Michigan State to stick with Noah Kim at quarterback
EAST LANSING – Michigan State is sticking with Noah Kim as its starting quarterback, acting head coach Harlon Barnett said Monday.
Two days after MSU pulled Kim in the fourth quarter against Maryland, hoping redshirt freshman Katin Houser could spark the offense, Barnett said, “for right now,” Kim is still the starter. He also said he’d like to see Kim’s legs used in the running game more.
MSU (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) plays at Iowa (3-1, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. (ET) this Saturday. The game is being televised by NBC.
“You see the glaring things, the interceptions. But he put some balls on the money, man, where guys have got to make those plays,” Barnett said of Kim, a redshirt junior who won the starting job in August camp. “And I like the nice run. I like him running a little bit, personally. That's just me. We're going to see if that can help. Because he's fast, so he can he can put pressure on the defense running the football, as well.”
Kim had three runs of seven yards or more during Saturday's 31-9 loss to the Terrapins.
Barnett said Houser “came in and did his job and did what we asked him to do” and that he was also glad to get true freshman Sam Leavitt in the game “to get a feel.”
Houser played one possession, completing 6 of 10 passes for 75 yards, before throwing an interception on a screen pass in the red zone. Leavitt was under center for the Spartans’ final snaps, completing both of his attempts for nine yards and rushing twice for seven.
Kim completed 18 of 33 passes for 190 yards, with one touchdown pass and two interceptions. He’s 30-for-63 passing with the one TD and three INTs in MSU’s two games against power five competition this season, consecutive losses to Washington and Maryland.
“For right now, we're going to be status quo,” Barnett said. “If that changes, we'll let you guys know.”
Receiver Montorie Foster said he isn’t worried about where Kim’s head might be after being benched late in Saturday’s game.
“He's been going through adversity his whole life. So it's nothing that he can't handle,” Foster said. “He's ready. And I'm behind him 100%.”
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State football to stick with Noah Kim at quarterback
