 championship to be in the playoff. And then you get moments where even unknowingly or without, but there's sort of a moment of reality where they're talking about where they are as a program versus where they want to get to. I think they know where they are as a program in terms of like, they know there is, there's another level above. You'd have to be diluted. And I'm not saying dilution isn't healthy to some degree in this stuff. I'm not saying you ever want to admit going in that you can't beat a team because then what's the point of being on there? And I'm not saying on their best day, they can't punch up with somebody. I don't know that yet.

22:59But I do think if they left Notre Dame having the similar result to what was constant in that was in Lambo field, but still a similar result on the road and left there relatively healthy with their key guys, they'd feel okay going into that next stretch. I mean, I think Notre Dame is one of the best few teams in the country. And so that's, yeah, 100%. I think this season, and I kind of touched on this a little bit in one of my preseason stories right before the Toledo game. What Pep Fitzgerald needs this team to be in a lot of ways is the 2007 Mark Dantonio debut team. He talked about being in another one score game and how many one score games he's been around as a coach. He talked about that this week after the game. I mean, that season for Michigan State was all one score games, even the Michigan game

24:00when the Mike Hart fumble. They lost the games that they lost that season, including the bowl game. I don't believe they lost by more than a touchdown. And that's what you want right now for where this program is realistically, right? I mean, you know, you want to be in games. You want to know, you want to feel that we've got an experienced big 10 coach who's been in these tight games that can help us through. And kind of kind of one of those things like Tom Isle will always say, you get me through the first weekend. I'll get you, you get me through the first game of the weekend. I'll get you to the second game. That's kind of what they need from Fitzgerald, but they got to be in these games too. The Notre Dame game, that's the one where I look at and I'm just kind of like, are they going to be able to have that puncher's chance going into a fourth quarter with them?

25:01Probably not. Just the talent differential and the depth differential. And to be fair, the era of how player procurement comes about is markedly different. So, but, you know, can you do that with the word and can you do that with, I think, Washington is going to be really good too. So, you know, there's a lot different terms of era, right? Antonio kept everybody and so that helped that happen. But you did have some seasons that felt like, does that? You felt like it was sort of a real low point at the end of the John L. Smith era and you're trying to come out of that. And yes, the program has that feel to it. And so, coming out of that is setting yourself up to go forward. It's setting a tone. I mean, the 2007 year is the year of the little brother comment and Mark Antonio's, you know, it'll never be over. Sort of meeting people where they were. There was a real tone that was set in 2007. And that's a very important thing this year that people leave this year thinking, you know, and look, they're thinking this could be the guy and this could have worked.

26:03Now, with Antonio, after 2009, people weren't sure still. So, like, things can take, I mean, success isn't always linear, you know, and they want to patent our doozy fired too. 100%. And, yeah, I mean, in this day and age, the hardest, one of the hardest things, I think, for fans to accept. And one of the things that's going to be most important that they and administrators do is even if you get it rolling to understand that you will have years where you go from 10 and to to five and seven. And that doesn't mean you've lost it. 10 years ago, it means you've lost something. Something's really falling off. But everything now is so year to year, you get one transfer class that doesn't quite fit or work and things really fall. You get one quarterback who doesn't, like, so I think that's just going to be the reality of college football. There are going to be more severe ebbs and flows to things, even when things are actually

27:04in pretty good shape with an overall program. But, yeah, it's also a lot more week to week in that guys, you know, can come back and win a lawsuit and change your roster. That's fair as well. All right, let's, I don't think we need to spend a lot more time on this game. But what is it that you think you are going to see in our most curious to see this week from Michigan State against Eastern Michigan? And what does success look like? Health factor, I think, is one. I want to see who is able to go if they can't go. I think that's logical, especially considering, as we said last week, the big 10 pull the plug on the, oh, I said that Monday, the big 10 pulling the plug on the injury reports for non-conference games is kind of, you know, you talk about their transparency issues. That's, you know, that's not very transparent to do that when you've tied that to gambling.

28:05There's the reason you instituted it in the first place. Non-conference games get bet on too. I digress. But I also want to see the run game improve. I thought they had moments where they look good, but then you get into the red zone and you stall. That's where you need to be creating those creases to, I think there was a third down, the second or third down play where, where Cam Edwards got strung out along the line and added that was, I think, the first field goal drive. So those moments are going to have to get cleaned up. And I think on the defensive side, it's the big place. You cannot go through a season giving up the big plays and kicking field goals like they did in that game and expect to be in games, let alone win games. Yeah, I agree. I mean, how they finish drives, whether they give a big place, what these guys look like when you have week one to week two. Like this is your first chance to go back and fix it. Sort of everything is somewhat, like I thought the first game was acceptable and probably

29:10more encouraging than not encouraging. But a lot of things are understandable in week one. Things become less understandable in week two, right? Or more about who you are if they're still issues or strengths. And so we will see all of those things. Chris and I will have complete coverage at freepe.com at LSH.com. Before we sign off, Chris, your prediction for this game. I'm pretty much holding the farm with my preseason prediction. I think Michigan State corrects these things. I think they put the ball in the end zone a little more. I got them one in 34 to 10, which is, I think the spread right now is 17 and a half. But I just think the difference between Eastern Michigan and Toledo and how they'd have been flipped. I don't think Michigan State would have gotten nearly as much as they would have out of an opener against Eastern Michigan as they did out of the Toledo game.

30:10And I think that just accelerates the growth a little bit because Toledo is a better team than Eastern. I have them at 41.13. So along similar lines, you can follow us at freepe.com, LSH.com, green and white.com. We'll be back next week with another episode. And rate, subscribe, throw fruit, whatever it is. Thanks for listening.