REPORT: Michigan State Veteran LB Has Struggled in Recent Games
Michigan State entered the season knowing it would have to lean on its defense for this season to be a successful one. While the unit performed well over the first few weeks of the season, playing two of the best teams in the country in consecutive weeks has exposed the weaknesses of the Spartans' defense.
Specifically, Michigan State seems to be struggling at the linebacker position. Michigan State linebacker Cal Haladay has struggled when the Spartans play highly-ranked teams. This was the case on Friday against Oregon when Haladay posted the worst Pro Football Focus grade of his career.
Writer Al Karsten noted Haladay’s struggles after the linebacker struggled on the road against the Ducks. Haladay is one of the more well-respected players on the team, but his struggles are undeniable. He must improve over the next few weeks if the Spartans plan to be successful coming out of their bye week.
“Cal Haladay's 36.9 PFF Grade vs Oregon was the lowest of his career,” Karsten said. “Out of 279 qualifying FBS Linebackers this week, his grade was 272nd. He still played 59 snaps. His ten missed tackles is second most among B1G LBs. Bye week is the time for MSU to switch their green dot."
Unfortunately for Haladay, his struggles against talented teams are not unique to this season. Karsten noted that Haladay has struggled against top opponents dating back multiple seasons on X, formerly known as Twitter. In those games, Haladay’s grades were the lowest he had received:
• '22 vs OSU - 43.9
• '22 @ U-M - 62.7
• '23 vs UW - 45.8
• '23 vs U-M - 44.1 (Lowest MSU Defender)
• '23 @ OSU - 48.7 (Lowest MSU Defender)
• '24 @ ORE - 36.8 (Lowest MSU Defender/Career Worst Grade)
• '23 @ OSU - 48.7 (Lowest MSU Defender)
Haladay’s struggles are unfortunate. However, Michigan State plays multiple formidable opponents over the next few weeks in games the Spartans must have. At this point, there is not much a coaching staff can do to a roster.
So, Smith will have to find a way to get better production out of Haladay moving forward. After two consecutive weeks of subpar play from Haladay, Smith is unquestionably ready to get the talented linebacker to play at a high level.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.