MSU LB Shane Jones 'solid' in place of Riley Bullough

Shane Jones didn’t have much time to prepare.

The redshirt junior linebacker learned just moments before the game he would be starting in place of injured captain Riley Bullough, sidelined by a nagging shoulder.

Briefly, it had appeared head coach Mark Dantonio would go with the strategy of next Bullough up during Saturday’s 30-6 home loss to No. 10 Wisconsin, as Byron Bullough was announced to start at middle linebacker in the place of his injured brother. But when Wisconsin’s offense took the field for its opening possession, it was Jones who trotted out with the defense and lined up in the middle of the field.

On the first play of the second start of his career, Jones called out a quick adjustment and crashed into the right side of the line, closing the hole and giving defensive back Demetrious Cox time to swallow up Wisconsin running back Corey Clement. On second down, Jones got in the mix again, blitzing the middle and eating up a block to allow Chris Frey an open line at Clement for a two-yard loss.

“I was ready,” Jones said. “We went over a lot of stuff in practice, got a lot of reps in practice, just being out there (running) two-deep. But there was nothing they did that we hadn’t seen.”

Reality check: Wisconsin 30, Michigan State 6

Jones took on the bulk of the middle linebacker duties, splitting time with the youngest Bullough to replace the on-field leadership and production missing from the middle of the field.

When Jones or Bullough were on the field, the Spartan defense played aggressively, blowing up the running lanes and defending against short passes. But when they came off in third-and-long situations, Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook had no trouble picking apart the Spartan secondary.

Jones hesitated to assess his own play but Dantonio said he played “solid,” racking up two solo tackles and getting in on six total. Jones also made several plays in the backfield, including his first career sack on a delayed blitz early in the third quarter. And though things snowballed in the second half, Jones felt he did his job in keeping his teammates focused and in the game.

“As the Mike linebacker, you’re the quarterback of the defense,” he said. “Everyone’s looking at you, (if) things go wrong, you’ve got to be the one that keeps everyone going. That’s something I did feel like we did today.”

MSU linebacker Riley Bullough out for Wisconsin game

Though he was in street clothes, Jones said Riley Bullough was like an extra coach, staying on his hip and talking to him about what he was seeing from the sidelines.

“He was very energetic, he always has his energy, so it was definitely a help for me,” Jones said.

After the game, co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said Riley Bullough’s status will be evaluated on a week-by-week basis, meaning Jones and Byron Bullough likely will continue to see the field in the coming weeks. If that’s the case and Riley Bullough doesn’t return for Saturday’s trip to Bloomington, Barnett thinks the defense will be prepared for it.

“The way we stopped the run and held up in that way, I thought we didn’t miss him maybe as much as we thought we had,” he said.

Dantonio supports MSU players who raised fists during anthem

Both Jones and Byron Bullough, who assisted on one tackle, received vocal support from their teammates following the game. Senior cornerback Demetrious Cox noted Jones’ experience and Byron Bullough’s physicality would keep the Spartans from losing too much of a step if Riley Bullough is out long term.

Senior cornerback Darian Hicks was particularly effusive in his praise of Jones’ command of the defense.

“Obviously, everybody knows who Riley is, what he is,” Hicks said. “But there’s no difference from him or Shane in my opinion. Shane comes out with the same intensity, fired up, he wants to do everything. He wants to pick us up when we’re down, and I think he’s one of our leaders on the team.”