MSU Needs to Improve Ratio of Power Backs to Speed Backs

I'm starting to get the feeling that for a number of reasons MSU's running game is becoming more and more dependent on the large power back (the bigger the better).  It's been a couple of years  since a speed back had some success at MSU -- Edwin Baker had a good year as a sophomore, running for 1200 yards, but then struggled as a junior, while LeVeon Bell emerged.

The struggles of the passing game haven't helped, but in my mind, the biggest problem is the long term struggle to build an elite o-line. Of course, over the last few years, there have been several key injuries to the o-line and the Spartans have struggled to win recruiting battles for elite recruits.  But the bottom line is that the Spartan o-lines have struggled to open holes for speed backs.  Even a relatively good running back like Edwin Baker struggled.  And last year, we saw the problem hit a new low.  The running game became dangerously dependent on Bell's ability to make something out of nothing, usually after he had already been hit in the backfield.

Well, this is not a recipe for consistent offensive success.  So either the o-lines start to quickly improve, or the Spartans need to absolutely make certain that they recruit a big back in every class.  This should be the best o-line under Dantonio, so maybe we'll see the return of the speed back this fall -- of course, the results of the Spring practices raise concerns about the effectiveness of the o-line and speed backs.

That leaves us with the "big backs" solution. Unfortunately, the coaches don't seem to have been really focused on this solution.  They seem to have been thinking that Bell would stay, and perhaps because of this, they really did not recruit anyone to replace him. They do have 2 larger backs coming in the fall (Delton Williams and Gerald Holmes), but neither of these guys is really a power back in the mold of Bell.  The biggest mistake the coaches made was taking only one back in the 2013 class (Nick Tompkins) who is clearly not a power back.

Perhaps the only real power back on the roster will be Riley Bullough. He clearly can do the job. But it's a shame to have him on offense when he probably should be on defense.

Don't get me wrong, I like speed backs and I think they can succeed in a "thunder and lightning" scheme, where you have the power back soften up the defense and then let the speed back try to break a long one.  But the problem is that the Spartans are kind of uncertain about who their "thunder" back will be.  More importantly, I think the Spartans need to have more of a plan. If they are going to have a "thunder and lightning" scheme, then they need to make sure they have the players to run it, especially the power back.  In my mind, they need to be going for really big backs.  I'm talking about guys as big as Jehuu Caulcrick (250 lbs.) and Bell (237 lbs.).

No need to panic. The coaches do seem to have figured these things out.  They are trying to get Gerald Owens (240 lbs.) to join the 2014 class.  Unfortunately, Owens is getting a lot of attention, so he may be difficult to get.  In any case, if they can't get Owens, I hope they don't give up looking for the big backs.  They need at least one in every class, in my humble opinion.

Drills for Receivers?

I don't want to be too hard on the receivers, because I did see some progress in the Spring game - and it was freezing cold.  But it never hurts to take a look at the kinds of things a possible first round wide receiver works on.  Here, for example, is some video of DeAndre Hopkins performing some interesting catching drills.

My 2 Cents on the Spring Game

I was finally able to watch my DVR recording of the Spring game.  And while the game has already received plenty of attention and analysis, I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in, since I have a somewhat different take on a few things than what many others are saying. Of course, all the caveats apply: this is just a Spring game, several starters were missing, the team was mixed in ways that limit what we can take away from the performances, etc, etc...

Quarterbacks

I'll say that Andrew Maxwell played pretty well. He completed 9 out of 20 passes, but he should really have been at least 12 out of 20. There were at least 3 passes that absolutely should have been caught, and there were another 2 passes that maybe should have been catches. Basically, Maxwell should have ended up with about a 60% completion percentage, which is pretty good, considering the conditions. The only quibbles I really have with Maxwell were his accuracy beyond 20 yards and his mobility - although, I thought he looked much lighter on his feet than last season. Hopefully, he'll keep working on those areas over the next 4 months.

I don't think Connor Cook outplayed Maxwell, as some are suggesting. Don't get me wrong, Cook looked impressive, but he was also throwing to Aaron Burbridge (who looks like he will be an All-B10 receiver this year) and DeAnthony Arnett (who may be starting to live up to his recruiting rankings). I would like to have seen how Maxwell would have looked throwing to those guys. I also think that Cook benefited from Riley Bullough's effective running.  In the end, I think Maxwell still looks a little ahead of Cook, but I also think that Cook looks like he will be taking over when Maxwell is gone. Many people are excited about Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry, but to me Cook looks like he is going to be really good by the time he is a senior.

