MSU vs. Montana State Post Game Analysis

MSU vs. Montana State Post Game News, Notes, and Analysis Although I am exhausted, I have watched and re-watched the game multiple times and have come away

MSU vs. Montana State Post Game News, Notes, and Analysis

Although I am exhausted, I have watched and re-watched the game multiple times and have come away with these thoughts. Now you can read them and I can go to bed.

 Offense:

•  QBs I think you had to be pleased with both QBs. I don’t think either one did anything to hurt themselves. In fact, after watching the game multiple times I did find this interesting. Both of them threw two bad passes, a more than acceptable problem as no on can be perfect. 
• WRs The frustrating thing is that again both of the quarterbacks had four great passes dropped. That means out of the 35 total passes MSU made yesterday, only four were badly thrown and eight were catchable balls that were simply dropped and here is another stat. Two of the balls that were not deemed catchable and NOT called poorly thrown were when the receiver ran the wrong route and the QB threw to an exact spot and the WR was not there. Great day for Blair White who would get an A, but as a unit, when 29% of the passes thrown are drops and missed by bad routes, you can’t call that a success.
• RBs What can you say about Caulton Ray? Clearly an A performance. He showed balance and a great ability to keep it. He showed great technique and one thing that will please his QBs and coaches was him picking up the blitz and pass blocking. Some will look at his under 100 yard performance and think how this could be an A. They had a lot of other backs get reps and I don’t mean the mop up duty at the end. Caper and Baker both got reps that Javon would have gotten alone last year. Great day for Caulton.  Rock Baker looked good at times, but remember that he is a true freshman. He won’t play much if he doesn’t secure the ball. He almost lost it on more than one occasion and had the sideline bail him out. I am not worried at all. He is very young and will fix that. He is a fast and good player and it was nice to see him out there. Caper is also very complete. You saw glances on Saturday of how he can plant his foot and go. He and Baker will be very good, but Ray showed us on Saturday with a tremendous performance that he isn’t going to lie down. He, at this point, is clearly the #1 guy.
• Cousins’ Vision Kirk Cousins showed something that I am unsure how many of you caught, but it was impressive. In a 3rd and 10 with 1:23 to go in the 1st Q he looked to his third receiver before throwing the ball for the amazing first down. He has very good vision. At times, he can flash an incredible pocket patience that Spartans would have to think way back to find another QB that possessed it. That patience was not always on display, but that could be better attributed to youth and the butterflies of a first start.
• Nichol’s Ability to Stretch On Dion Sims 2nd Q TD, Keith had pressure and moved out of the pocket, stretching it. In the past (read my spring game analysis) he would have took off running, he felt that he had eluded the rush and had a perfect pass. That great ability to move away and buy time is gigantic. At this level, everyone can rush, but NO ONE can cover all the receivers for a long time. That impressed me.
• Caulton Ray Shows Off I already eluded to his A game, but here are a couple of evaluations that impressed me. He attacks the hole. He would consistently get the ball and almost immediately be at full speed and attacking what looked to be a blocked line of scrimmage. He still attacked it and when the hole opened at the last second he was there to take advantage of it. He showed a lot of maturity. A lot of young backs would try to cut away, and he didn’t. His balance and kamikaze attacking had to make some coaches smile.
• Sims He is only a TRUE freshman, so he gets a pass on some technique issues, just like Baker and Caper, but Sims did something more than catching a TD to impress me. On a 3rd and 2 in the second quarter with 12:32 to go, he made two big blocks in a tight space. The Spartans didn’t get the first down, but what he did was make the first and second block. In a tight space that was amazing. He still has a way to go, but that showed a flash of great talent and what the future holds for this amazing athlete.

 

Special Teams

 

• Swenson Of course, Swenson showed us what we already knew. He is Mr. Reliable. He can do it all. He is the steady Eddie and is what most team’s dream of when it comes to a kicker. He just does his job with no drama. He is so humble and so good at his job that it can simply deflect attention from himself. He is such a great asset to this program.
• Keshawn Martin He is very young and very talented. He was given a true spot of honor with this staff when he was selected to return punts. He was, however, too indecisive when returning them and on two occasions had poor technique that could have really cost the Spartans. On one punt he fair caught the ball, misread it, and had to catch it while leaning back. He could have easily missed that ball and, with Bobcats all around him, given up a huge play. You square your body and catch the ball, not reach back. Again, he is new to this and young, but his indecisiveness with running and the previous mentioned play are concerns. There was another one that he made a mental mistake on. He couldn’t get to a ball on a punt return so it bounced near him. When you can’t get to the ball and it is going to bounce like that you get away from it. The oblong ellipsoid that we call a football bounces in a lot of weird ways and when you can’t get it, you get away. If it bounced and hit him or a teammate that was Bobcat ball. At the 7:06 mark of the 2Q, Keshawn let the ball bounce at the five and into the end zone. Not a problem. A punt returner lets balls inside the ten go. The problem is, again, poor technique. He has to sell that he is making the fair catch. He has to waive his hand high, move up to the twelve or thirteen yard line and pull defenders away from the bouncing ball trying to avoid them downing it inside the ten. Luckily the Bobcat special teams were not good and they didn’t get the ball downed. Luck lasted one week, because we don’t play Indiana and every other team on our schedule would have downed it at the three.
• Forget Sportscenter In the 2nd Q, Kendell Davis-Clark (KDC) had a chance to make a great tackle; instead he went for the Sportscenter hit and didn’t get a tackle. That was not good and will surely get some attention in film session.
• Aaron Bates He is good. Enough said.Â
• Dan Conroy Readers of Spartan Nation were not shocked to hear his name ringing throughout the high cathedral of the Spartan Nation on Saturday. He has worked so hard and did a very good job kicking off. He also hit a field goal while he had to have butterflies in his belly. It was a great day for the young Conroy.
• WWE in the High Cathedral? Rocco Cironi and Joel Foreman looked like Hawk and Animal in the WWE yesterday. They abused the Bobcats and, at times, it looked like they were playing pinball with the bobcat OL.
• Don’t do that! It certainly had to be a terrible lay off for Rocco Cironi being out all spring. He had a very good game for the Spartans, but as a fifth year senior he also had a big mistake that didn’t hurt the Spartans this week, but could later in the year. In 2nd Q, 1st and ten for the Spartans, when the play was over he kept pushing and stepped over the line on the play after the whistle. The NCAA is watching extra curricular play this season close. If the game had been closer he would have gotten a flag. Rocco knows better and even though this is a violent game, you can’t make dumb penalties. He got away with one, and knowing him, as I do, I don’t think it will remain an issue, but it is one to point out.

