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Published Apr 16, 2022
The Football 411: Defense sturdy in shortened spring scrimmage
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Jim Comparoni  •  Spartans Illustrated
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East Lansing, Mich. - The victory lap from last season’s 11-2 finish, No. 9 national ranking and Peach Bowl win have ended, and now Spartan football is steadfastly onto the next thing.

“It’s never been a goal of mine to come in ninth in anything,” junior quarterback Payton Thorne said following MSU’s scrimmage at Spartan Stadium which wrapped up spring football for State. “In everything, there’s always more. Even if you finish the year first, there’s more. It never stops.”

Following 15 spring practice sessions, the Spartans will now thrust into their out-of-season program and into summer conditioning as fall camp awaits in August.

“We got a lot of good work in today, in practice 15,” said head coach Mel Tucker. “Exactly what we expected from our guys. It was a good effort.

“We were banged up on the offensive line. But we have guys who could play, and they went out there and gave a good effort.

“We will have a really good summer program. We are going to have some guys come in in May and join the team. We will get some guys healthy and then go into fall camp ready to rock and roll.”

Rocking and rolling was held to a minimum on Saturday, by spring scrimmage standards. Due to a lack of offensive linemen, Michigan State didn’t divide the team up evenly and stage a competitive game. Instead, the Spartans went through light practice drills for half of the day, with some 7-on-7 style passing drills mixed in, and three periods of “thud” (no tackling) scrimmaging, and then 29 plays of tackle-to-the-ground scrimmaging.

With a limited number of reps, there wasn’t much of an accumulation of statistics. But the following are SpartanMag's unofficial stats for 11 vs 11 scrimmaging, including "thud" reps:

Payton Thorne: 6 of 9 passing for 46 yards.

Hampton Fay: 6 of 8 for 50 yards.

Katin Houser: 2 of 6 for 17 yards.

Noah Kim: 0 for 5.

Jalen Berger: 5 carries, 33 yards.

Elijah Collins: 1 carry, 5 yards.

Jordon Simmons: 5 carries, 19 yards.

Tre Mosley: 5 receptions, 47 yards.

Jayden Reed: 3 receptions, 19 yards.

A crowd estimated between 17,000 and 20,000 sniffled through partly-sunny, windy, 37-degree conditions.

“What was it, 70 degrees out there?” Tucker quipped after the game. “The fans were great today. It was great to be back in The Woodshed. It was the first time some of our guys have actually gotten in the stadium because we haven’t practice there the entire spring. I appreciate the fans coming out. We got a lot done today.”

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WHAT DID WE LEARN?

* Tucker wouldn’t give any indication as to who is leading the competition for the No. 2 quarterback job between Noah Kim and Hampton Fay, with mid-year enrollee Katin Houser lurking somewhere in the mix. That competition will have big ramifications for the future.

When it came time for 11-on-11, full-tackle scrimmaging, Kim was the first QB to see action.

“I don’t have a guy right now,” Tucker said, when asked who officially is No. 2. “So we’ll just have to go into the summer program and into fall camp and see how it shakes out.”

* At running back, Wisconsin transfer Jalen Berger received first-string reps. Redshirt-freshman Davion Primm, junior Jordon Simmons and senior Elijah Collins shared carries , with junior Harold Joiner also in the mix but seemingly outside of the lead pack. Redshirt sophomore Donovan Eaglin did not get any carries and might be a candidate for the portal.

None of the running backs had a run of more than 11 yards, as the makeshift offensive line had trouble making a dent against a revved and healthy front seven.

* The first-string offensive line, on this day, included three players who have never seen the field in a Spartan uniform (LT Brandon Baldwin, LG Kevin Wigenton, RG Dallas Fincher), and a fourth player who has only one career start (Spencer Brown).

Center Nick Samac was the only offensive linemen with extended experience who scrimmaged on Saturday.

Freshman Ethan Boyd mixed in at right tackle. Former defensive line walk-ons Evan Brunning and Jacob LaFave saw action at offensive guard.

