Michigan State Football: Stock Up and Stock Down Following Iowa Loss

The losing streak unfortunately was extended over the weekend for Michigan State football. Though many predicted the game to be lopsided, it ended up being a good game. There were plenty of chances for the Spartans to put away the game late, but it didn’t materialize. Late lapses by the defense allowed the Hawkeyes to move the ball late and kick a game winning field goal. Despite the 20-17 loss, there are a few players who showed promise in this game, as well as a few who hurt themselves.

Stock Up: Tight End Room

Jack Velling and Michael Masunas earned their keep over the weekend. Between the two, they accounted for 135 of MSU’s 255 passing yards. Though most of the catches were check down passes, they were in key moments that kept the drives from stalling out. One of the better catches of the game goes to Velling who was able to bring the ball in and make two defenders miss with juke moves. If the Spartans are going to end this losing streak, these two need to be involved next week in Detroit.

Stock Up: Jordan Hall

Jordan Hall is expected to be good for this team. He is a leader in the locker room and wears that “C” with pride. Hall led the defense by example against the Hawkeyes. The junior was all over the field and especially in the backfield. He ended up with 6 solo tackles and a TFL. For an offense that is as limited as the Hawkeyes’ is, that is part of the reason that they had very little momentum until the 4^th quarter. Hall also tried to stand up for Coach Jonathan Smith as well in the press conference where he mentioned how “appalled” he was with the fan base and their treatment of Coach Smith. This kid is doing everything he can to keep the locker room together. He clearly believes in this program and what this coaching staff wants to do.

Stock Up: Alessio Milivojevic

When it was announced that Alessio Milivojevic was going to be taking over the starting role from Aidan Chiles, most fans believed that the season was over. While the wins have not been coming, the play shows that Milivojevic has the potential to be a full-time starter on this team. His decision-making today was good outside of the interception on a questionable play call to end the 1^st half. He also was consistently able to find the open receiver to extend drives for most of the game. While the 4^th quarter struggles need to be addressed, he has the potential to be an important cog for this team going forward if Chiles takes his talents elsewhere. It also goes without saying that Milivojevic shocked everyone with his special team’s play after having several good punts. The best being a 49-yarder.

Stock Up: Chrishon McCray

The self-proclaimed “Big Play” McCray finally showed up this week against the Hawkeyes. After a season that has been rather lack-luster for the former Kent State star, he made two huge touchdown catches in Iowa City that earned him his flowers. The flashiest of his plays was a 45-yard touchdown reception off a scissor route with Nick Marsh lined up outside. Milivojevic hit him in stride and he didn’t look back. The Spartans need to use his speed and feed him more to get this offense moving along more. There were flashes, but I think he has more in him.

Stock Up: Malcolm Bell

Bell was all over the field over the weekend. When something went wrong for the Iowa offense, he was never far behind. He ended the day with 5 solo tackles, including the sack that forced a field goal early in the 4^th. Bell also nearly intercepted a pass from Gronowski as well. The UConn transfer has not had the team season that he wanted when he transferred to MSU, but he is making a clear statement that he has talent to hang in with some of the best in college football.

Stock Down: Special Teams

The biggest issue for the Spartans in Iowa City was the special teams play. Outside of one good punt that was downed at the Iowa 1-yard line, there was little to be proud of. The coverage on punt returns was so bad that later in the game, Coach Johnathan Smith elected to have Alessio Milivojevic punt on 4^th downs so that the punt returner was not on the field. The biggest gaffe was easily the punt return touchdown. The closest Spartan to stopping the return was Ryan Eckley but he was unable to make the tackle. The team will need to clean this up before going into Ford Field next weekend.

Stock Down: Nick Marsh

To use a hockey term, Marsh is going through a sophomore slump. While he has the talent to be a WR1 in college football, this year has not been productive. The drops were a clear sign that things were off this past weekend. One of the biggest drops was a routine check-down that led to the drive stalling out and Iowa returned the punt for a touchdown. Marsh only recorded 18 receiving yards in the game. If you are going to be a WR1, that is not a recipe for success. Hopefully Marsh can right the ship against Maryland next week. It is worth noting that Marsh had a big game last season against the Terrapins.

Final Thoughts

While the Spartans were not able to come away with the victory against Iowa, there were quite a number of bright spots. If the team is able to string together a bit more consistency, they should be able to keep the game competitive. The Spartans need to address their issues with only one more chance this season.

Keep checking in to Spartan Shadows and my X, @ikerss98, for more updates on Michigan State football.