Michigan State football: Good grades for gutty effort, aggressiveness

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Free Press sports writer Chris Solari rates the Spartans on a scale of 1 to 10, after Michigan State's 21-17 upset of No. 8 Penn State on Saturday.

Offense: 7

It may have been an inconsistent effort at times, but MSU managed to maintain balanced production even without LJ Scott and injuries on the offensive line and at receiver. The blocking with a stable offensive line group of five was better than it has been all season, and tailback La’Darius Jefferson was able to find some room to run between the tackles. Felton Davis III came up huge in the fourth quarter with four catches for 50 yards, including the winning 25-yard TD a few plays after he injured his hip. And quarterback Brian Lewerke, despite early struggles with accuracy, threw for 113 yards in the final quarter and hit Laress Nelson for two critical completions on the final drive.

Windsor:MSU's stunning win over PSU among Mark Dantonio's guttiest

Defense: 8

Again, not as pretty as some performances. The Spartans gave up a season-worst 205 rushing yards, with two runs from Miles Sanders accounting for 126 of those yards — one a defensive missed assignment by linebacker Joe Bachie that set up Penn State’s first TD, and the other a 48-yard score with six missed tackles by MSU defenders. However, their job against quarterback Trace McSorley gave the Spartans the chance they needed to win, containing Penn State’s second-leading rusher and not allowing him to escape containment to make big plays with his legs. And MSU’s secondary prevented the big pass plays McSorley used two years ago to torch the Spartans in Happy Valley.

Special teams: 8

One fake worked, one fake didn’t. But the special teams set the tone for the Spartans’ big-risk, big-reward performance. Connor Heyward’s run on a fake punt as an upback kept MSU’s first scoring drive alive. Punter Tyler Hunt, kickoff specialist Cole Hahn and the coverage units kept Penn State’s dangerous return man, KJ Hamler (Orchard Lake St. Mary's), in check. The fake field goal pass from Lewerke to Raequan Williams was a gamble that came up empty, but it took a solid play from a Penn State defensive back to prevent it.

Coaching: 9

Knowing MSU needed an adrenaline boost after last week’s upset loss to Northwestern, coach Mark Dantonio needed to be a gambler to prevent malaise from setting in with his players. So he and his staff simplified the run game, dug into their array of trick plays and worked to keep things fun for a team struggling to find answers to its struggles. Even he said this was not a perfect game — and it wasn’t — but the end result was. And more so, the upset and risk-taking gives his players yet another shot of energy with Michigan coming to town next week.

Your turn:Grade Michigan State's performance vs. Penn State

Contacst Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. 

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