Tyler O'Connor still has some work to do, but he's really still in his first year.  Unfortunately, defensive pressure kept us from seeing much of his mobility.

Upshot for quarterbacks: I don't think they're going to be a problem this fall, and man alive, MSU looks loaded at the position!

Receivers

Obviously, they had several infuriating drops.  But at least the top guys are starting to look impressive.  Burbridge and Arnett flashed some incredible potential.  They just need to do it every play, not just flashes.  Physically, AJ Troup looks like the real deal.  What a physical specimen. We'll have to see if he can put it all together this fall.  Mumphery is becoming MSU's most consistent receiver, but he doesn't quite have the explosiveness of a guy like Burbridge. I like how Lippett looks, but he needs to show up a little more.  He seems to disappear at times.  Fowler needs to get past the drops.  He gets a lot of passes thrown his way, so he seems to be able to get open.  But he has to hang on to them.

The tight ends are in trouble.  This is the team's biggest weakness, at this point. I'm just hoping Jamare Mills somehow finds his way back on the team.

Running backs

I was worried about the running backs a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm thinking the team looks pretty solid at the position - even if they didn't have 3 solid-looking freshmen backs arriving in the fall. Apart from the fumble, Riley Bullough looked excellent.  He's tough, he finds holes, and he moves pretty well.  Langford, Hill, and Tompkins have some work to do, but they flash excellent speed and they seem to benefit from the presence of a bruiser like Bullough softening up the defense.  In a way, I think Bullough could be more effective at softening up defenses than LeVeon Bell.  Bell was a powerful back, but he often ran more like a scat back.  Bullough runs more like Trent Richardson.  Hmmm, makes me wonder...even if the freshmen running backs come in and play well right away, I wouldn't mind seeing Bullough and perhaps even Lawrence Thomas getting a few carries per game to help soften up the defense. Just a thought.

Defense

I won't say much about the defensive side of the ball, since they look talented and deep at every position - how about those freshmen cornerbacks?  The only quibble I might have is that I wish the defensive tackles were a little more disruptive.  And maybe they will be by this fall.

Recruiting 2014: Enoch Smith

Suddenly, the Spartans are really starting to get rolling with the recruiting.  They picked up their second commitment of the weekend in the form of Chicago defensive tackle Enoch Smith. This is another solid pick up.  Smith is generally regarded as a 3-star recruit, though 247 gives him 4 stars. He is listed as 6'2" and around 270lbs.  Let's look at some video highlights:

Can't post the video I wanted to post, but we can still get a sense of the kind of player Smith is. It looks like he plays defensive end on a 3-4 defense, which likely means he'll play defensive tackle for the Spartans. And that's the position he should play.  He's a little slow for defensive end in a 4-3 defense.  He actually reminds me of Jerry Ball, who played nose tackle for the Lions in the Barry Sanders days. He's not particularly explosive, but he gets a lot good push up the field and clogs the running lanes. Of course, he is still just a junior, so we'll have to wait and see what he looks like as a senior.

I have to imagine that the Spartans won't take anymore defensive tackles in this class, except perhaps an elite recruit. They took 3 defensive tackles last year and they have plenty of young depth at the position. Then again, the coaches seem to love recruiting defensive tackles.

In general, the Spartans now have 6 commitments from very solid recruits. If in the next few weeks the Spartans can add Dareian Watkins and Lawrence Marshall to this class, they will be well on their way to welcoming Dantonio's best class.

Recruiting 2014: Brian Allen

Here we go folks! The Spartans are definitely starting to roll on the 2014 recruiting class. They just picked up a commitment from Brian Allen, one of the top centers in the country.

He is about the same size as Jack Allen, his brother (6'2" and about 270 lbs.) and about as well-regarded - 3 stars to all the sites that have rated him.  So let's look at his video:

Allen looks very impressive.  He has great burst, strength, relentlessness, and intelligence. Perhaps he is not considered a 4-star recruit because he plays center or because he is smaller, or perhaps because he will be upgraded to 4 stars during his senior season.  I don't know.  But Allen is a great commit, and Spartan fans should be excited.

Allen's commitment now gives the Spartans 2 of the 4 or 5 offensive linemen they are going to need for this class.  With Allen, this o-line class is off to a strong start.  Indeed, Allen's commitment has the whole 2014 class off to a strong start.  The Spartans now have 5 total commits and all 5 of them are solid to impressive.

Not Panicking on Recruiting

I've "detected" a lot of frustration on recruiting, particularly now that Drake Harris de-committed from MSU and committed to UM.  But, folks, the sky is not yet falling.

