Spartans' Strengths, Weaknesses in Loss to Oregon
The Michigan State Spartans (3-3) suffered their third consecutive loss with a 31-10 beating from No. 6-ranked Oregon (5-0). There were many frailties on both sides of the ball, but the Spartans did prove some promise in a few areas as well.
Strength: Red Zone Defense
In the first several drives, the Spartans were shot out of a cannon defensively when the Ducks threw the football. In two of the first four drives, the Spartans' secondary came up with red-zone interceptions against Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who had just one interception coming into the game.
Junior defensive backs Malik Spencer and Charles Brantley both came up with huge picks in the endzone that left Gabriel and the Ducks' offense severely frustrated. Along with redshirt senior Ed Woods and junior Nikai Martinez, they were blankets over the Ducks receivers to start the game.
As the contest grew into the second half, the Ducks began to pick apart the Spartan defense, finishing 4-6 in the red zone with 264 passing yards on 21 receptions. In any case, the defense showed fight and that they could compete with receivers from a top-10 team.
Weakness: Run Game, Both Sides
The running game was a struggle on both sides of the football for the Spartans.
Offensively, they rushed for just 59 yards on 30 carries with nearly half the rush yards coming from quarterback Aidan Chiles. Running back duo, Nate Carter and Kay'ron Lynch-Adams, combined for just 43 yards which caused the Spartan offense to become one dimensional, forcing the pass game.
Lynch-Adams showed life with 32 yards and a 1-yard rushing touchdown late in the ballgame. The biggest offensive issue for the Spartans is establishing a successful run game to open up the entire playbook.
Strength: Passing Game
The air attack was definitely a plus this week, even without finding the end zone. Three Spartans had 50-plus receiving yards -- Nick Marsh (58), Montorie Foster Jr. (57) and Jack Velling (53). There were a few crucial drops, but overall, the receivers created separation and found the open space.
Chiles was 10-of-17 throwing for 154 yards and zero interceptions. His accuracy wavered at times but he did not turn the ball over, and his pocket presence was a bit calmer than what he has shown previously. The deep ball is continuing to be a major threat with Marsh and Glover going forward.
Spartans backup quarterback Tommy Schuster entered the contest late in the fourth quarter and made the most of his opportunity in a blowout. Completing all five of his passes and driving his team 45 yards for a field goal, Schuster delivered confidence in his coaching staff.
Weakness: Offensive Line
The offensive line was outmatched physically throughout a majority of the ballgame as holes were unable to be opened for the rush attack while Chiles was under duress on many occasions. The Spartans' final drive of the first half ended in three sacks on three straight plays, followed by a punt.
Ducks defensive end Jordan Burch had a field day with four tackles and two and a half of the five sacks that the Spartans allowed. The challenge that the Spartans will face in the coming weeks with high-powered defensive lines in Iowa and Michigan, will present more of the same difficulty.
Chiles did find ways out of pressure and scrambled for 29 rushing yards, exemplifying his ability to read pressures and find the open field with his speed.
The Spartans will head into a much-needed bye week and will regroup as a .500 team to prepare for a home game against Iowa. There are several weaknesses the Spartans need to clean up and a few points of success to praise and utilize for the rest of the year.
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