With limited players on the offensive line, Michigan State couldn’t run live period after live period, as would be the case for most scrimmages. Offensive linemen need rest between periods, so Saturday’s scrimmage often had to downshift into light periods right when things were getting interesting.

Multi-year starter J.D. Duplain rested this spring while healing up from the 2021 season. Freshman right guard Geno VanDeMark was looking good for the first half of spring but became sidelined with a minor injury.

Jarrett Horst, who started for two-thirds of the 2021 season at left tackle, is back with the team for spring practice but has been sidelined for the last two weeks. He is a proven player, but his reliability is questionable for the fall. Coaches are expecting and hoping for contributions from him.

Michigan State will welcome Washington State transfer Brian Greene to campus in May. He can play guard or center.

Four incoming freshmen will report during the summer, along with the possibility of one more addition on the offensive line from the portal.

* Rising sophomore Keon Coleman started at wide receiver on Saturday, along with Jayden Reed and Tre Mosley. Mid-year enrollee Germie Bernard was a fixture with the next group of receivers.

* There were no place kicking or punting periods on Saturday. MSU’s place kicking situation is tenuous heading into the fall. Sophomore Stephen Rusnak struggled last year when subbing for the injured, and now graduated, Matt Coghlin.

Incoming freshman Jack Stone is expected to compete for the starting place kicking job in the fall. Michigan State has had a strong succession of four-year place kickers, dating back to Mark Dantonio’s early years. The Spartans need that kind of immediate reliability from Stone. Badly.

Michigan State had eight true freshmen enroll at mid-year and participate in spring practice. The Spartans could have used a ninth, if Stone had been able to arrive earlier. He, and the Spartans, need to get that transition going as soon as possible. For now, it’s a major question mark and a potentially glaring weakness.

* Michigan State is suddenly deep and reliable at linebacker. Michigan State played six linebackers in the scrimmage at its two linebacker positions. That’s a full three-deep.

UNLV transfer Jacoby Windmon and Mississippi State transfer Aaron Brulé started at the two inside linebacker positions.

Sophomore Darius Snow, who started at nickel back last year, spent most of the day at inside linebacker. However, he did rep at nickel back as well.

Cal Haladay, who had a breakthrough season in 2021, is still firmly in the picture, as are Ma’a Gaoteote and Ben VanSumeren.

Gaoteote entered the transfer portal during the winter, but then changed his mind and came back to the team.

“Ma’a got a taste of what it’s like to play at the Power Five level,” Tucker said. “It wasn’t a lot of convincing that had to take place (to get him to return). He knows that we want him here. He knows that he can get better here.

“It’s very competitive and that’s how you get good, when you compete every day. He has really grown. He has made tremendous strides. I like him. I like the way he works. He is talented. He loves football and he is going to continue to get better. I’m glad he’s here and he has gotten better this spring.”

VanSumeren is officially in the transfer portal, but was allowed to continue to practice with the Spartans this spring, and coaches seemingly haven’t decreased his role at all.

VanSumeren saw action with the red zone defense last year. On Saturday, he was on the field at the end of the scrimmage for a four-play, “two minute” drill.

* On the defensive line, senior defensive end Brandon Wright continues to emerge as one of the most improved players in the program. Wright, a former running back, made some noisy plays with good foot speed late in the 2021 season. Now, he is adding some shake and pass rush sizzle to his footspeed, thanks to help from newly-hired pass rush coach Brandon Jordan.

Jeff Pietrowski (5.5 sacks last year), Khris Bogle (Florida transfer) and Brandon Wright shared defensive end reps somewhat evenly on Saturday. Michigan State's young offensive tackles got a lot of good work in on Saturday against those defensive ends, often having to learn from mistakes.

At defensive tackle, Simeon Barrow and Jacob Slade were their usual solid selves. They didn’t seem to be interested in completely wrecking the offense on Saturday but you got the idea they could have. Second-stringer Derrick Harmon is a ransacker in the making. He pressed the pocket on a regular basis, especially against Brunning and LaFave.

