Can Spartans end slide vs Terps?
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - There may be no team in the Big Ten that needs a victory more than Michigan State this Saturday.
The Spartans are in the midst of a four-game losing streak for the first time under 10th-year head coach Mark Dantonio.
Despite the grumbling from a historically loyal fanbase that has enjoyed the program’s rise to national prominence under Dantonio over the past five season, MSU has attempted to stay the course with a formula that earned the Spartans an invitation to last season’s College Football Playoff.
With a combination of talent, strong coaching, dedication, commitment, over achievement and the philosophy of always playing with a chip on their shoulders, members of MSU’s football have always found a way to overcome adversity.
That hasn’t been the case this season.
Ever since an encouraging road win at then-No. 18 Notre Dame, for a myriad of reasons, the Spartans have fallen on hard times, lacking a strong run game, solid line play on both sides of the ball, and play-making ability on defense.
The Spartans have no time for woe-is-me attitudes or excuses about what they don’t have or could have had this season, especially when considering that the program is in a fight to keep its nine-season bowl streak alive
So when the Spartans (2-4, 0-3) face off against Maryland (4-2, 1-2) for the eighth time at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in College Park, it will be a game about two teams trying to make sure a postseason trip looms somewhere in their futures.
MSU leads the all-time series with Maryland 6-1, including a 2-0 mark in College Park. Additionally, Dantonio is 2-0 against the Terps.
But none of those numbers will matter on Saturday as MSU attempts to shake off a 54-40 Homecoming loss to Northwestern last week to return to the win column for the first time since mid-September.
Dantonio is calling on the players to get back to core fundamentals, technique and toughness, one play at a time, in trying to climb out of this hole.
“There’s no lack of effort on this team,’’ said 5th-year senior lineman Brandon Clemons. “Everyone’s playing hard and strong, but in all of the emotion you’re losing fundamentals. When you win, those things can go unnoticed but when you lose those small things turn into big things and it becomes a game of inches.
“So I think we need to get back to the fundamentals and take those small steps, those proper things and move forward after that to get a win.”
While it’s seemingly been a long time since the program was in this predicament of fighting to earn just enough victories to earn a bowl bid, it is what it is and it’s up to every member of this group to find what they need to help the team end the woes and miseries that have haunted the team over the last month, one that has seen MSU outscored by a combined total of 139-81 during its recent slide.
The Spartans’ once-elite defense is surrendering an astounding 34.7 points a game, while scoring just 20.2.
Those unacceptable numbers must improve against a stiff challenge from rapidly-improving Maryland, under first-year coach D.J. Durkin.
Durkin’s work may remind many of the beginning of the journey embarked upon by Dantonio when he took over in 2007 and gutted out a 6-6 finish to earn a spot in a bowl game for the first time since 2003.
That’s where the Terrapins are now, as they stand just two wins away from going bowling for the first time since 2014, when they fell to Stanford, 45-21 in the Foster Farms Bowl.
With victories in its first four games, including a Big Ten season-opening blowout of a woeful Purdue team, 50-7, Maryland had gained a lot of momentum to start the season but recently hit a wall in losses at Penn State and at home against Minnesota.
Like the Spartans, the Terrapins will be looking to stop the bleeding on Saturday night.
Senior quarterback Perry Hills leads the Maryland offense with 50-of-80 passing for 622 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hills, who sat out Maryland’s loss to Minnesota and the second half of the Penn State game with a shoulder injury, is expected to be ready to play against MSU. Hills has run for 120 yards on 44 carries, scoring two TDs as part of Maryland’s uptempo, zone read spread system.
Hills back-up, Tyrrell Pigrome, struggled during last week’s loss at Minnesota. Pigrome, a true freshman, is fast and athletic but inaccurate and unsure as a thrower. He is 29-of-58 on the season for 265 yards with two TDs and two picks.
Pigrome has rushed for 198 yards on 49 carries, while scoring three TDs.
