Michigan State running back Nate Carter discusses 'breathtaking' first game
Football season is back and Michigan State opened its 2023 campaign with a 31-7 victory over Central Michigan.
A big reason why the Spartans pulled away from the Chippewas was the play of UConn transfer running back Nate Carter. Friday night’s game was Carter’s first game in a Michigan State uniform.
“It was breathtaking, I will say that,” Carter said after the game. “I definitely got emotional running out there in that tunnel and seeing 75,000 people there. It was a blessing to come from a school like UConn, an independent school, then to go to the Big Ten and be able to perform the way that I did.”
Performing at a high level is exactly what Carter did on Friday. He racked up 113 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries in his East Lansing debut. On the first play from scrimmage, Carter broke off a 31-yard gain that, for a moment, looked like it was going to the house.
“I knew the first play we were going to run,” Carter said. “We were running that all week. We knew what we were going to come out with.”
Carter gave credit to the offensive line for providing a hole, and he exploited that hole on his first touch of the game.
Carter had 18 carries on Friday. Jalen Berger also got some touches with eight carries and four receptions, complementing what Carter brought to the table.
“We have so many backs that can do so many different things,” Carter said about the running backs complementing each other. “It’s hard for defenses to really match us.”
Jaren Mangham is another back that figures to be part of the rotation this season. However, Mangham did not play on Friday after being listed as questionable on the pre-game availability report.
Mangham is a bowling ball of a running back, checking in at 235 pounds, the largest of any MSU back. In theory, Mangham would be the go-to guy in short yardage situations, but, with him out, Carter was the guy. Carter had two failed conversions on fourth and one in the first half.
“I take responsibility for that,” Carter said. “Definitely as a running back, we gotta be able to … go and get those things. I have to be able to continue to trust the offensive line and the offensive line has to trust me to do my job. So it’s all a collective effort of executing.”
Execution was a theme in the first half. The Spartans' offense struggled with dropped passes and starting quarterback Noah Kim needed a few drives to find a rhythm. In the midst of the early struggles by Kim and the offense, Carter spoke highly of his quarterback's leadership.
“He’s a leader, the leader of our offense,” Carter said. “And we look toward him when things are going wrong. When we were not executing the way that we should, he was coming back to the sidelines and picking us up.
“You never see Noah with his head down. You never see him get discouraged. He’s always picking us up, uplifting. That’s the type of leader we need for this team. That’s the type of leader that he is. He’s a very smart player.”
Adversity is something that every team faces throughout the three-month long grind of the regular season. The Spartans faced adversity on the offensive side of the ball to begin the season.
“Throughout this entire season, we are going to face adversity,” Carter said. “Throughout this entire season, there will be close games and maybe games that we’re down … Adversity is inevitable. We’re going to have adversity. But the way that we fought, fought back, we came back, clicked the rest of the second half, no one was pointing fingers. We all knew what we could do. We were all encouraging each other in the locker room. And then we went out and we executed.
“That’s a testament to our mental toughness and how Coach [Mel] Tucker has really led us to really build into that. We just gotta continue to carry that forward because adversity is going to come, but the way we handle it is what really matters.”
Highs and lows at wide receiver
The wide receivers had some good moments but also some bad moments on Friday. A question going into the season was whether or not the less experienced guys in the room, like Tyrell Henry, Jaron Glover and Christian Fitzpatrick, could step up and establish a significant role in the rotation. That question was answered on Friday.
Henry impressed in the return game in addition to his two catches, including a one-handed touchdown grab. Glover led the team in receiving yards with 75. Fitzpatrick had a huge 72-yard reception as well.
“I definitely knew those guys were capable of being big time playmakers or they wouldn't have been recruited to come play here,” redshirt senior wide receiver Tre Mosley said. “They’re just patiently waiting for their opportunity and they got it tonight. They showcased why they’re good enough players to be here at Michigan State football. They’re going to continue to grow as well. I’m looking forward to seeing our whole room continue to elevate.”
Some of the more established guys in the room, like Mosley, struggled a bit with dropped passes. Mosley had two drops and tight end Maliq Carr also struggled early on to haul in passes from Kim. Carr was targeted six times, but only had one catch.
“Dropped passes as a receiver is like the worst feeling ever,” Mosley said. “I feel bad about myself doing that because that’s something I really take pride in is catching the ball and I had a few drops today. Just getting back to the basics and not taking things for granted … I know we’re going to learn from it and continue to grow so we don’t have drops moving forward.”
From a defensive perspective, it could be frustrating for that unit if the offense is struggling. Linebacker Cal Haladay said after the game that the defense just has to focus on its own job and not worry about the offense.
“We just got to go out and do our job and take care of business and then get the ball back to the offense,” Haladay said. “That's kind of a goal on defense.”