I don't like to say much about guys that have not committed (my time is too limited to say much about guys who might not commit), BUT it does look like the Spartans are in a good position with excellent recruits such as Brian Allen (OG), Lawrence Marshall (DE), and Dareian Watkins (WR). If the Spartans could add these 3 to the 4 excellent recruits they already have, we would be looking at the makings of a very strong class. Indeed, we could start talking about the 2014 class as being on the path to becoming Mark Dantonio's best class ever.

Let's also not forget that Dantonio and the gang have a knack for identifying some serious talent late in the recruiting process.  Guys like Darqueze Dennard, Jack Conklin, David Fennell, Justin Williams, and Noah Jones didn't really appear on the radar until quite late in the recruiting process.  I know, most of these guys haven't done much yet, but they will.

So, let's hold off on the panic.  I personally won't start running through the streets naked until the Spartans lose out on 2 of the 3 guys I mentioned.

Optimistic About Maxwell

Last season, after the Ohio State game, I wrote that Maxwell would graduate as MSU's best quarterback ever.  I felt he looked smart, and more accurate and strong-armed than Kirk Cousins.  Then, in the second half of the season, the wheels gradually came off.  He actually seemed to regress from game to game, and he seemed to hit rock bottom against TCU, where Connor Cook offered more of a spark to the offense.  Even I (the eternal Spartan slappy) started to have my doubts about Maxwell.  And I started to doubt my ability to evaluate talent (from the comfort of my couch).

But no! I know what I saw.  Maxwell clearly flashed some serious talent in the first half of the season. And maybe, just maybe, he's about to put it all together in his senior season. I know, scrimmage stats don't tell us much, but they are nevertheless tantalizing:

17 of 27 and 3 touchdowns in the first scrimmage
14 of 18 and 1 touchdown in the second scrimmage

Keep in mind that the quarterbacks are live and that the running game has been relatively weak.

Of course, 2 scrimmages do not a first-round pick make. But if Maxwell turns into a Heisman Trophy candidate by about the 5th game of the season, let's just say I called it here first.  And if he ends up playing like Andre Ware (when he was with the Lions), let's just remember that I'm just a couch potato.  But seriously, I think Maxwell has all the physical tools to excel.  The only thing that could derail him would be an inability to deal with pressure.  I think Dantonio was aware of this, too, and that's why he wanted to see how Maxwell would practice under pressure.  So far, so good.

Scrimmage Stats Don't Tell Us Much

The Spartans held their first jersey scrimmage of the Spring, and I just want to make a brief comment about it.  First, one thing that could keep us from getting too excited is that it does look like the performance of the passing game for this first scrimmage was only a little better than last year's first scrimmage (here is the Spartans' statement on this year's first scrimmage and here is the statement from last year's):

Passing 2013: Andrew Maxwell 17-of-27 for 187 yards and three touchdowns (13 yards to AJ Troup; 18 and 4 yards to Keith Mumphery); Tyler O'Connor 6-of-10 for 141 yards and one touchdown (76 yards to AJ Troup); Connor Cook 11-of-18 for 73 yards and one interception.

Passing 2012: Andrew Maxwell 16-of-29 for 162 yards; Connor Cook 15-of-25 for 145 yards, one touchdown (38 yards to Jeremy Langford) and one interception; Tyler O'Connor 6-of-14 for 105 yards and one touchdown (37 yards to Tres Barksdale). 

On the other hand, we should keep in mind that MSU could have won as many as 10 games last year if the offense had just been slightly better.  Perhaps most encouraging, Andrew Maxwell did throw for 3 touchdowns this year and it does appear that the quarterbacks were "live" this year.  These things hint at a more explosive passing game.  

Overall, we're just going to have to wait until the season starts to really know what we have with this offense.  Actually, we may have to wait until the Notre Dame game to really know what we have.

Spartans Get First O-lineman

The Spartans picked up their first offensive lineman in the 2014 class, in the form of Illinois offensive tackle Chase Gianacakos.  He looks like a pretty solid o-line recruit.  He is considered a 3-star recruit by several recruiting sites and he has ideal size for the position (6'6" 275lbs as a high school junior).  Here is some video on him:

To me he looks like a future right tackle. He seems to excel at run blocking and he doesn't seem to quite have the athleticism for left tackle.  Of course, he is a junior in these videos, so he may evolve into more of a left tackle by his senior year.  Have to wait and see.

Upshot: the Spartans need to recruit at least 4 o-linemen in this class and they're off to a good start.  Gianacakos looks like a solid pick-up.  Now we just need Brian Allen to commit and the Spartans will be half way to meeting their o-line needs.