MSU notes: Copeland, Watts-Jackson returning to form
EAST LANSING – Nick Tompkins took the handoff from Tyler O’Connor and headed toward the left side of the line. He found nothing but room to run, thanks to Dennis Finley’s block.
It’s safe to say that Michigan State offensive lineman Finley is quickly returning to form.
Finley, who broke his leg during the Spartans’ win over Purdue in October, played left tackle and helped protect O’Connor’s blind side during Saturday’s Green and White scrimmage at Spartan Stadium.
“When you can’t be out there practicing, you gotta take mental reps and you have to be in the film room more. That’s what he has done,” quarterback O’Connor said of Finley. “And when you do that, the playing on the field comes with it.”
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Finley was one of three players returning from significant injuries who played. Cornerback Vayante Copeland had four tackles, including one for a loss, in his comeback from a fractured vertebra he suffered during MSU’s win over Oregon last September. And Jalen Watts-Jackson, who suffered a fractured/dislocated hip after scoring the winning touchdown on the muffed Michigan punt in October, also had a pair of tackles.
“I guess the great thing about those two guys is they’re both physical football players and very good tacklers,” co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said of Copeland and Watts-Jackson. “Once they got rolling, you could tell there was nowhere they’d rather be than hitting people on the football field.”
OUT OF ACTION: A number of players sat out the spring game, most notably defensive tackle Damon Knox and right tackle Kodi Kieler, a pair of projected senior starters. Other players out included safety Matt Morrissey, linebacker Ed Davis, defensive tackle Enoch Smith, defensive end Cassius Peat, offensive linemen Chase Gianacakos and Jeremy Schram, and wide receivers Frank Epitropoulos and Paul Andrie.
During the game, linebackers Shane Jones and Chris Frey got injured but returned to play.
CATCHING ON: As expected with unproven quarterbacks, the tight ends dominated the day in the passing game. Josiah Price had three catches for 41 yards, including a 23-yarder from Damion Terry on a fourth-and-9 play. Jamal Lyles caught three passes for 56 yards for the Green team, including a 23-yarder from O’Connor that helped set up Michael Geiger’s 42-yard field goal in the first quarter.
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But the top wide receiver in the game was a true freshman early enrollee. It just wasn’t Donnie Corley.
Cam Chambers grabbed a pair of passes for 45 yards, a 32-yard bullet from Lewerke in the second quarter and a 13-yard fade for a touchdown from O’Connor in the third.
“He has a really bright future,” Terry said of the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Chambers. “Those two (Corley and Chambers) are going to be a very great dynamic duo. Just like I said about Donnie, they’re both so quiet. I know they’re high school seniors, but you can tell they're just here to learn about football.”
TWO-WAY DAY: Lyles, a converted defensive end, returned to his old position and looked strong for the Green team. The senior recorded two tackles, both for a loss and one a sack. MSU coach Mark Dantonio said he might consider playing him on defense in the fall.
“I told him for every catch he’d get, he’d get a snap on defense,” said Tressel, who coached Lyles on the Green team. “That was the original deal. … It was that very first snap where he got that TFL. Then as a coach, you gotta make that decision – ‘I think he should play a little bit more over there.’”
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Riley Bullough and Evan Jones, both defensive starters, got their chance to play tight end for White. Demetrious Cox lined up at quarterback and ran out of the wildcat. Offensive lineman David Beedle even got a carry at fullback.
RUNNING IN NEUTRAL: None of the running backs really stood out behind the split offensive lines. Fourth-stringer Nick Tompkins’ 28 yards led the game, while LJ Scott looked good on a few carries and finished with 21 yards on 10 attempts for White.
Gerald Holmes carried seven times for 13 yards for Green, while Madre London managed just 4 yards on four attempts.
