EAST LANSING – Chris Solari grades Michigan State football after the Spartans’ 38-37 overtime loss to Illinoison Saturday, Oct. 10, at Spartan Stadium.
Offense: C
MSU knew Bret Bielema’s offense wanted to drain the clock, which made producing on each possession critical. The Spartans went three-and-out on their first two drives and did not pick up a first down until 8:16 was left in the second quarter, running just 17 first-half plays in their 9:08 of possession to the Illini’s 42 plays in 20:52. MSU also was outgained 261-83 in the first half after QB Alessio Milivojevic took a sack on a flea-flicker to open the Spartans’ first possession. But that failed trick play showed they were prepared to dig deep into their arsenal to find something.
3 quick takes on Michigan State's OT loss to Illinois
Milivojevic (22-for-26, 196 yards, two TDs) did not get sacked again after that and found rhythm late in the half after falling behind 17-0, as did the rest of the offense. MSU outgained Illinois 259-148 in yardage after halftime, while owning a 37-28 advantage in total plays and a 17:00-13:00 time of possession edge.
Jaziun Patterson has emerged as a versatile weapon with his hard-churning style of running (18 carries, 92 yards, three touchdowns) and ability to make plays out of the backfield in the pass game (11-yard TD catch). The offensive line showed improvement, and Milivojevic finally found connections with receivers Chrishon McCray and Fredrick Moore late and continued to show chemistry with tight end Jayden Savoury.
Swiss Army knife Carson Gulker also completed his first pass as a Spartan, though the touchdown was nixed by one of four costly offensive penalties.
Defense: C-minus
After allowing the Illini to score on their first five possessions of the game and watching injuries continue to mount, Joe Rossi’s ailing unit summoned up enough momentum-shifting plays to get the Spartans back in the game in the third and fourth quarters.
Defensive tackle Mikeshun Beeler’s pressure on Illinois QB Katin Houser forced the former Spartan to throw an interception to safety Devin Vaught that set up an Patterson touchdown that got MSU within 23-17 on the next play. Vaught’s pick was the Spartans’ first turnover created against a power-conference opponent this season and the only one the defense forced.
MSU failed to have a sack for the fourth game in a row despite getting seven QB hurries and stuffing Illini backup QB Michael Clayton II on a fourth-and-inches sneak with 3:27 to play that set up the Spartans’ game-tying touchdown. However, the young defense wilted in overtime with a 25-yard Clayton-to-Hudson Clement on the only play Illinois needed to win it.
MSU was down to its fifth, sixth and seventh options at both linebacker and cornerback by the end. The Spartans lost starting linebackers Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff in the first quarter and Dion Crawford in the third and were already without Caleb Wheatland. Tre Bell and Charles Brantley, who started at corner, left with injuries; MSU already was without starter Tyran Chappell and backup NiJhay Burt. That left Rossi to play two freshmen – Jeremiah Favorite and KJ Deriso – for the bulk of the fourth quarter and OT.
Special teams: B-minus
Liam Boyd had a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter to start the Spartans’ rally after they fell behind by 16 points, 23-7. He also delivered four more touchbacks on his six kickoffs, and his onside kick could not have been pulled off more perfectly – even though line judge Jeff Szink threw a flag incorrectly deeming Samson Gash offsides before he recovered it along Illinois’ sideline. Rhys Dakin hit a career-long 74-yard punt into the end zone for a touchback and his other landed at the Illini 13. But MSU also had an illegal formation on Dakin’s second punt that moved it out 5 yards from the goal line.
And both kickoff returner Kenneth Williams and punt returner Chrishon McCray failed to deliver big plays in the return game, including Williams getting tripped up at his own 12 early in the third quarter and McCray stumbling on a fourth-quarter punt after just 5 yards.
Coaching: C-plus
This is a tough grade. Injuries hamstrung Rossi’s ability to press up with young and shaky cornerbacks and blitz from the linebacker spot without Hall and Co. Having his secondary back 10-plus yards off the line of scrimmage on the lone Illinois play in OT proved the most costly decision. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan barely got a chance to develop rhythm with the offense, but then he opened up the playbook and showed creativity once the Spartans started sustaining drives – albeit at times out of desperation with minimal separation again at receiver. And coach Pat Fitzgerald’s blowup at the referees after the offsides penalty on the onside kick worked like a Tom Izzo technical foul tirade in firing up his team and the fans in the stands who stayed. But the failed decision to go for 2 in overtime came down to not feeling like the defense had enough healthy bodies to go back out and get more stops, a calculated risk based on the circumstances that have befallen MSU up to the midpoint of the season.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football grades vs Illinois as injuries sap defense
