Dantonio: Freshmen OL Jarvis, Reid are fixtures for Michigan State's future, present
It was a concerted effort, Mark Dantonio reiterated, for Michigan State to get its running backs more involved in the offense.
That was easy to see with the 245 rushing yards the 19th-ranked Spartans produced in Saturday night’s soggy 30-27 win at Minnesota. Numbers rule the skill position production.
But coaches always need to review the game footage to determine how well or poorly their offensive linemen played. And Dantonio said on his Sunday night teleconference that true freshmen Kevin Jarvis and Jordan Reid are playing at a level that shows they will remain vital for the Spartans this season and beyond.
On Jarvis, who made his third straight start at right guard for the injured David Beedle, Dantonio said: “He’s got valuable experience there, and he’ll remain a fixture in that offensive line for many years and through the remainder of this year. But I do think at times we need to take a little bit of stress off of him and just give him a minute to sort of settle in a little bit and refocus a little bit because it’s tough being out there every single play he’s out there as a true freshman.”
More:
Three questions: Is Michigan State's late-game defense anything to worry about?
Grades for the Spartans' performance at Minnesota
Michigan State football in-game fan rants and raves — Minnesota edition
On Reid, who played 22 snaps at right tackle next to his classmate, Dantonio had equally high praise.
“It’s the same type of thing as it is with Kevin, except that he does get a little bit more of a break,” Dantonio said. “He played right tackle – we flopped Luke Campbell over to left tackle to give (Cole Chewins) some relief … so they at least had a three-man rotation there.
“But (Reid) is a very good football player. Again, a true freshman, so we have a redshirt freshman, two true freshmen really playing there, then two sophomores and a senior making up the bulk of who’s playing on our offensive line. But talented and should be another fixture for the future.”
MSU maximized the toss sweep play in the rain against Minnesota, leading to LJ Scott picking up a career-high 194 yards and a getting a season-best 74 yards from Madre London. Gerald Holmes was out with an ankle injury he suffered a week earlier at Michigan.
The Spartans also used Chase Gianacakos as an extra tight end to aid with run blocking. Though Dantonio said the 6-foot-6, 296-pound junior continues to get work at different spots on the offensive line, he felt Gianacakos’ size and the weather conditions allowed MSU to attack weaknesses on Minnesota’s defensive front seven.
“But the biggest reason, I think, is we wanted to get our tailbacks going,” Dantonio said. “And the reality of the situation is, if things are working, you see more of it. And things were working.”
DEFENSIVE DROPOFF: The Spartans improved to 5-1 and 3-0 in the Big Ten, though the Gophers’ furious fourth-quarter rally nearly turned into a nightmare.
“I thought we got the response that we wanted from our football team,” Dantonio said. “I thought we came to play. I thought we were energized. I thought we had a very workmanlike approach, really, to the game itself and was in control of the game until really the midpoint of the fourth quarter.
“Then, again, we had to handle adversity.”
Minnesota backup quarterback Demry Croft threw three touchdown passes in the final quarter, eluding defenders with his legs and splitting MSU’s secondary with his arm for to pull the Gophers within a score.
“Defensively, if you take away the fourth quarter, I thought we played very, very well,” Dantonio said. “If the score ends up 23-6 you feel really good.”
NO MORE YOUTH: It appears 13 is the magic number. With so many true freshmen playing key roles, Dantonio said he does not plan to burn any more redshirts from his 2017 recruiting class.
INJURY UPDATE: Dantonio said neither Beedle or redshirt freshman offensive lineman A.J. Arcuri are out for the season.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!