EAST LANSING – Free Press sports writer Chris Solari grades Michigan State football after the Spartans’ 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Spartan Stadium.
Offense: C+
On paper, the Spartans looked dominant: 258 rushing yards and 472 total yards of offense. Yet the Big Ten behemoths battered EMU only in the second half, after getting outgained 162-143 in the first two quarters (with just 60 yards on the ground).
MSU failed to capitalize on strong field position on its first possession but got an Alessio Milivojevic-to-Fredrick Moore TD pass on the second, which started at at the Eagles’ 24. The second TD drive needed an on-the-move throw from Milivojevic to Charles Taplin for 19 yards on fourth-and-11 to prevent it from stalling. And
the final drive of the opening half petered out in EMU territory with a sack and a dropped pass, sending the Spartans into halftime with just a 14-7 lead.
Blending in backup Cam Fancher on the opening possession of the third quarter paid dividends, but only after Milivojevic rescued that drive with a 1-yard sneak on a fourth down at his own 34 to prevent a potentially catastrophic turnover on downs. MSU hammered the run game from there and posted more than 200 rushing yards for the first time since a 32-20 win over Iowa on Oct. 19, 2024. It was MSU's highest rushing total since getting 260 yards on the ground against Akron on Sept. 10, 2022.
Cam Edwards finished with 152 yards and two TDs on 21 carries, showing speed, vision, power and patience in the process.
Defense: C-
Preventing big plays was the talk all week from Joe Rossi and his players, but MSU’s defense continued to struggle with that from the outset against EMU. The Eagles had six plays of at least 10 yards in the first half, three of them leading to conversions on third downs.
Former Spartan QB Noah Kim’s 22-yard swing pass on third-and-9 forced MSU to burn a timeout in the first quarter to address communication issues in the flat, and Kim also ripped off an 11-yard first-down run on third-and-10 from his own 3-yard-line a drive earlier.
Like the offense, though, adjustments came at halftime and the Spartans clipped the Eagles’ wings for just 57 total yards and minus-6 rushing yards on their 21 second-half plays. Defensive end Kenny Soares Jr., and defensive tackle Eli Coenen led the pass rush to four sacks as MSU made EMU's QB more uncomfortable after he scored a 4-yard TD run in the second quarter on a read-option run that coach Pat Fitzgerald said had been scouted and discussed frequently this week.
Playing without captain and starting linebacker Jordan Hall (right arm) took some time to figure out, but Brady Pretzlaff eased into it and finished with eight tackles while Buffalo transfer Dion Crawford made his MSU debut with seven stops. Maine transfer safety Devin Vaught continued his strong sure-handed start with eight tackles, while cornerback Charles Brantly’s ups and downs showed up with a big hit for a forced fumble that he recovered and then a third-down pass interference penalty on EMU’s next possession.
Special teams: B+
Chrishon McCray had only two catches for 10 yards, but the senior made an impact on punt returns with a 31-yard toe-tapping tightrope walk along the sideline in the second quarter to set up MSU’s second score. Liam Boyd wasn’t needed to score other than on extra points on Saturday, but the kicker continues to impress with his kickoffs – four touchbacks on six kicks. Punter Rhys Dakin dropped one at the EMU 3 in the first quarter, but he also had a touchback on his other punt near the end of the opening half. Still, Fitzgerald said he needed to see more physical play from those units at halftime.
Coaching: B
MSU did what it needed to, but the in-game adjustments made by Rossi and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan to get it done helped just as much as the improved focus they coaxed out of their players in the second half. Fitzgerald continues to show a Dan Campbell-like willingness to gamble in fourth-down situations, and MSU went 3-for-3 against EMU after going 2-for-3 in the opener against Toledo.
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 EMU: Spartans found fix when it counts