* In the secondary, Georgia transfer Ameer Speed joined Marqui Lowery as the starting cornerbacks. Ronald Williams, a regular starter last year, was out with an upper body injury. He was seen with an arm in a sling during practice earlier this week.

Speed (6-3, 210, Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) has played to rave reviews all spring. Saturday, it was Thorne’s turn to hand out compliments.

“That is a dude that you look at and you need to know where he is,” Thorne said, speaking from a quarterback’s standpoint. “When he is in press coverage, a lot of times, depending on who is going against him, you might cancel that out (of the read progression), to be honest. You need a good player going against him to feel good about the route concept.

“He is very long. He is fast. He presents problems. He is a great guy to practice against.

“And he does a great job of disguising stuff. He is just really an all-around solid player and he is a great guy on top of it. He brings experience from a winning team. He has a National Championship ring. He’s a great guy to have on the team.”

* Xavier Henderson and Angelo Grose were the starting safeties on Saturday, as they were for 12 regular season games in 2021. Mid-year enrollee Jaden Mangham repped with the twos at safety, along with 2021 transfer Kendell Brooks. Mangham is emerging as a legitimate contender for regular playing time at safety, next to Henderson.

NOTES & OBSERVATIONS

Notables from 7-on-7 reps:

* Jayden Reed had a diving, one-handed catch for a 41-yard gain to the 1-yard line while working against Charles Brantley’s press coverage.

Brantley wore a red, non-contact jersey. The rising sophomore is coming back from an injury which sidelined him for the final five games of the 2021 season.

Brantley turned and ran well versus Reed on this play, but QB Noah Kim dropped a terrific pass into the only place where Reed could make a spectacular grab.

* Thorne hooked up with Keon Coleman for a deep 45-yard TD pass against freshman Ade Willie. Willie, a mid-year enrollee, was in press coverage. Coleman got a step on him down the sideline.

* Walk-on WR Cade McDonald hauled in a diving 35-yard reception from Hamp Fay. McDonald got two steps on walk-on cornerback Justin White with a double move on that play. Fay led him a little too much, but McDonald ran it down.

Justin White had a good day, overall. He’s a busy guy as a corner and a nickel. He snuck into the playing group last fall and is a darkhorse for a regular role in 2022.

* Walk-on WR Sebastian Brown had a 47-yard TD grab from Noah Kim, versus cover-two zone. Safety A.J. Kirk didn’t get over to cover his deep half sufficiently. Teaching moment.

Notables From 11-on-11 Reps:

* Darius Snow’s hit on walk-on TE Jackson Morse on a short out route resulted in a fumble, and a 35-yard scoop-and-score for inside linebacker Jacoby Windmon. Snow was playing nickel back on that play, while Windmon and Ma’a Gaoteote served as the inside backers.

That was the only scoring play in 11-on-11 repetitions on the day, and it came from the defense.

* Aaron Brulé’s best moment: Picking up wide receiver Germie Bernard and blanketing him in man-to-man coverage on a 20-yard over route to the left sideline.

Brulé matched him up, carried him all the way to the sideline and got a pass break-up as Angelo Grose converged as the single high safety helper.

Excellent quickness, agility and IQ by Brulé on that play. You can’t play that type of man-to-man coverage and leave a linebacker on a wide receiver unless you have a linebacker who can move like that.

“We definitely have added some very, very good athletes on the defense,” Thorne said. “So I’ll just leave it at that.”

“No question about that,” said Jayden Reed. “I agree with you.”

* Defensive end Brandon Wright beat second-string freshman right tackle Ethan Boyd for a sack on an inside move during 11-on-11 scrimmaging.

* A Jeff Pietrowski and Khris Bogle stunt vs left tackle Brandon Baldwin and left guard Kevin Wigenton resulted in a QB pressure and flush of Fay. Fay scrambled out and threw nicely on the run to walk-on WR Joseph Martinez, but was beyond the line of scrimmage when he released the pass.

