MSU's Defense Holds Up Against Maryland in Road Victory
The Michigan State Spartans pulled out a big road victory against the Maryland Terrapins, 27-24.
The Spartans were 8.5 underdogs heading on the road against the Terrapins but came out on the other side victorious.
Michigan State trailed 24-17 with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but a deep bomb from Aidan Chiles to Nick Marsh tied the game. The Spartans eventually got the ball back, took it down the field, and kicked the game-winning field goal.
While the Spartans had their fair share of mistakes and turnovers that could have doomed them, their defense kept them in the game and allowed the offense as many opportunities as possible to win.
The Spartans made mistakes and allowed some explosive plays against the Terrapins, but they adjusted throughout the game. The Terrapins were excellent against the Connecticut Huskies last week, but that same magic was not present against Michigan State.
Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi’s unit came to play against an impressive Terrapins’ offense.
The Terrapins’ run game was almost nonexistent. They ran for just 86 yards at a 2.8 per-carry clip. Michigan State did not allow Florida Atlantic to run much last week, and that carried over against a Big Ten opponent on the road.
Linebacker Jordan Turner was the leading tackler with seven on the day. He also had two tackles for loss that came in big moments. The redshirt senior made a major tackle behind the line of scrimmage that brought up a fourth down, getting the Spartans the ball back.
Turner transferred to Michigan State this offseason, became a captain, and has been capitalizing on returning to his home state.
The Spartans did a good job of containing the Terrapins’ passing offense after the game's first drive. Billy Edwards Jr. connected with Tai Felton on a touchdown pass that put Maryland in front 7-0, but Michigan State did a good job keeping that connection from seriously hurting them further.
There are still some things to clean up for this Spartans’ defense. They did not get off the field on third down enough, allowing the Terrapins to convert 11 times out of 17. Outside of an interception from Charles Brantley, the Spartans did not force Edwards into many mistakes.
The Spartans must make quarterbacks uncomfortable more often going forward if they want to win more games.
Overall, Head Coach Jonathan Smith and Rossi are excellently improving this Michigan State defense. They have a tune-up game against Prairie View A&M next week before going on the road to Boston College.
This Michigan State defense should help it win more games than expected by competing on every drive. The defensive energy they showed today was encouraging.
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CARTER LANDIS