The Terps’ top running back is freshman Lorenzo Harrison, who has gained 397 yards on 48 attempts, while scoring four TDs. Sophomore Ty Johnson has run for 367 on 38 carries, while scoring twice for a Terps team that ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten in rushing offense at 250 yards per game.
Maryland’s receiving corps is led by sophomore D.J. Moore and senior Teldrick Morgan, who have 19 grabs each. Moore has gained 258 yards with three scores, while Morgan has 228 yards and two TDs
Senior tackle and three-year letterwinner Michael Dunn heads up an offensive line that also features senior guard Maurice Shelton.
Together this group has helped Maryland average 32.8 points a game and nearly 405 yards of total offense. The Terps’ red zone scoring is also at 91 percent.
With the return of 5th-year senior linebacker Riley Bullough, who came back from injury last week against Northwestern, MSU will field a defense with eight members who have 24 or more tackles. That’s a good news/bad news scenario. High numbers of tackles indicates long drives and a failing defense, which would accurately characterize MSU thus far this year.
Junior safety Montae Nicholson has been solid and occasionally spectacular, with 54 tackles, including two for loss. He has emerged as a heavy hitter. Linebacker Chris Frey has 47 stops.
“Their backs and they’re receivers are great,’’ Nicholson said of Maryland. “They’re backs are dynamic, shorter guys but they have great balance and great speed
“They’re quarterback (Hills), he’s been banged up but he’s like me, he’ll be ready because he’s Pittsburgh strong and he’s got that chip. So I think they’ll come out and try and go after us.’’
Malik McDowell is expected to play defensive end for the second straight week. He made a successful move to d-end last week after starting at d-tackle earlier in the season. He was strong against the run last week and had a half sack on the pass rush, but needs more help from teammates if MSU’s defense is going to remerge as a team strength.
Redshirt freshman Raequan Williams, who has missed time due to injury two weeks ago, leads the Spartans in tackles for loss with 4.5.
MSU enters Saturday trying to improve on a defense that is coughing up nearly 380 yards and 30 points a contest.
“First of all, we just need a win,’’ Clemons said. “But in saying that, we just have to get back to the basics. In terms of d-line it’s about making sure you stay in your gap. Offensive line making sure you’re taking you’re proper footsteps.’’
Clemons is uniquely qualified to offer insight in both areas. He started at right guard in September. He moved to defensive tackle in October when the Spartans began springing leaks on defense. He will start at defensive tackle against Maryland.
Maryland ranks last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed. MSU ranks dead last in sacks. That’ll be an interesting confrontation. McDowell’s move to d-end breathed some life into the pass rush last week. MSU needs more of the same this week, and the Spartans need junior d-end Demetrius Cooper to get on the stat sheet. He had five sacks last year as a back-up but has yet to post his first start in 2016 as a first-year starter.
While things seem to be stabilizing a bit on defense, the same can’t be said for the Spartans’ offense.
MSU has played three quarterbacks this season and either redshirt senior Tyler O’Connor, junior Damion Terry or redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke could get the start Saturday.
O’Connor leads the way on the stat sheet with 1,257 yards on 91-of-146 passing, leading to 11 TDs and six interceptions. He was explosive in relief last week, with more than 280 yards passing in less than two quarters of work. Lewerke got his first career start last week, got off to a hot start, but was pulled midway through the third quarter when the offense stagnated.
“The game seemed to get a little fast for him,” Dantonio said. “But he did some good things, too.”
Quarterbacks coach Brad Salem said O’Connor was better in terms of knowing where to go with the ball.
Dantonio said last Sunday that he would expect Lewerke to at least get playing time in this game. Whether he gets the starting call for a second straight week won't be known until just before kickoff.
The running back picture remains shared by three candidates, none of whom have taken over the job for the long haul.
