Michigan State football coach calls Malik Spencer the ‘heartbeat’ of the defense

Michigan State football coach James Adams called Malik Spencer the “heartbeat” of the Spartan defense after a big win over BC.

During a Michigan State football 42-40 double-overtime win over the Boston College Eagles, a word to describe the game would be “shootout”. The Eagles and Spartans scored 27 each in regulation before a pair of overtime touchdowns were separated by a game-winning two-point conversion.

Naturally, defense falls to the wayside. However, one area that does not get brought up is the second-half Spartan defense. In the final two quarters, the Spartans held Boston College to a pair of field goals. While Joe Rossi made quite a few adjustments, namely avoiding the blitz, a big difference was having senior safety Malik Spencer back.

In the first half, Spencer went down with a lower body injury, and was replaced by Justin Denson Jr. and Devynn Cromwell. On one of Cromwell’s first plays, the senior got beat for a 20-plus-yard gain down the field.

Worse yet, multiple communication breakdowns took place, leading to Boston College’s 21-point second quarter.

When Spencer returned to the field, his impact was immediately felt. Looking at the statistics from the game, Spencer’s line is not overly impressive. The senior finished with three tackles, and no pass breakups, interceptions, or the like. However, his leadership won the Spartans the game.

On Wednesday, his safeties coach, James Adams, was asked about Spencer returning to the game. The first-year Spartan coach had high praise for his fourth-year senior.

While the younger players are making their voices felt, no one compares to Spencer, the coach revealed.

“Malik Spencer is the heartbeat of the room,” Adams said. “He’s done a phenomenal job leading the room. We have some young guys stepping into the role, but maybe not as loud as Malik.

Malik is our heartbeat.”

Having a senior presence like Spencer was much needed on Saturday, as Eagles’ quarterback Dylan Lonergan was lighting up the Spartans. Adams knew the quarterback would present a challenge and the question was how the defense would be ready to respond to adversity.

“We knew it would be a challenge playing Dylan Lonergan,” Adams said. “The biggest question was how we would play when facing adversity.”

Sure enough, the Spartans responded.

Heavy praise for Armorion Smith

While not every play was perfect, play No. 73 on defense was, when Armorion Smith broke up a pass in the end zone on the two-point conversion. Smith has been stepping up with fellow senior Nikai Martinez missing time with an undisclosed injury.

Adams expressed admiration for the former Cincinnati transfer, as well.

The coach admitted he never would be able to handle the same responsibilities that Smith has, with his player being full-time caregiver to his younger siblings, alongside being a student-athlete and starter for the Spartans on Saturdays.

“It’s more than football, it always has been. Armorion Smith has done a phenomenal job prioritizing his life,” Adams said. “It shows up on the field, too. I tell him how grateful I am for him, all the time.”