EAST LANSING – Michigan State needed an interception to halt a scoring threat before making a field goal as time expired to take a surprisingly thin lead into the locker room.
Following a halftime to regroup and adjust to Youngstown State’s gameplan, the Spartans had an opportunity to show their superiority against an FCS program.
First down: Makhi Frazier bounces a few times before getting stuffed.
Second down: Frazier takes a handoff left and is swallowed up at the line.
Third down: With pressure coming off both edges, Aidan Chiles checks down with a throw along the sideline to Frazier, who is immediately dropped for a 6-yard loss.
Going backwards on a three-and-out was a statement but not the one Michigan State was looking for. The Spartans (3-0) survived a test for a 41-24 win against the Penguins on Saturday but the inability to establish a run game was one of many red flags that emerged in what could prove to be a pyrrhic victory.
“I thought schematically in the run game offensively, we’ve got more to us,” coach Jonathan Smith said. “We’ve got to get something going there, make it a little bit easier on the quarterback to get us in better down and distances.”
Through the first two weeks, Michigan State’s revamped run game was solid and led by Frazier, who averaged 5.9 yards on 31 attempts. He was limited to just 22 yards on 12 carries before leaving due to injury in fourth quarter against Youngstown State.
The conventional run game was all but shut down by the Penguins, as Chiles, who finished with eight carries for a career-high 76 yards, was Michigan State’s biggest threat on the ground.
Frazier, fellow sophomore Brandon Tullis and FCS transfer Elijah Tau-Tolliver combined for just 90 yards on 23 attempts. And 22 of those yards came on Tau-Tolliver’s touchdown run in the final two minutes as all three backs reached the end zone on the ground in a misleading stat.
“In the run game, we’re about balance,” Smith said. “Our first- and second-down run game, we want it to be better.”
Youngstown State allowed only 104 rushing yards combined in wins against Mercyhurst and Robert Morris to start the season and came in determined to limit the Spartans on the ground. Chiles took advantage of mismatches involving star sophomore receiver Nick Marsh, who had six catches for 94 yards before exiting the game due to an apparent leg injury in the second quarter with his status questionable heading into next week’s Big Ten opener at USC (3-0).
Removing Michigan State’s top threat to pair with Chiles didn’t inspire the Penguins to alter their approach. That was evident when they clamped down for a three-and-out following halftime. The Spartans were also dealing with injuries to an offensive line that went eight deep the week before in a double-overtime win against Boston College and had to further expand the rotation.
“Without deeply studying the tape, they were playing some high safety looks but those guys were fitting in a hurry,” Smith said. “As an O line you’re not identifying a high safety in your scheme but those guys were showing up in a hurry, especially on anything going sideways.”
Michigan State lost its top two rushers from last season but felt comfortable enough with the backfield to not add from the portal after spring practice. Frazier’s status moving forward is now unclear after being spotted wearing a boot on the sideline late against the Penguins. Starting right guard Luka Vincic suffered an apparent left knee injury and was carted off during halftime while starting left tackle Stanton Ramil missed time and right tackle Ashton Lepo didn’t dress for the game.
It was a brutal day for Michigan State’s health and if Frazier misses any time, that leaves only two running backs with experience in Tullis and Tau-Tolliver. True freshman Jace Clarizio, a former three-star recruit from East Lansing the Spartans flipped back from Alabama on signing day, hasn’t dressed for a game yet and his status doesn’t seem promising.
“He has just not gotten healthy,” Smith said. “It’s turned into kind of a nagging, longer-term thing he’s dealing with. When he’s back out, we feel like he can help us.”
Following the emotional win against Boston College with Youngstown State coming to East Lansing before the trip to USC, Smith felt the need to send a message. The work done behind closed doors maybe wasn’t ideal.
“We went Tuesday and Wednesday pretty physical in the practices, making sure we grabbed their attention that way,” Smith said. “Looking back on it the way we went out, was that the best move? Maybe a veteran group didn’t need that kind of special practices – I call it special, just emphasis on the physicality.”
Michigan State is an early double-digit underdog against USC with injury concerns galore. The Spartans have already gone really deep on the offensive line and injuries loom across the board.
“It’s a physical game and you need guys to get in,” Smith said. “I think for three weeks, we have gotten a bunch of guys in and they know the importance. Maybe they were just getting in the game because that was part of the rotation, now a guy goes down and you need the next guy to go in and that’s the expectation because of the culture of the locker room.”