Three Takeaways from a Michigan State football revenge win over Boston College

On Saturday night, Michigan State football played host to Boston College for the Spartans’ first true test of the season. Redemption was on the mind for the Spartans following a heartbreaking 23-19 loss last season. On Saturday, the Spartans needed two extra periods of football, but emerged victorious, 42-40.

Here’s what we learned from the contest.

1. Aidan Chiles has turned the corner

Last year against Boston College, Aidan Chiles had a disasterclass of a quarterback performance. The signal caller had 3 interceptions in the Massachusetts rain, and at least 3 more passes that should have been a change of possession.

While he had a turnover-worthy play in the first half, Chiles did have the best game of his Spartan career. He threw for 231 yards, rushing for 39 more, and added five total touchdowns. Chiles became only the third Spartan quarterback since 1995 to pass for four-or-more touchdowns, rush for at least one touchdown, and not record a turnover in a single game.

Chiles did all of this in the face of adversity, with sack on the final third down of regulation injuring the junior. Not even star receiver Nick Marsh knew about Chiles’s status heading into overtime. Chiles powered into the huddle, despite Alessio Milivojevic warming up, and threw for a touchdown in the first overtime before running for the other in the second. His final pass was a beauty, with the two-point conversion calling ballgame.

2. Pass defense and Pass block, yikes

Despite Aidan Chiles’s prolific performance, the Spartans could not block well for the junior. Stanton Ramil was put on ice skates in his first career start against the Eagles last season, and, despite the lack of All-American Donovan Ezeraiku, saw the tackle get victimized again by the Eagles. His fourth quarter was one to flush.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Spartans could not get a consistent rhythm going to shut down Dylan Lonergan. Lonergan passed for nearly 400 yards against the Spartans, and Michigan State could only cause a handful of pass breakups. From freshman Aydan West to senior Malik Spencer, every player on the defense had a snap where they got exposed.

Part of this comes from the rash of injuries, with Joshua Eaton, Malik Spencer, Anelu Lafaele, Jordan Hall, and Wayne Matthews III all going down during the game.

The pass rush was non-existent, and the coverage got exposed at every level. Unless Lonergan winds up as an All-ACC passer, there is some concern with USC rolling the way they are.

3. Special Teams Won This Game

The lesser talked about element of football is special teams. On Saturday night, Michigan State football put up a masterclass in the third phase of football. Every crucial part of special teams was firing on all cylinders.

In the return game, an auspicious start, an Omari Kelly fumble on punt return, was wiped out by BC’s Turbo Richard fumbling in the end zone. After that, it was lights out.

Alante Brown was out against the Eagles last season, but this year, they felt the weight of him in the kick return game. “Cadillac” had two electric returns, ending the game with an even 100 yards on kick return alone. Despite dropping the ball on his second return, it became the longest return of the night. Brown brought the ball down to the 34, and Michigan State football punched it home four plays later.

In the kicking game, Blake Sislo handled the first few extra points with ease. Martin Connington was called on for a 50-yard kick in his Spartan debut, and the Idaho native drilled the ball in. In the fourth quarter, he was called on again for a go-ahead field goal and delivered yet again. In the first overtime, he attempted his first career PAT, and Connington knocked that through the uprights too.

Ryan Eckley had yet another lights-out performance kicking the ball, with the junior averaging 54 yards per punt. The Florida native had two punts stop inside the 2-yard line, digging the Eagles in a deep hole.

Unironically, the punter may have had the best night among all players on the field, and that includes a player that threw for almost 400 yards, and another quarterback that had five total touchdowns.

Both aspects of the kicking game were enabled by true freshman long snapper Jack Wills, who has had to step up in a major way with senior snapper Kaden Schickel recovering from a lower body injury from last year.

What’s next for Michigan State football?

The Spartans host FCS Youngstown State for their final out-of-conference contest. The Penguins also enter 2-0, with their quarterback, Beau Brungard, rushing for 264 yards in his last outing against Robert Morris. The game will kick at 3:30pm next Saturday.