Advertisement

Michigan State football: Clock works against Spartans vs. CMU

chris solari, detroit free press
·4 min read

EAST LANSING — Looking back at Michigan State football’s 31-7 win over Central Michigan and looking ahead to the Spartans’ home game Saturday against Richmond.

Chris Solari's three things we learned

Growing pains: Friday wasn’t a dominating performance by any stretch, though the Spartans eventually used their size and depth to wear down their Mid-American Conference opponent after halftime. Noah Kim, in his first start at quarterback, showed jitters early — though drops from his pass catchers were likely unnerving as well — then settled in with better accuracy in the final two-plus quarters against a solid CMU secondary. MSU failed to establish its front on offense against a veteran front seven, generating just 14 more yards rushing than their 113-yard season average in 2022. But there's room for growth in that area, considering Nathan Carter’s 113-yard performance on 18 carries. Defensively, the secondary wasn’t tested — CMU quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. did not attempt to stretch the field much — and missed a few chances at interceptions. The Spartans’ front seven mostly contained Emanuel and the Chips on the ground, giving up 123 yards and getting three sacks (one of them a slip-and-fall by the QB).

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker walks off the field after talking to players during the second half against Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.
Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker walks off the field after talking to players during the second half against Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.

Time in a bottle: In a battle of two of the worst possession-time teams from a year ago — MSU's 26:13 ranked 127th out of 130 FBS teams, and CMU (28:14) finished 107th — the Chippewas easily controlled the clock, 34:26-25:34. Jay Johnson’s offense had seven of its 13 drives produce less than 30 yards, and none went longer than seven plays. CMU had an advantage of more than six minutes in the first quarter, as MSU's 11 plays produced just 42 yards — with 31 coming on the Carter run on the first play. MSU only won the possession-time battle in the second quarter (8:05-6:55) as the Chippewas had a 16:58-13:02 edge in the second half.

Penalty problem: A year ago, MSU mostly maintained its composure, with 5.83 penalties per game (57th in FBS) for a 54.9-yard average that ranked 70th. But against CMU, there were plenty of discipline errors, with the Spartans getting whistled eight times for 66 yards. Four of those were personal foul calls on the defense: three facemask penalties and an unsportsmanlike conduct (on defensive tackle Derrick Harmon). Only once in 2022, with nine in a win over Wisconsin, did MSU draw more flags. The Spartans had just six combined in their first two games combined against MAC opponents Western Michigan and Akron a year ago.

Next up: Richmond Spiders

Matchup: Michigan State (1-0) vs. Richmond (0-1).

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing

TV/radio: Big Ten Network, WJR-AM (760).

Line: None.

Richmond's head coach Russ Huesman is shown during a game against Virginia during the first half of the NCAA college football game at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (Daniel Sangjib Min/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Richmond's head coach Russ Huesman is shown during a game against Virginia during the first half of the NCAA college football game at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (Daniel Sangjib Min/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Know the foe

The Spiders, who went 9-4 last season and made the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, started their season with a splat. Despite being a 25½-point favorite, Richmond lost Saturday at home, 17-10, as fellow FCS opponent Morgan State scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. New starting quarterback Kyle Wickersham went 23-for-30 for just 169 yards with an interception and no TDs. Despite showing dual-threat ability with 21 carries, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Wickersham was sacked five times and finished with 39 yards after losing 29 yards on those sacks. Richmond managed just 264 yards of offense while holding the Bears to 213 yards, 114 of those on the ground.

Spiders kicker Andrew Lopes made one field goal attempt but missed a 44-yarder and had a 52-yard try blocked.

Linebacker Tristan Wheeler had 17 tackles, including a sack, in the loss. Richmond generated three turnovers while recovering two of its four forced fumbles, but the Spiders offense also turned the ball over four times, losing three fumbles. The Spiders lost their lone game against an FBS foe last season, 34-17 at Virginia. Coach Russ Huesman is 33-30 as he starts his seventh season with the Spiders, whose playoff berth last year was their first since 2016.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: What we learned, what to watch vs. Richmond