Game week is here. We made it through summer and now sit a mere four days away from Michigan State’s season opener against Tulsa.
Given the discrepancy in talent between Michigan State and a team like Tulsa, odds are we won’t learn a ton about MSU’s quality in this game. The Spartans are notoriously slow starters in season openers, even in years when they end up with a great team.
There are however a number of questions that need to be answered about this MSU team and we should start to get some of those answers on opening night. Here are the big storylines as MSU heads into its 2019 season, all of which are on the offensive side of the ball.
What does the offense look like?
This may be a question that takes a few weeks to fully answer, but I’ll bet we get some clarity on Friday. There has been a lot of secrecy surrounding the “new” offense and we’re at a point where it’s impossible to tell if there are actually going to be big changes or if it has all been a ruse to mess with opponents. I’m betting there will be noticeable tweaks, but structurally it will remain the same.
I could be wrong, but I’d guess more time will be spent in the shotgun and pistol formations. There have been indications MSU will use tempo more often and the formations could be a little more spread out. There should be more designed QB runs in the form of the zone read and all its different iterations, but I highly doubt it becomes the staple of the running game. MSU will still use two-back sets and formations with two tight ends, although maybe more situationally and less as a foundation. There’s a chance we see more 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers).
RPOs are the new fangled thing in football, where the quarterback runs a standard option play with a built-in passing outlet at the tail end. I think we’ll see a little more of that with MSU, but it won’t be what the offense is designed around.
I’d bet the offense will still favor the ground game and ball control, but will be slightly modernized in how it goes about accomplishing that. And again, MSU is notoriously vanilla on opening night, so they must just debut something similar to what they showed in the spring game and then add wrinkles throughout the season as the games get more important.
Changes to the offense have been the biggest storyline in the offseason and while we won’t get all of the answers Friday night, we should start to get some.
How does Brian Lewerke play?
The second-biggest storyline this offseason has been about quarterback Brian Lewerke. Can he return to his sophomore season form? All indications out of spring ball and fall camp have been in the affirmative. Lewerke has spoken at length about how the adversity he went through last season has helped build him into a better quarterback and leader. The shoulder injury appears to be long gone by now, with Lewerke showing his typically strong arm back in April’s spring game.
The questions now are what does he look like in the new offense and if his confidence is back. We should get answers to that pretty quickly. I’d expect to see the old Brian Lewerke Friday night, effective both through the air and on the ground. If not, that could be a sign of trouble. Lewerke has spoken about trying to find a balance between being a pocket passer and a playmaker with his feet. How close is he to finding that balance? Does he look like he’s overthinking things in the pocket or is he just going out, playing fast and letting the game come to him?
It’s a sort-of backyard football mindset; have fun, make plays, be the guy. That’s when Lewerke is at his best and MSU will need him in that zone to be successful this season.
Who is the #1 running back?
This is a question we got very little information on in fall camp. Mark Dantonio has talked a ton about how MSU needed to find a bell-cow back to carry the ball 200 times and I’m not sure they’ve done that. Thanks to the new four-game redshirt rule, all five running backs on MSU’s roster should get their shot to win the job during the non conference schedule.
Incumbent starter Connor Heyward will probably get the first crack at it and La’Darius Jefferson will have an early chance to rack up carries as well. After that, if he’s healthy, I’d think Anthony Williams Jr. will get a chance to show what he can do as a change-of-pace back. Williams Jr. got nicked up in the first scrimmage, and we don’t know where he is at health wise. He may end up missing a game or two, we just don’t know at this point.
Behind them are redshirt freshman Eli Collins and true freshman Brandon Wright. Collins will certainly get a look at some point and has gotten some positive reviews this offseason. Then, if nobody has taken ahold of the job, Wright should get a shot too. He’s a thumping back in the mold of a prototypical MSU running back and I’m sure coaches are eager to see what he looks like in a college game.
I’d think all five of these guys will get shots at carries in the first three games and MSU will ride the hot hand. As for who the guy will be: It’s a question I doubt gets answered in the first game unless somebody absolutely runs away with it. Judging by the fact that we don’t already have that answer and the leading contenders are somewhat known commodities, I’d bet we don’t know who MSU’s #1 back is until week four or five and even then, it could be a committee approach all season.
What is the plan with the O-Line?
Michigan State, as they typically do, has been moving guys around on the offensive line all offseason. That makes for some intrigue in the opener and much like the running backs, I’d guess the offensive line will have a number of different guys taking reps and seeing who can win jobs.
I’d say there are two, maybe three certainties on MSU’s offensive line. Matt Allen will be the center. Kevin Jarvis will be the right guard. Jordan Reid *might* be locked in at right tackle. After that, good luck. Tyler Higby would appear to be the starting left guard, but he has been recovering from offseason surgery. We’ll see if he’s ready for the opener. Cole Chewins is another experienced guy and would be the left tackle, but he’s been dealing with injuries his whole career and Dantonio mentioned how they’ve had to handle him with kid gloves at times this offseason. A.J. Arcuri figures to be in the mix at left tackle and could start there opening night. Luke Campbell and Blake Bueter have also played in the past and figure to get shots in game action.
Then there’s the freshmen, specifically highly-touted recruit Devontae Dobbs. Dobbs projects as a guard but has been repping at left tackle some in practice. Does he get a shot to compete for a spot on the line? That’s a tough ask for a true freshman, talented as Dobbs may be. Then there’s Nick Samac who has been drawing rave reviews as another true freshman. Is he going to have a say in this competition or is the plan to redshirt him?
Along with the rotation, watching their performance early on will be revealing. If the line can’t establish a solid push against the likes of Tulsa and Western Michigan, that doesn’t bode well for them moving forward. Offensive line play isn’t the sexiest part of football, but watching MSU’s line early on could be very revealing.
