Michigan State's Joe Bachie tasked with leading young, inexperienced defense

EAST LANSING – Joe Bachie is not a hard guy to track down.

His daily schedule reads something like this: weights, film study, practice, class, film study, weights, film study, homework, bed.

See a trend?

Spending countless hours dissecting offenses and critiquing his own defense, Michigan State’s sophomore middle linebacker can’t take his eyes off the screen. He is obsessed with learning. Not just his position, but everyone else’s, too.

“I even watch film with the defensive linemen,” Bachie joked Thursday after practice inside the Duffy Daugherty Football Center. “I want to be the guy that shows up early and watches film.”

Still wet from an afternoon downpour, the sophomore talked at length about the progression of young teammates three weeks into fall camp.

He is experienced at being a rookie. He was in their shoes last year.

Dedication and work ethic got Bachie on the field in 2016. The Brook Park, Ohio, native was supposed to redshirt during his freshman season. He watched the first six weeks of the season from the sideline. That all changed leading up to the Maryland game.

“I was told to be prepared every week,” Bachie recalled. “We had so many injuries, and when Maryland week came, (then-linebackers’ coach Mark Snyder) said, ‘You know what? (Your redshirt) is getting pulled this week. You are going to play.’”

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His opportunity came quicker than anyone expected.

Late in the first quarter, starting middle linebacker Riley Bullough was ejected from the game for targeting. Bachie trotted onto the field, stopping only to hug his teammate and offer words of encouragement.

The freshman recorded seven tackles, including 1.5 for loss in the 28-17 loss to the Terrapins that cold late-October night in College Park.

“We had a situation where Riley was out and he had to go,” said Snyder, who is now the defensive ends and special teams coach. “You have to be prepared when your number is called. That’s probably going to happen to somebody this year. It happens every year. Joe has done a great job.”

Bachie (6-foot-2, 233 pounds) played roughly 70 snaps on defense during his freshman campaign. Now, he is tasked with calling plays, aligning the defense, reading offenses and attacking his gap assignments. He is now the “quarterback” of the Spartans defense, centering Andrew Dowell and roommate Chris Frey in a linebacking corps that returns more experience than at any other position.

Can he live up to the hype?

Snyder thinks so.

“Joe is a smart football player, a good football player,” Snyder said. “The good thing is, he has played now. This won’t be his first start in game one.”

Bachie replaced Riley Bullough for more than three quarters last season. Now, he is attempting to fill his shoes for the next three years. Byron Bullough, Riley’s younger brother, is lurking behind him on the depth chart. So is fifth-year senior, Shane Jones.

The opportunity is now. And Bachie knows it.

“That little bit of experience that I got, I think I gained trust with a lot of the guys,” he said. “That really helped.”

At 1 p.m. Thursday, Bachie’s day is not even halfway over. Routine is the theme of camp, although he has made one exception.

Tuesday nights are for Hard Knocks, the HBO series that is following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through training camp and making his former teammate, Riley Bullough, a reality star.

“I love it,” Batchie said. “Seeing Riley on there is crazy … He is the same guy. The exact same guy.”

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com.