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Michigan State football: Grading bowl-eligible Spartans’ 31-13 victory over Rutgers

Adam Biggers

By Adam Biggers

Published:

Michigan State must have forgotten to set its alarm clocks Saturday in New Jersey.

The No. 11-ranked Spartans didn’t wake up until the second quarter vs. Rutgers. The first 20-25 minutes of the 31-13 victory were probably way too close for comfort for second-year Spartans coach Mel Tucker, who, for some odd reason, decided to take an early dive into his bag of tricks during the first drive of the afternoon.

Instead of letting Matt Coghlin — who’s been automatic throughout his career — kick a field goal, Tucker opted for a fake that ultimately blew up in his face. The turnover-on-downs resulted in a Scarlet Knights’ touchdown and suggested that Saturday in Piscataway could be a nail-biter for Michigan State, which entered 5-0 for the first time since 2015.

If not for a pair of 63-yard touchdown catches by WR Jalen “Speedy” Nailor, and then a 65-yarder by him late in the second quarter, the Spartans wouldn’t have been able to rebound and take control. Credit QB Payton Thorne as well. After all, he was the one who threw the dimes to Nailor, who was already coming off a career-best 84-yard weekend following MSU’s win over Western Kentucky.

Now 6-0, the No. 11 Spartans need to find a way to play a complete, 4-quarter game next weekend at Indiana. Forget the struggles against Rutgers, Michigan State.

The past can’t be changed.

But it can be reviewed.

Here are the grades for Michigan State’s come-from-behind win vs. Rutgers.

Offense: B+

When a QB throws for almost 300 yards in the first half, that’s a pretty good sign for a team — right? QB Payton Thorne completed 11 of 14 attempts for 293 yards and 3 TDs during the opening 30 minutes. The touchdowns were all to Nailor, who already had a career-high 208 receiving yards by the time the Spartans went into the locker room for the halftime break.

Thorne, who completed 16 of 27 attempts, finished with a career-high 339 yards. Only downside: He threw an interception in the fourth quarter, just his 2nd picked-off pass of the season.

RB Kenneth Walker III was a non-factor for the Spartans during the first half … but he had a 94-yard TD run midway through the third quarter, the longest play from scrimmage in MSU program history and the strike the Spartans needed to put away the pesky Scarlet Knights, who were still holding on by a few threads going into the fourth quarter.

Side note: Walker is among the favorites in the early Heisman race.

Touchdowns on plays of 63, 63, 65 and 94 yards should warrant a high grade, right? What about a 20-0 run to close out Rutgers? Normally, yes. But the Spartans had to rely on the home run swing too much. There wasn’t much balance. It was either a major blow or a failed jab, so a B+ fits the bill.

Defense: B+

During the first half, Rutgers seemed to have Michigan State’s number.

QB Noah Vedral completed 8 of 16 passes for 105 yards. Despite not throwing a TD pass in the first half, Vedral kept the Scarlet Knights going long enough stay close — down 21-13 — at the break. Rutgers WR Aaron Cruickshank had a 19-yard reception early in the first quarter, converting a 3rd-and-18. He also scored a touchdown on an end-around, giving RU an early jump on the Spartans.

Scarlet Knights WR Jovani Haskins helped out with 2 catches for 38 yards (long of 27).

After that first half, not much came from the Rutgers side. Barely any offense. No momentum. Michigan State’s defense bent in the first half but found a way to buckle down in the second half and hold Rutgers to no points the rest of the day.

Rutgers tried to convert 4th-and-7 from the MSU 8-yard line, but Vedral sent an errant pass to the back of the end zone, effectively killing a productive 6-minute drive that could have put the Scarlet Knights back within striking distance.

The Spartans had 2 sacks in the first half but applied consistent pressure on Vedral during the final 30 minutes of game time. They finished with 4 sacks on the day. DT Simeon Barrow had 2 of those sacks, putting MSU at 22 sacks through 6 games.

Special Teams: C+

Well, that fake FG was beyond illogical. What was Tucker thinking? Missing that opportunity to go up 3-0 on the road was certainly an “oops” moment for the Spartans.

Against Nebraska, Jayden Reed had a pair of punt return TDs. During the first half against Rutgers, he was held to nothing … well, almost nothing; he had one return for 1 yard.

With one second remaining in the first half, Coghlin missed a 35-yard field goal that would have made him the Spartans’ career-leader in made kicks. But another 35-yarder late in the fourth broke Brett Swenson’s previous mark of 71 made field goals.

Special teams weren’t a factor for Michigan State against Rutgers. Coghlin made his PATs but missed a FG. There weren’t any major returns.

On the other hand, the Spartans held Rutgers to crumbs on returns, so it balanced out in a way.

Overall: B

Road wins can be difficult to get in the Big Ten. It wasn’t Michigan State’s best-looking victory, but Tucker probably doesn’t care about that — his team came away with its 6th-straight win and continues to look like a true-blue (or green, if you will) contender in the Big Ten.

Adam Biggers

Adam Biggers brings his expertise on the Michigan beat to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.