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Michigan State football stock watch: Penalties, injuries pile up, what else can go wrong?

chris solari, detroit free press
·4 min read
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Here are the Michigan State football players who helped or hurt their stock in the Spartans’ 26-16 loss Saturday at Iowa:

Three up

LB Cal Haladay: With defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton effectively deploying more of a 4-3 defense than usual, Haladay anchored it with another typical workmanlike performance. The senior tied safety Malik Spencer for the team lead with eight tackles. But it was Haladay’s swarming of the ball in the run game — MSU limited Iowa to just 61 yards on the ground — that produced the Spartans’ only touchdown, his 42-yard scoop-and-score in the third quarter. It was Haladay’s first fumble recovery for a TD but his third touchdown in his career, along with interception returns for scores against Indiana and Pitt in 2021.

WHAT HAPPENED? Michigan State was on precipice of stealing win at Iowa. Then it all fell apart.

Michigan State linebacker Cal Haladay runs from Iowa wide receiver Diante Vines while returning a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown during the second half of MSU's 26-16 loss Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Michigan State linebacker Cal Haladay runs from Iowa wide receiver Diante Vines while returning a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown during the second half of MSU's 26-16 loss Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.

DB Angelo Grose/Chester Kimbrough: The somewhat forgotten veterans in a young secondary made some big plays as well. With Jaden Mangham out with an injury, Grose started at safety for the first time since the Wisconsin game last season and his 18th time in four seasons, and the senior intercepted his second pass in as many weeks while adding two tackles. When MSU used its 4-2-5 defense, Kimbrough assumed Grose’s role and produced a well-timed delayed blitz for the Spartans’ only sack of Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill. It was the senior’s fourth sack in three seasons at MSU.

RB Nathan Carter: Though the running back room has been decimated by attrition, Carter remains the most reliable component of MSU's offense. The sophomore transfer from Connecticut got his biggest workload of the season with 20 carries and finished with 108 yards, his third 100-yard game as a Spartan. Carter ranks 17th in the country with 477 rushing yards and 20th at 95.4 yards per game, with both numbers putting him second among Big Ten rushers in those categories.

Michigan State running back Nathan Carter runs between Iowa defensive back Quinn Schulte, left, and linebacker Jay Higgins during the first half of MSU's 26-16 loss Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Michigan State running back Nathan Carter runs between Iowa defensive back Quinn Schulte, left, and linebacker Jay Higgins during the first half of MSU's 26-16 loss Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Three down

QB Noah Kim: Three more interceptions raised Kim’s total to six on the season, all of them coming in the last three games, and the junior is now tied individually for the seventh-most interceptions in the FBS this season. That’s one fewer than six other players, with only Illinois' Luke Altmyer having thrown more among Big Ten quarterbacks. Kim went 25 of 44 for just 193 yards at Iowa and is 55 of 107 (51.4%) over the past three games, and the Spartans have scored just one touchdown in his past 34 drives.

MSU GRADES: Despite run game, bad night for offense, coaches vs. Iowa

Team discipline: MSU continues to commit penalties and turnovers at an alarming rate, an indictment on both players and coaches. The Spartans committed 10 penalties for 94 yards against the Hawkeyes. Their 8.0 penalties per game rank 117th out of 130 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and their 71.6 yards penalized rank 118th. MSU also turned the ball over four more times Saturday, and its 12 giveaways are tied for third-most in the country, one behind the 13 from Arizona State and Old Dominion. Their seven team interceptions are tied for eighth-most in the FBS.

Michigan State quarterback Noah Kim is tackled by Iowa defensive back Quinn Schulte during the second half of MSU's 26-16 loss Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Michigan State quarterback Noah Kim is tackled by Iowa defensive back Quinn Schulte during the second half of MSU's 26-16 loss Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Team health: Saturday began with linebacker Jacoby Windmon and defensive back Armorion Smith being ruled out for the season and starting safety Jaden Mangham, cornerback Charles Brantley and right guard Geno VanDeMark sitting out. The injury situation deepened when tight end Maliq Carr left the game near the end of a first quarter in which he was featured prominently for the first time in his career. It worsened as a number of others — including Haladay and starting cornerback Dillon Tatum — left the field but returned. And it reached a zenith late in the fourth quarter as defensive tackle Simeon Barrow and safety Malik Spencer both got hurt on the same play, then wide receiver Tre Mosley suffered an apparent left arm injury as he got drilled and fumbled with 3:29 to play.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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Next up: Scarlet Knights

Matchup: Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) at Rutgers (4-1, 1-1).

Kickoff: Noon Oct. 14; SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey.

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

Line: TBA.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football stock watch: Penalties, injuries pile up