Michigan State football: 3 takeaways from tight win over Florida Atlantic

Michigan State football is so back. The Spartans played host to the Florida Atlantic Owls to start the season, and what did we learn?

Well, what seemed like the longest offseason in recent Michigan State football memory is over. The Spartans took the field for their annual “Stripe the Stadium” game. They played host to Florida Atlantic, who, much like MSU, came off a 4-8 record last season. The Spartans also had the debut of head coach Jonathan Smith, and what a debut it was.

It was heart-pounding, but not in a good way.

Would you like to know how hyped up his debut was? Well, the student section line wrapped around the stadium and up the Red Cedar. It was still like that eight minutes before kickoff. Between the storms and a few questionable starting decisions, we had our fill of pre-game drama. What can we take away from what happened during the game?

1. The offensive line needs work

This game started off rough. Aidan Chiles threw a pick after Montorie Foster tipped a pass on the first play of the season, Chiles was under duress constantly, and the running backs were bottled up. Most of these issues started from the line. A lack of push dominated the first half, with the only scoring drive of the first quarter being a D’Quan Douse safety.

The very first time they got a push, Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams had a 63-yard rushing touchdown. All of a sudden we went from nervous energy to a 16-0 lead and a lot less worries. Unfortunately, that would end Spartan scoring for the half, and MSU trotted in with an offensive line full of questions.

Both starting tackles, Ashton Lepo and Brandon Baldwin, got beat at points and forced pressure. FAU had a sack and three tackles for loss at half. MSU only had 183 yards at the half, and 63 of them came on the KLA touchdown run.

Granted, this FAU team has a relatively strong defense. In 2023, they held a ranked Tulane team to 24 points and returned a majority of their starters. Regardless, it appears the offensive line situation is not fully solved. Kudos to the staff for changing things around, as Ashton Lepo was removed and Stanton Ramil entered the game at left tackle, with Baldwin slotting to right tackle.

2: The defense is back(?)

After the interception to start the year, FAU had all the momentum for their first drive. The MSU defensive line promptly squashed it. D’Quan Douse and Khris Bogle stuffed the first two runs, and then Bogle worked over former FSU transfer Malcolm Lamar Sr. for the first sack of the season.

The next drive started on the FAU 1, and after a first down run gained some breathing room, D’Quan Douse opened this year’s scoring with a safety. The defensive backfield felt left out of the party, so Angelo Grose and Nikai Martinez proceeded to pick off Cam Fancher after Malik Spencer was tossed for targeting.

Martinez’s interception was crucial, as his return gave the Spartans the ball at Florida Atlantic’s 20. Aidan Chiles punched it in, and then another Spartan stop led to KLA’s first touchdown as a Spartan. The Spartans also forced two fumbles in the first half, with one nearly being recovered by Ed Woods (everyone in the stadium said he did) and Angelo Grose also punched the ball out, but it landed out of bounds. The only FAU scoring drive came courtesy of a called hands to the face on Ben Roberts. To most people in the stadium, Anthony Jones was being held. The refs disagreed. The majority of FAU’s “big plays” came from referees handing out late hits to MSU players on Fancher slides.

3. We have a running back controversy

Tonight’s game was expected to be the Nate Carter show. Jonathan Smith ran the ball around three-fifths of the time in 2023 at Oregon State, and Nate Carter was expected to be the feature back. During the offseason, the Spartans landed UMass (and Rutgers) transfer Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams. Carter started, but KLA starred. He had the aforementioned 63-yard touchdown run, but he came alive in the second half. KLA would juke a player out, stiff-arm an FAU defender’s helmet off, and he ran aggressively.

Carter struggled with his vision and hitting the hole during the night, and KLA provided that spark. Even in the first half, people were saying that KLA was the answer over Carter. That second half may have confirmed it. Carter finished with 48 yards on 19 carries, and Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams ended at 101 yards on nine attempts.

It was an ugly game, but Michigan State football did emerge victorious. Dillon Tatum, Khalil Majeed, and others were all seen limping after the game. Injuries are back too. Cam Fancher had 25 rushing attempts, which is an insane stat to see. My only echoing thought for this game is “We won, but at what cost?” See you next week for takeaways.