Couch: 3 quick takes on the Michigan State football spring game

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch gives his initial thoughts on the performances in Michigan State’s spring football game on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. 

1. You can see why Brian Lewerke is and will be MSU’s starting QB

EAST LANSING – Even Brian Lewerke’s interception during Saturday’s Michigan State spring football game was an impressive throw — deep down the seam on a post route, ripped away from Brandon Sowards by cornerback Josiah Scott. Heckuva play by Scott, who’s one of the better defensive backs in college football. 

Part of why Lewerke looked so good Saturday was undoubtedly the contrast to the second half of last season, when a right shoulder injury killed the strength and accuracy of his throws. He said it’s hard for him to even watch himself late last season, the Michigan game especially. 

Saturday’s spring game was a reminder of what the fifth-year senior quarterback can be — good zip, even in a fairly fierce wind, a touch on his throws that further separates him from MSU’s other quarterbacks. 

“I think his arm strength is good,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. “He looks healthy. I hope his confidence is there. It seems to be.”

Lewerke completed 10 of 13 passes for 86 yards and one touchdown against reserve defensive units in the first half. To start the second half, he finally faced MSU’s top defensive unit. Before the pick by Scott, he completed both of his throws, both well-placed darts — a 17-yard slant to Jalen Nailor and then 16 yards to Cody White.

“You could see it at the first spring practice,” Scott said. “When he came out in spring practice, he was fresh and he was throwing balls real well. It’s a good sight to see.”

The afternoon was also a reminder of what MSU has at receiver with White and Darrell Stewart Jr., and the potential of Nailor, the guy who gives this offense an extra gear. Stewart had catches of 23, 10, 31 and 13 yards, including two touchdowns, one from Lewerke (in the back of the end zone), the other on a well-thrown ball from Rocky Lombardi that hit him in stride. 

Lombardi, heading into his redshirt sophomore season, had a few notable moments and some obvious gaffes, and too much zip on underneath throws. He’s a gutsy QB, but not yet an efficient or consistent one. There was a clear difference between him and Lewerke. Just based on Saturday, I’d think the closer competition is between Lombardi and redshirt freshman Theo Day for the No. 2 job. 

If he stays healthy, it’ll be Lewerke’s show — a slightly different show than a year ago, with new offensive coordinator Brad Salem moving over from his old role as QBs coach. “It’s quicker, more uptempo. We’re trying to use different formations,” Lewerke said, admitting they didn’t show a ton in this nationally televised spring scrimmage.

We won’t know how well it all works until September. Lewerke looking like he did Saturday was a good start.

2. What we learned about the running back position battle

Freshman Anthony Williams is going to play. The kid looks the part. He’s 6-feet, 205 pounds, he said, with good feet and what looks like a natural feel for the position. He has a quickness to his first move and instincts that stand out. He was also effective catching the ball on the edge out of the backfield. It’s obvious the coaches like him. They wanted to get a good look at him in this setting and did. He had nine carries for 26 yards, including a 9-yard run, and three catches for 19 yards. 

“He’s quick,” Dantonio said of the early enrollee from Bolingbrook, Illinois. “He’s got a good first step, good cut-back ability. I think he’s got good vision, he catches the ball well. He’s tough. And he’s just learning the position. He’s not topped out. He’s had 14 practices. So he’s still learning. He has really all spring, he’s shown things that remind you of Jeremy (Langford) a little bit, the ability to cut back against the grain.”

Dantonio said he’s looking for the back he can hand the ball to 200 times. “I keep asking that question as we go,” he said.

Running back is one position you can play early.

Another candidate for that featured role: Junior Connor Heyward, who played well and finished last year as the starter. He looked shifty and confident and finished one run on the edge that stood out, lowering his shoulder for an extra yard. He didn’t gain a lot of extra yards like that last season. Heyward also took a screen pass 50 yards for a touchdown. That we’ve seen before. He’ll have a big role this season, regardless of who else emerges, because of his abilities in the passing game. 

Sophomore La’Darius Jefferson had a few productive runs, too, mostly between the tackles. He also had a screen pass that he took for 26 yards. He’s not a burner out of the blocks. But he’s big and fast enough that he doesn’t need to be. He looked more comfortable at the position than last year, at least in this small sample size. I’m still not sure he’ll stay at running back.

If he does, these are the three, I think, that will enter the season in the mix. Perhaps redshirt freshman Elijah Collins, too. And maybe incoming freshman Brandon Wright, a bigger back (6-2, 220) out of Ohio. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if Williams emerges as the guy. He’s an early enrollee who has some gifts that stand out above the others already on campus.

“Anthony Williams is a guy who can make people miss and he showed that today with that spin move on that check down,” Lewerke said. “So getting it to him in space with a linebacker, he’ll make him miss 95 percent of the time.”

3. MSU’s defense is still legit and ahead of the offense

MSU’s first-team defense is what we thought it was — still a bear. If there’s a weakness, it didn’t show up in this scrimmage. Josiah Scott is the sort of cornerback back opposing teams are going to want to avoid. The line gives Joe Bachie so much room to make plays and, like he has for three years, he does. 

“We can’t have any dip from last year,” Bachie said. 

This is veteran-laden group, with several NFL players. It showed Saturday. Especially against MSU’s second-team offense. When you begin a season having this sort of defense, you don’t need your offense to be spectacular. Just healthy, with more punch than a year ago. There were promising signs of that Saturday.

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Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.