Stock Report After MSU's Heartbreaking Loss to Michigan
Michigan State's 24-17 loss to Michigan will sting for a long time. It will also haunt them for the rest of the season.
The Spartans had a winnable game in their grasp. They were in complete control over the Wolverines for the majority of the first half of the game. The Spartans had around 130 yards of offense to Michigan's 1 yard, at one point.
The second half was a completely different game, as the Wolverines took momentum from the opening drive and controlled it the rest of the way.
There was plenty of good and bad from this game, but how does it all shake out?
Stock Up
Nate Carter
Carter had his best game of the season, with 118 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He showed incredible balance, power, and some moves in his arsenal throughout the contest.
Carter was a first-down machine and running backs coach Keith Bhonapha should be happy with the way his lead back was able to establish the run.
Nick Marsh
The 18-year-old continues to wow this season. He caught four passes for 42 yards and a clutch touchdown. He got the score in typical do-it-all fashion with amazing skill post-catch.
Offensive Line
The patchwork group had a solid performance for the most part. Considering the injuries and the rotation, that this line was able to take the best defensive lineman in Mason Graham just about out of the game is nothing short of impressive.
The front line was able to establish dominance in the trenches and enable a team rushing performance that accumulated 163 yards and a 6.2 average from lead rusher Nate Carter.
No Change
Aidan Chiles
Chiles' fumble late in the second half is not enough for him to lose stock. However, he definitely won't be a "stock-up" player. Nonetheless, he was effective, going 17 of 23 with 189 passing yards and a touchdown. He had a passer rating of 157.3, too.
He showed more growing pains and his intentional grounding definitely hurt. But he was not the reason the Spartans lost the game.
Stock Down
Discipline
Six penalties for 35 yards. Not bad, considering where the Spartans were earlier this year. Especially when you consider this was a heated rivalry matchup. But the Wolverines had no penalties, and Stanton Ramil's false start on the penultimate drive of the fourth quarter killed the Spartans' hopes.
It made a second-and-manageable a second-and-12. Drive killer. Ballgame.
Maintaining Control
The Spartans straight-up dominated early on. They had nearly 130 yards of offense while the Wolverines had just one yard. The clock belonged to the Spartans, as did the scoreboard. Costly red zone mistakes and the usual self-inflicted errors spelled doom for a team that looked convincing early.
The Wolverines stole the lead in the waning moments of the first half and scored on the first drive of the second. They never looked back.
Play-Calling
The Spartans failed to use uber-talented freshman Nick Marsh like they probably should have. Gameplan or not, he is their biggest weapon and he was targeted just five times. He still had four catches for over 10 yards a pop and a touchdown.
Down 14 late in the game and 12 yards from converting, the Spartans ran the ball on second down. It was a micro chasm of their self-inflicted mistakes.
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