Michigan State's biggest fix from 2016: Out-of-character second-half defensive struggles
EAST LANSING – Production lost with injuries and issues with team chemistry a year ago were part of Michigan State’s plummet from the College Football Playoff to an unprecedented losing season.
But there was a much more tangible falloff — 30 minutes worth, really — that produced the Spartans’ worst record since 1982.
Opponents outscored MSU after halftime for the first time in Mark Dantonio’s first 10 seasons. They did the same in the fourth quarter and overtime for just the second time in a decade.
“If you really look at us last year, that’s what happened,” Dantonio said Monday. “How did we play in the fourth quarter? We couldn’t close out games. Or we couldn't finish. Or we couldn't get those inches.”
For much of the last decade, second-half strength has been a major reason for MSU’s success under Dantonio. From 2007-15, the Spartans outscored opponents, 1,769-1,270, in second halves. That included a 974-693 edge in fourth quarters and overtimes.
Then came last season’s 3-9 disaster. Despite scoring 40 more points than their foes in the first halves of games, the Spartans wilted upon returning to the field. MSU got outscored, 220-136, after intermission, including 120-59 in the fourth quarters and overtime.
It has been a consistent topic throughout the off-season.
“You can't focus on the big picture without the little things that make the big picture. That's one of the things that we've really been focusing on,” senior linebacker Chris Frey said. “We didn't find the inches last year late in the game, and that's one of the things as a defense that we’re focused on because we have to win in the fourth quarter. And we didn't do that last year.”
MSU’s defense gave up more than 200 second-half yards seven times last fall, three of those opponents — Indiana, Northwestern and Penn State — eclipsing 300 yards after halftime. Only two teams, Michigan (309) and Maryland (274), gained more than 200 yards against the Spartans in the first half.
Free Press sports writers Shawn Windsor and Chris Solari discuss Michigan State football, and why coaches think this year will be different, from media day at Spartan Stadium on Aug. 7, 2017. Detroit Free Press
Signs of the second-half downturn began in the College Football Playoff against Alabama on Dec. 31, 2015. MSU gave up four touchdowns after half in the 38-0 drubbing. Before that national semifinal game, the Spartans had outscored opponents in the second half by 60 points en route to a Big Ten title.
“Last year, I think we were expecting more big things coming off a Big Ten championship. I don’t think we worked as hard as we should have,” sophomore defensive end Kenny Willekes said. “This year, we realize that we need to get back to that Spartan Dawg mentality of hard, tough Spartan Dawg defense.”
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In Week 2 last year at Notre Dame, a second-half fade arrived after MSU took a 36-7 lead and had the Irish woozy. DeShone Kizer rallied Notre Dame with three touchdowns and had a chance to get closer in the waning seconds, but the Spartans held on, 36-28.
Then came a visit from Wisconsin. And everything unraveled.
MSU, playing without linebacker Riley Bullough, trailed, 13-6, at halftime. LJ Scott got hit and fumbled. Leo Musso picked the ball up and ran for a 66-yard touchdown return that was a sucker punch to MSU’s season. Jon Reschke also got hurt in that game and missed the rest of the year, and the Spartans’ 30-6 loss to Wisconsin and second-half shutout began a seven-game losing streak.
Eight MSU defensive starters eventually would miss a combined 29 games, forcing Dantonio to use more young players as the season progressed.
“Those were very, very critical positions that you needed to have guys with more experience,” he said of the injuries.
It got worse from there. The Spartans let a two-touchdown, third-quarter lead vanish at Indiana. They gave up four second-half TDs in coughing up a halftime lead in a loss to BYU. Then Northwestern came in the next week and put up five touchdowns after halftime.
A week later at Maryland, the Spartans failed to score a touchdown after halftime and lost after allowing a pair of fourth-quarter Terrapin touchdowns. And at Illinois on Nov. 5, after taking a three-point lead with less than 3 minutes to play, the defense allowed the Illini to march down the field in a little more than a minute to the game-winning TD.
In the season finale at Penn State, MSU held a 12-10 lead at halftime before the Nittany Lions went on to paste the Spartans with five second-half TDs en route to a 45-12 win.
MSU gave up 618 yards combined in the second halves of season-closing losses to Ohio State and PSU. That has been a significant focus of the coaches, who hope a young group of players can help correct what junior linebacker Andrew Dowell termed “a dip year” for the defense.
“It's motivation for all of us. … Obviously that's something we've put behind us, but it's something that's in the back of our minds,” he said. “It's a bitter taste in our mouths and we look forward to overcoming it this year.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!