MSU offense still striving to find right mix, playmakers
EAST LANSING – Everything Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio bases his offensive philosophy on revolves around what he knows from the other side of the ball. His input into the game plan focuses on things that he sees are difficult to defend.
Run the ball with power. Take shots down field in the passing game. Look for big plays in either. Strive for balance in both.
This season, however, inconsistency has taken the Spartans from a spot in the College Football Playoff to a five-game losing streak and fighting for their bowl lives. Their offense has gone from prolific to problematic, and they’ll need a similarly improbable momentum shift Saturday against one of the toughest defenses in the nation in No. 2 Michigan (noon/ESPN).
The Wolverines (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) rank among the best in the nation in a number of categories. They’re first in points allowed per game (10.0), as well as leading the Football Bowl Subdivision in total (207.0 yards), pass (111.0) and run defense (96.0). U-M also is tops in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 13% of conversion attempts.
Offensively, the Spartans (2-5, 0-4) have struggled to run or throw the ball consistently. They average 225.4 passing yards a game (64th nationally) and 162.6 rushing yards (66th). MSU’s 23.0 points per game ranks 106th out of 128 FBS schools, and their third-down conversion rate (37.1) ranks 88th.
“It has to be a constant – what’s my phrase I use – threat of balance,” co-offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. “Maybe a game, as it evolves, you don’t use one as much as the other. But hopefully you’re competent at both. And if you’re not, it makes it more difficult.”
Redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke has started the past two games, and senior Tyler O’Connor missed last week’s game due to an injury. Dantonio said it will be a game-time decision at quarterback, but the blocking in front of them also needs to improve.
The Spartans also have struggled to maintain and finish drives, with their 29:59 time of possession ranking 56th. That, in turn, puts more pressure on the defense to make stops – contributing to a second-half fade in which MSU is being outscored 149-82 after halftime this season, including 119-47 in the past five losses.
“You've got to make a play,” senior tight end Josiah Price said. “(The Wolverines) have a lot of great talent, like a lot of teams in the Big Ten do. But especially with them, they've got a couple guys – All-Americans, whatever. You can't be afraid to attack someone or make a play on third down or something like that. We've got to have our guys on the outside go up and make plays. We've got to have our quarterbacks give us a chance to make those plays, and we've got to protect up front and we've got to run the ball. So basic fundamentals, I think.”
Dantonio feels his team needs an infusion of confidence, with the rivalry and the recent history injecting it organically this week. To get the offense moving, he believes MSU must build upon its season-high 270 rushing yards they gained against Maryland – but the Spartans know it’s a much more difficult task against Michigan’s front seven.
Do that, however, and the 10th-year coach believes “you sort of become a little bit of a team of destiny” in an emotion-fueled game.
“I brought that mentality here – that mentality was a toughness mentality that we had to run the ball to be efficient, we had to be able to run the ball to be effective,” Dantonio said. “If you look at Michigan right now, same thing. Got to run the ball to be effective, got to be able to pass the ball, hit big plays, play action, things of that nature. And that's really core of what I believe in.”
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@chrissolari.