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Mark Dantonio addresses what Michigan State offense must do to improve
By Dave Holcomb
Published:
At Mark Dantonio’s weekly press conference Tuesday, he was once again very focused on the Michigan State offense and how the unit is striving to get better. The Spartans are making a change at running back with that in mind.
Michigan State moved redshirt freshman Elijah Collins to the top spot on the running back depth chart. While speaking with the media, Dantonio confirmed that decision.
“He’ll (Collins) start this football game, and he’ll have the opportunity to get the majority of the carries early.”
Dantonio on RB Elijah Collins: "He'll start this football game, and he'll have the opportunity to get the majority of carries early, and we'll see how it all shakes out."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 10, 2019
Collins split carries with junior Connor Heyward in the first two games, but Collins has vastly outplayed Heyward and every other Michigan State back. The redshirt freshman has rushed for 209 yards on 25 carries, averaging more than 8.3 yards per attempt.
Meanwhile, Heyward is off to a slow start, posting 56 rushing yards on 18 attempts, averaging only 3.1 yards per carry. Sophomore running back La’Darius Jefferson has also struggled, running for only 17 yards on 12 carries.
Outside of the running back depth chart, Dantonio also addressed how well senior quarterback Brian Lewerke has played and the overall confidence of the offense. Lewerke has thrown for 506 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
Dantonio: "When your QB is playing well, good things happen. And he's played well in both games." Says MSU also ran more effectively against WMU to increase productivity, as well as no offensive penalties. "I just thought we played well." Consistency in performance key now.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 10, 2019
It actually sounds as though Dantonio is more confident in his defense but compared to what the Michigan State coach had to say about his offense last week, they appear to be in a much better place.
Dantonio: "I think we've been a confident football team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. … I think we're excited to play, and that's half the battle all the time." Says "you can't fake that kind of stuff."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 10, 2019