EAST LANSING – Pat Fitzgerald stayed true to his word.
Mum.
If you were hoping for a health update for Michigan State football coming out of its 30-20 Week 1 win over Toledo and heading into Saturday’s game against Eastern Michigan, you’ll have to wait. Fitzgerald stuck to his philosophy of not discussing injuries.
“Everybody’s feeling great, to answer your question about my non-injury report. So thank you for asking,” Fitzgerald joked during his weekly news conference Monday, Sept. 7.
Part of that, too, is because almost all of the key Spartans who did leave the opener Friday night returned and played in some capacity. That included linebacker Jordan Hall (right
arm), left tackle Ben Murawski (lower body), running back Cam Edwards (lower body), defensive tackle Ben Roberts (right leg) and wide receiver Chrishon McCray (right leg). Backup running back Marvis Parrish (lower body) did not come back, with Jaziun Patterson getting his chance when both Edwards and Parrish were on the sidelines.
Just before this season, the Big Ten changed its policy on releasing information on injuries during the week and before kickoff, eliminating all requirements for nonconference games. Fitzgerald said last week he won’t address injuries until he’s forced to – before the Spartans’ Big Ten opener against Nebraska on Sept. 26.
A lot of MSU’s issues against the Rockets, Fitzgerald said, came due to the heat and sweltering humidity. Cramping proved problematic throughout the game, he said. And their ability to push through and come back also bodes well for the Spartans moving forward and shows the toughness factor Fitzgerald has preached all offseason.
“This game is played by tough people, right? You have to be a tough guy to play this game and play it the right way,” said Fitzgerald, who was an All-American linebacker at Northwestern from 1993-97. “To see the guys battle through things − I was at the Iowa game [Saturday], both sides, guys were going down and cramping. I mean, it’s hard not to when it’s 100% humidity and you got pads on and the anxiety of playing and the whole nine yards.
“We tweaked our pregame warmup a little bit to lighten the load for the guys in ways that we kind of want to get them warmed up mentally and emotionally and physically. But yeah, nights like that challenge your depth a little bit. And I thought for the most part, each guy that went in stepped up.”
Family time in Iowa
Fitzgerald said he broke down the game film into early Saturday morning then flew to Iowa City after daybreak to be with his family and watch his son, Ryan, and the Hawkeyes beat Northern Illinois, 40-0. The ability for MSU’s new coach to spend time with his son when their busy schedules don’t connect presented itself, with the Spartans having a Friday opener.
It didn’t lend itself to a lot of sleep, Fitzgerald admitted, adding “it was was a unique weekend for me” to be able to spend time with his family after returning to coaching following a three-season hiatus.
“It was the first time I’d been with my family collectively together in a little over a month,” he said. “So that was selfishly really great.”
Getting ready for Eastern Michigan
Fitzgerald returned to East Lansing on Saturday night, then got back to work assessing his own program Sunday. He saw good and bad upon revisiting the victory, including a dominating 43:16-16:44 edge in time of possession and nearly 400 yards of offense, coupled with stalled drives that resulted in field goals. Penalties and mistakes, Fitzgerald said, are why the Spartans left a number of points on the board.
Defensively, MSU allowed 273 total yards and just 77 rushing yards. However, two big busts – a 60-yard touchdown pass and a 71-yard touchdown run – accounted for the bulk of Toledo’s yardage and points. Eliminating explosive plays is another major emphasis heading into MSU's game Saturday (3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network) against EMU (1-1) st Spartan Stadium.
Early weather forecasts predict temperatures in the high 70s with a 40% chance of rain. Fitzgerald said he hopes to get more players into the game to mitigate cramping, but also because MSU wants to build its depth heading into its final nonconference game the following week at No. 5 Notre Dame and into the conference schedule with the Cornhuskers.
“I just think we've got talented guys that did not play on Friday night,” Fitzgerald said. “And my challenge to them in our team meeting, and my challenge to their coaches [Sunday] and today was what do we have to do as a staff to get those guys to execute at a better level in practice to earn trust? Earn trust in themselves, earn trust in their teammates and earn trust in our coaches. And there are a lot of guys that are really close. …
“I think it’s just a collective. We’ve gotta get a lot better for us to be where we want to be. That’s kind of where we’re at right now – the pedal is down, the foot is inserted, and we’re going that way.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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Next up: Eagles
Matchup: Michigan State (1-0) vs. Eastern Michigan (1-1).
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).
Line: Spartans by 17.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football seeing early returns from toughness tests
