Inside Michigan State’s Staggering Second-Half Stats
The Spartans have been a different team depending on what half of football they play. In the first half, they look crisp but their level of play tends to fall apart in the second half.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Spartans have one of the least effective second-half offenses in the country, averaging 6.2 points per game, ranking third worst in the nation.
Considering the Spartans are near Florida State and Southern Miss in second-half scoring, they are lucky to still have a shot at a bowl game at 5-6.
Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles is better in the first half of games. The sophomore has more completions, touchdowns and an improved passing rating in the first half of games, with a noticeable drop-off in the second half.
Even standout freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh has seen a tick down in his stats during the second half of games. Marsh has five more receptions and fifty more yards in the first half this season.
When the offense doesn't produce it makes it even harder for the defense. On Friday, against the Purdue Boilermakers, the Spartans played complementary football in the first half, taking a 24-3 lead at halftime.
But once the offense stalled out the defense began to struggle. After a relatively quiet first half, Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card torched the Spartans for 218 second-half yards.
The Spartans still held on to the win, but it would've been much easier if the Spartans offense could produce down the stretch.
This wasn't the first time the Spartans failed to keep their foot on the gas after taking a big lead into halftime. Against FCS opponent Prairie View A&M the Spartans opened up a 30-point lead at halftime but only scored 10 points the rest of the game.
Against the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers, the Spartans were firmly in control with an early 10-0 lead. But the Spartans were unable to sustain their level of play giving up 47 unanswered points to the College Football Playoff contenders.
There are no excuses for the Spartans; they’ve been shut down in the second half by the best teams in the nation and some of the worst.
For the Spartans to beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, they must play a full 60 minutes of football.
This could possibly be an even bigger issue down the line of the rebuild, so fixing these issues while the team doesn’t face lofty expectations is important.
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