Grading Michigan State football after its performance against Penn State

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Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch grades Michigan State’s football team after its 28-10 loss to Penn State on a scale of 1-10.

OFFENSE: 2

These are probably the final grades for this season. I don’t know if there’s much point in them anymore. The season gets a failing grade, and there’s no final exam ahead to change that. The positives for MSU’s offense Saturday were not many, but redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic continued to show a knack for hanging in the pocket against pressure, despite being sacked five times and hit many more by Penn State, after getting sacked seven times the last time out at Minnesota. Milivojevic didn’t have enough time to throw to know if he played well. He missed on a couple key throws for sure, but made a couple plays, too, including one long completion on a scramble on a drive that ended in a field goal. MSU’s pass protection was fairly awful, but the Spartans did produce 121 yards rushing on 16 carries by running backs and receivers, including a 57-yard touchdown from Elijah Tau-Tolliver (who’s having a nice month), so the run blocking had some life to it. Overall, though, 10 points, 1 of 12 of third and fourth downs, and seven possessions that ended in a punt or a fumble. Not great.

DEFENSE: 6

For the first half of this season, it was MSU’s defense that was crippling the Spartans. Now it’s the other way around — the opposite of complementary football. MSU’s defense showed up again Saturday and did its part, before wearing down late. If the time of possession wasn’t so lopsided — 37:19 to 22:41 — MSU’s defense might have done enough to win. The Spartans stopped Penn State on 10 of 14 third and fourth downs and forced a punt or turned the Nittany Lions over on downs on five of six possessions at one point. Penn State’s rushing totals in the fourth quarter (139 yards) skewed the final stats. But this was a strong effort by a defense that has some physical limitations.

SPECIAL TEAMS: 6

If it wasn’t for a blocked punt — an issue that first became a problem at Nebraska for MSU, this was a clean and efficient effort. Kicker Martin Connington made his only field goal (from 24 yards out) and punter Ryan Eckley averaged 48.4 yards on five (unblocked) punts, including pinning Penn State inside the 20-yard line three times, in what’s likely his final game at Spartan Stadium. The redshirt-junior took part in the pregame senior day ceremony, a sign he’s headed for the NFL.

COACHING: 5

That MSU is playing its best defense late in the season is a credit to Joe Rossi and MSU’s defensive staff. Offensively, it’s gotten worse. But if you can’t protect the quarterback, you’re pretty limited. The inability to maximize Nick Marsh is a mark on this offensive staff and this season. Some of that might be on Marsh, who may not be as ready to star as it occasionally appears. Still, two catches for five yards and five total catches for Marsh and Omari Kelly — that won’t do. To the staff’s credit — including Jonathan Smith — this team has not laid down at all. They’re just not good enough. That’s partly on the coaching staff. But at the end of a week full of distractions, in a season that’s going nowhere, this team seemed to give it all they had.

BOTTOM LINE

What’s left of this season has very little to do with the football on the field. It’s what happens to Jonathan Smith and this coaching staff. And whether the NCAA penalties that dinged this program this week have any bearing on that. I tend to think not. But he’s definitely gotten a raw deal at MSU — from ego-bruised donors who haven’t supported him, to leadership changes, to recruiting limitations (including self-imposed limits on visits, knowing the NCAA penalties were coming), to not knowing there was an NCAA investigation of any sort when he was hired and then having five of his wins vacated through no fault of his of his own. This might be the end for Smith. But MSU would be wise to treat its next coach a little better.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @Graham_Couch

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU football grades for the Spartans’ performance against Penn State

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