* Katin Houser’s quick release and arm talent showed flashes of potential on Saturday. However, he had a freshman moment or two, including missing McDonald on a shallow crossing route during 11-on-11, throwing behind him.

“Katin is a good dude,” Thorne said. “He is fun to have around. Obviously, he has a lot to learn with the offense because he just got here. But he has picked up on it well. He knows what he is looking at on a lot of stuff. He is a quick learner and a very talented passer.”

As for Kim and Fay, Thorne said: “I thought Noah Kim had a really, really solid spring. It’s fun playing with him and talking with him. He’s been very crisp the whole spring. He didn’t really have an off day.

“Hamp is coming along. He is doing things that coach wants to see.”

* Jalen Berger’s best moment: An 11-yard gain on an inside zone play to the left. He got a good outside seal block from left tackle Brandon Baldwin against defensive end Jeff Pietrowski and a good lead block from walk-on tight end Powers Warren against linebacker Cal Haladay.

Berger barreled through the wash for good fall-forward yardage and yards after contact as Xavier Henderson secured the tackle.

Berger also had a manly 8-yard run on an inside zone, with a nice cutback to daylight, behind a tough cut block from makeshift left guard Evan Brunning against stud defensive tackle Jacob Slade.

* Tight end Jack Nickel, a mid-year enrollee from Milton, Ga., had a nice little 8-yard gain on a sit-down route against two-deep zone. He looked like a legit tight end, getting off the line, settling into the dead area, making the catch and getting two yards after contact.

Nickel and Warren had a lot of snaps at tight end. Maliq Carr didn’t play, and Tyler Hunt wore a red non-contact jersey.

* One of Khris Bogle’s best moment’s: Taking on left tackle Brandon Baldwin on an outside zone run by Jordon Simmons, Bogle head-butted Baldwin, put him on his heels and drove him back a yard, setting the edge and causing Simmons to cut inside. Simmons gained two yards on the play.

Bogle wasn’t going against an established, experienced left tackle on the play, but Bogle looked like a guy who wasn’t shy about playing the point of attack against the run.

* On the second-to-last play of the scrimmage, Bogle beat right tackle Spencer Brown with a head-and-shoulder fake on an outside move for a touch sack on Payton Thorne.

* Defensive tackle Maverick Hansen had a sack of Noah Kim while working against walk-on left guard Evan Brunning, putting Brunning on skates with a long-arm move.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

The scrimmage ended with the offense getting the ball at its own 44-yard line with less than :40 seconds to play.

The defense won this period.

How it went down:

* Thorne completed a hitch pass to Reed along the right sideline versus cover-three zone with Marqui Lowery in the area, for a gain of 8.

* Thorne completed an 11-yard pass to Mosely on a hook over the middle against two-deep zone.

* Thorne’s pass over the middle to tight end Powers Warren fell incomplete.

* On second-and-10 from the +35, Bogle sacked Thorne, beating Spencer Brown.

* On third-and-15, Thorne threw incomplete, intended for Keon Coleman into the cover-two hole between Lowery and Grose.

* On fourth-and-15, Snow delivered a hard thud on Jayden Reed on a dig route over the middle. Snow could have lit him up much harder, but held back on his teammate. Still, Snow plays with plenty of pop even when using puppy dog power. He provided a fitting ending to the scrimmage for a defense that played pretty well, and had Snow delivering some highlight moments.

* The second string offense was not given an opportunity to run a two-minute drill.

MichiganState
FOOTBALL
Scores / Schedule
footballfootball
6 - 2
Overall Record
0 - 0
Conference Record
Finished
N. Carolina
91
N. Carolina
Michigan St.
94
Arrow
Michigan St.
Michigan St.
63
Michigan St.
Memphis
71
Arrow
Memphis
Michigan St.
72
Arrow
Michigan St.
Colorado
56
Colorado
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