What PFF Grades Say About Michigan State Football Defense Vs Eastern Michigan

On Saturday, Michigan State football got their final tune up game before heading to Notre Dame next week. The Spartans took on Eastern Michigan for the first time in a dozen years, looking to keep their unbeaten all-time record against the Eagles.

The Spartans, on the strength of a shutout effort from the defense in the second half, won 35-7. During the game, the Spartans had a lax second quarter, but rebounded with less than 20 yards rushing between the other three quarters.

Pass rush was a struggle for the Spartans, who only generated 8 pressures on the day against the Eagles. For comparison, Eastern Michigan’s offensive line allowed 19 pressures to San Jose State last weekend in a home matchup in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Eagles were also down starting lineman and former Spartan Cole Dellinger.

It is worth noting that the Spartans were without star linebacker and team captain Jordan Hall during the contest.

Here is who PFF liked and disliked in terms of doing their job on Saturday.

Top Six Grades on Michigan State Football Defense, Week Two

• EDGE Kenny Soares Jr: 77.8
• S Devin Vaught: 76.0
• LB Dion Crawford: 74.8
• DB Michael Richard: 72.8
• CB Charles Brantley: 72.1
• LB Brady Pretzlaff: 72.1

Pretzlaff and Brantley each tied at 72.1, so there are six players listed today.

Soares was dynamic in the first half, getting the first sack of his Michigan State career by taking down Noah Kim. Later in the game, Soares was given longer breaks to test out other EDGE defenders, and it led to higher quality pass rush attempts when he was called upon.

Vaught was all over the field, leading the team with 8 tackles by the end. The Maine transfer was praised for silently coming in and doing his job. Pat Fitzgerald described Vaught as a player he wanted in the portal after two plays of film, and fans saw why on Saturday.

Crawford missed last week with injury after attempting warmups prior to the Toledo game. This week, he was back on a limited pitch count, and provided high quality reps. His run defense was second on the team, only behind Vaught.

They say pressure and competition brings the best out of players, and that was the case on Saturday. Richard split reps with NiJhay Burt, leading to tighter coverage by the Louisiana Tech transfer and the third-best coverage grade on the team.

Brantley, meanwhile, had lost his starting gig to Tyran Chappell and brought back some of the lockdown coverage Spartan fans saw in 2024. Brantley recorded the best coverage grade on the team on Saturday, at 76.3. He also got high marks for forcing and recovering a fumble during the game.

Pretzlaff stepped up with Jordan Hall out, and the third-year player recorded a strong coverage grade and strong communication with the team. The Gaylord, Mich. native tied Vaught’s eight tackles to help lead the team.

Bottom Five Grades on Spartan Defense, Week Two

• DL Derrick Simmons: 62.2
• EDGE Anelu Lafaele: 60.8
• DL Trey Lisle III: 60.4
• DT Mikeshun Beeler: 60.1
• CB Tre Bell: 56.5

The young rotational defensive linemen had rough outing on Saturday. In part, this was by design, as there was a concentrated effort to get more players live reps before the meat of the schedule.

Simmons had a pass breakup, but struggled to generate much push or stand out during the day. His pass rush grade did have a higher grade than base, in part for a pass breakup.

Lafaele got reps in situations that he has not seen much during his time with Michigan State, as the staff gave him playing time in run situations. The Hawaiian is a pass rush specialist, but the goal is to work him into a Kenny Soares Jr. every-down role next year, once Soares and Keanhist Thompson are out of eligibility.

Lisle did not get much playing time on Saturday, with only three snaps. That said, in a defensive shutout, a grade right around the base for a play (60.0), is not a negative mark, but not high enough to avoid the bottom five.

Beeler recorded a career-high 27 snaps, doubling his previous career total heading into the Eastern Michigan game. While his run defense and tackling grades were solid, PFF did not like Beeler’s pass rush, grading him out second lowest on the team.

Bell was picked on during Saturday’s contest, giving up a few plays to the Eagle receivers. It was a rough outing for the Iowa State transfer, his second time in the bottom five in as many outings. His rush defense was lowest on team, and his tackling grade was in the bottom five for the Spartans.