Sophomore LJ Scott heads up the trio, but junior Gerald Holmes received the majority of the work last week. Redshirt sophomore Madre London remains the No. 3 man.
Scott has run for 336 yards on 73 carries and scored two TDs, but Holmes, who has been better in pass protection, has added 213 yards on 43 carries, while scoring three times.
MSU’s wideouts are led by senior R.J. Shelton and true freshman Donnie Corley, who is expected to get some work on kick return this Saturday.
Shelton leads the Spartans’ pass catchers with 452 yards on 28 caught balls, while scoring four times. Corley has steadily moved up the receiving charts and now has 21 catches for 310 yards and two TDs.
Senior tight end Josiah Price continues to be a weapon with 202 yards on 18 catches. He also has gotten into the endzone three times. The Spartans need more consistent blocking from Price and Jamal Lyles at tight end. A Lyles holding penalty last week negated an 11-yard Scott run and a first-and-10 inside the 15-yard line, when MSU led 14-7. MSU settled for a field goal on that drive.
MSU’s offensive line, which also has seen some changes due to injuries and poor play, is led by 5th-year senior Kodi Kieler at tackle, 5th year senior Benny McGowan at center and junior guard Brian Allen. Kieler gutted out a level of effectiveness last week despite playing hurt, on less than two days of practice prep. Redshirt freshman Tyler Higby has also earned the right to be named a starter at left guard for the second straight week. True freshman Thiyo Lukusa was solid in relief last week at right tackle and will at least share time with senior Miguel Machado this week, and could surpass him as a starter in the near future.
The o-line will try to help MSU improve on the production of an offense that is posting less than 150 yards rushing a game and fewer than 400 yards of total offense. MSU is No. 9 in the Big Ten in total offense.
“We’ve got to get it going,’’ Allen said. “If we run the ball 40 times, our record shows and that’s not the play calling, it’s the offensive line giving the offensive coordinator the ability to do that. When you’re chasing points it’s hard to call run plays and we started out the (Northwestern) game and didn’t get much going when we ran the ball, so we’ve got to get that going because the better we run the ball, the more we win.
“We’ve been called out and challenged pretty much every week and I’ve said we can only talk so much. We’ve just got to go out and do it.’’
The Terps have surrendered 31 or more points in their last two contests but Maryland has players capable of making big plays.
Junior linebacker Shane Cockerille leads the defense with 49 stops, which includes four for loss, while junior linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. has 46 tackles, including four for loss and one pick. Carter is sturdy in the middle. Cockerille is a former QB who roams and wraps.
Do-it-all senior defensive back Will Likely is out for the season with a torn ACL, suffered last week as a kick returner.
Likely is a member of the Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe, Wuerffel and Hornung watch lists. His explosiveness on punt and kick return will be missed. He was a special teams All-American last year.
Maryland’s defense is allowing 21.2 points per game, ranking No .6 in the Big Ten in that category.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
MSU: The Spartan defense must eliminate big plays. The Spartans are not good enough on offense to overcome the type of big plays they are surrounding on defense. In all of its four losses, at some point MSU has let down and given up a big play that has decided the outcome. That can’t happen here or the losing streak goes to five. Also, the Spartans must find a way to rediscover its run game. Once a staple of MSU’s offense, the run game at times has looked feeble and this team can’t win without production nearing 150 yards on the ground. QB play hasn’t been bad over the last two weeks, despite the uncertainty at the position. MSU must first solve the problems in the trenches, and eliminate big plays.
MARYLAND: This is regroup time for the Terps. After two-straight losses, Maryland has a couple of questions to answer of its own, like can it sustain success on both sides of the ball for a full game? Can they rebound from a two-game losing streak? A healthy Hills would give Maryland a much better chance to win. MSU has had trouble with uptempo offenses, especially in the fourth quarter. If Hills is healthy and the Terps’ spread offense gets into a rhythm, Michigan State will have trouble keeping up on the scoreboard.