Michigan State’s shaky week three performance against FCS opponent Youngstown State raises concerns ahead of the Spartans’ matchup against USC.
Ugly Blowout
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Michigan State defeated Youngstown State 41-24 on Saturday but it wasn’t the ideal outcome for the Spartans.
The Spartans were expected to blowout the Penguins due to the difference in overall talent level between the teams but Youngstown State made it competitive at times.
The Spartans struggled to move the ball consistently in the first half, only scoring 17 points while the Penguins scored 10 points.
This allowed Youngstown State to go into halftime confident that they can compete with the Spartans.
The Penguins scoring drives came from explosive plays while Michigan State’s offense was more consistent throughout the game, but it wasn’t dominant.
The Spartans’ game plan was to stop Penguins quarterback Beau Brungard from running because he entered the game with 409 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 10.8 yards per carry.
Brungard repeatedly connected with his receivers for big gains, finishing with 242 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and an interception.
Youngstown State sophomore running back Jaden Gilbert broke free for a 66-yard run and followed it up with a touchdown in the second quarter. He finished with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10.3 yards per carry.
The Spartans outscored the Penguins 24-14 in the second half, which made the game appear as more of a blowout than it was.
This game was too close by the Spartans’ standards. The fact that Youngstown State was able to hang in the game and execute big plays, is a concern as the Spartans’ schedule gets more challenging.
Key Players Injured
Lead running back Makhi Frazier went down with a leg injury in the fourth quarter and was later seen in a walking boot.
Receiver Nick Marsh was off to a dominant start before he went down with an apparent leg injury at the end of the first half. He did not return to the game.
Both Frazier and Marsh are listed as questionable for the USC matchup.
Offensive lineman Luka Vincic suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Kick returner and receiver Alonte Brown also suffered a leg injury in warmups. Head Coach Jonathan Smith said those injuries are “longer-term” injuries.
The injury bug struck early for the Spartans this season and it happened to key playmakers including Marsh and Frazier. The offensive line has great depth but losing a starter and veteran leadership in Vincic is a heavy blow to the offensive front.
Power Football Concerns
Going into the game the Spartans had established an identity as a power style football team. The Spartans showed encouraging signs of commitment to running the football and being stout in the trenches but that looked inconsistent in the matchup against Youngstown State.
MSU rushed for 174 yards and four rushing touchdowns on 33 attempts but a bulk of the production came from quarterback Aidan Chiles.
Chiles rushed for 76 yards on 8 attempts and also broke off a 28-yard run, which was the longest Spartans rush of the day.
Running backs Makhi Frazier, Brandon Tullis, Elijah Tau Tolliver combined for 90 yards on 23 carries.
The Spartans’ offensive line didn’t consistently open holes for running backs which made the Spartans adjust to a passing offense.
Chiles had 270 passing yards, a passing touchdown and an interception on 76% completion but throwing is not the ‘bread and butter’ of this offense.
The passing game is built off of the success of the running game. If it was this challenging to rush against Youngstown State, there could be issues running the ball against USC.
The Spartans will face top 25 opponent USC on the road on Sept. 20 at 11 p.m.