There certainly was no shortage of storylines coming out of this latest MSU loss. From a truly “Tale of Two Halves” kind of game to the horrible field goal kicking from both teams (not to mention an MSU kickoff going out of bounds late in regulation) to one of the most bizarre referee-WTFs of all time, this game had a little bit of everything. I am not here to discuss any of those, however. More on one of those topics in a later article.
For devotees of Michigan State football, the biggest story has
to be the announcement that came shortly before kickoff that Aidan Chiles would be holding the clipboard and Alessio Milivojevic was getting his first college start. I was a few minutes late to the start of this game as I was watching the end of Texas vs. Vanderbilt (hell of a game!), but as soon as I turned the TV to BTN and saw #11 in the game, I was ecstatic. It was a move I had been hoping to see for a couple weeks now, though my prediction was that it would happen at halftime of this game.
So how did the redshirt freshman do in his first start for the Spartans… on the road… against a defense who is great at getting to the quarterback… with an offensive line who is great at letting defenses get to the quarterback? In a word, great. You could easily make the case that it was the best QB performance we have seen from this team all year. The 311 yards that Alessio (we need a nickname for him – his last name is too long to type repeatedly) were the most from a Spartan passer all season, and the most since Aidan Chiles had 363 last year in game two at Maryland. You can point out that he only had 1 TD, that he missed Nick Marsh in the endzone on a pass that needed just a little more air under it, that he ate 7 sacks, and that 55 of his passing yards were YAC by Rodney Bullard on the first touchdown. What impressed me about Alessio, what makes me feel confident that the Spartans may actually still win a game this season, was the way many of his passes looked. When he had time to make the throw, his throws were going where they should and he was not missing targets by significant amounts. As the game went on, he even got better at sensing the pressure; only one of the 7 sacks was after halftime. You could see him moving around the pocket and getting himself some extra time and even standing in there to take a shot as he made the pass. He had a couple of completions where he ended up on the ground as he was clobbered while throwing, but he did not let the impending hit alter the job he had to do.
A few times during the game, the cameras showed Chiles on the sidelines. He had the look of someone who knows his role on this team is permanently diminished. As for the rest of the team, they certainly seemed to have a bit more energy. It was, for the most part, another strong effort by the defense, though some of the penalties could still be cleaned up. When off the field, Alessio could be seen running around showing signs of life, hyping up his teammates. It was the opposite of his predecessor, who would regularly just beeline to a seat on the bench and bury his head in a tablet. I am making that comment from my own observations from the times I have gotten a photographer pass and have been on the field for a game.
What is more amazing is that after his one start, and with the help of the games he came on in relief of Chiles, Alessio now has 592 yards on the season. Aidan has 1,392 – exactly 800 more. If Alessio can have a couple more games like he had yesterday, he could legitimately surpass Chiles’ yardage for the season. It won’t be easy; the three remaining opponents – Penn St., Iowa, and Maryland – all have respectable to good pass defenses.
My big question is how does Milivojevic’s future play out? He was recruited to MSU by Jonathan Smith in Smith’s first recruiting class. And we know Smith is on the hot seat. MSU would need to win its final three games, which is highly unlikely, to make a bowl game. If Smith is let go, would Alessio head for the transfer portal? Conversely, would he leave if Smith stays? Maybe he wants to find another offensive system that fits him better. And if he can get some good games on tape down the stretch, maybe he becomes an in-demand name in the portal. What do you all think about his future prospects in East Lansing?
Aside from Alessio, a few other Spartans had noteworthy days yesterday. Running Back Elijah Tau-Tolliver had his best game of the season, collecting 127 yards on 11 carries including an 85-yard rumble. ET-T was, dare I say, the back that most of the pundits believed would win the starting job to begin the season.
Among the pass catchers, Rodney Bullard led the way with 102 yards on 4 catches, including the 71-yard TD. Omari Kelly had 8 receptions for 94 yards while Nick Marsh had 4 for 75.
On defense, Nikai Martinez and Jordan Hall each had 7 solo and 10 total tackles. Hall also had a fumble recovery. Malcolm Bell was next with 7 tackles, 5 solo, along with 1 TFL and 2 passes deflected.
For the first time in a while, I can say that Michigan State had a legitimate shot to win a game. Despite the loss, there is a massive moral victory in finding out definitively that Alessio is ready to take over at quarterback. Now we just have to wait and see if he sticks around more than just three more games.