 

Defense

 

• Chris L. Ruckered I have sung the praises of this young and talented CB for some time. He received two pass interference penalties on Saturday that were both a joke. Neither of them warranted a flag. He showed something, however, that was very impressive. He knew both calls were a joke and he didn’t stop being aggressive. He kept playing hard. In that case, most CBs would back off thus giving the offense an advantage to attack. It was not an option on Saturday as he kept playing hard and is by far an elite CB.
• Marcus Hyde We have already talked about guys going for the Sportscenter hit in special teams and we will have more coming up in a moment, but how about the Anti Sportscenter boring tackle. Marcus Hyde made man open field and textbook boring tackles that his coaches love. Hyde simply did his job. It was fun to watch him and it will allow Coach Narduzzi to reach in to his magical bags of tricks as the season progresses and make some interesting schemes knowing Hyde can be put on a island with a guy or a spot of the field and be trusted to make the play. Marcus, your plays may not make Sportscenter, but they will buy you more time and trust and those are priceless.
• Jeremy Ware As a senior, you expect those players to make the right plays a far superior amount of time. Two plays within seconds of each other by senior Jeremy Ware will be frustrating and exciting. The good. In the 1st Q with the Bobcats pressuring, he stepped up after a big mistake (I will profile that next) and his coverage broke up a big play. The bad. A few plays before that with 5:17 to go in the 1st Q at the MSU 42 he hit the receiver looking for a Sportscenter hit and he didn’t go down. Thankfully, Jon Misch came over and made the textbook tackle. For a senior starter, that won’t go over good. Another play one quarter later was also disturbing. In the 2nd Q with the Bobcats facing a 1st and ten at their own 19 the play came to him. He, again, went for a Sportscenter hit and because of his mistake they gained 13 yards instead of what would have been only five. The schedule gets a lot better now and those mistakes keep drives alive and cost games.
• Rolf Roars David Rolf made a big play and the youngster showed a flash. In the 2nd Q with a 1st and 15 with 14:45 to go at the Montana 34, he shed a great block, stepped up, and made a big play. Those flashes show why he was moved to his hand on the ground and why he will be a great talent as he continues to take advantage of these reps.
• Rod Jenrette Jenrette will get the chance to continue to do what he does and that is make plays. He had a couple of mental errors, but with being away from the game for a year, that was expected. Overall, he had a good game.
• Ish Ishmyl Johnson had a very good game when he got reps. He had a great play in the 2Q when he was playing the 0 technique. He stood the center right straight up with his overwhelming power and great technique. He single-handedly took control of the OL. That was a truly great play.
• Hoover Again, he took advantage of his reps. He has some things to learn, but he showed that he is growing into his spot with some very good reads.
• Norman It is amazing how this staff is using him like they did Jones. They put him in situations where they only asked him to do one thing until late in the game. He was very good in his specials, but in one play early in the game, the Montana State QB got the ball away, but Norman sawed him in half.
• Jerel Worthy Readers of Spartan Nation and, more specifically, members of the Phalanx Forum knew that even though the public depth chart said Kevin Pickleman would start, we informed them early in the week that Worthy would and Pickleman wouldn’t play. Jerel is young and certainly isn’t polished, but you saw a young man that can make some plays. To borrow an NFL term, that young man has huge upside.

 

Game Balls and Grades

 

• Coach D had his team ready and hungry. He was able to get a lot of players on tape and get experience. Most impressive, he had a chance to score again at the end and worked the clock to zero. The Spartan Nation loves him, and his peers respect him. A
• Narduzzi has a superb game plan and played so many guys all over the field. A
• Treadwell didn’t show much, which is a plus and still had an offense that put up 44. A
• Blair White: A
• Greg Jones: A
• Danny Fortener: A
• Adam Decker played hard and even put his hand on the ground. A
• Aaron Bates: A
• Alex Shackleton, Mr. Consistency, lived up to his name. A
• Joel Foreman: A+
• Brett Swenson: A
• Dan Conroy lived his dream and earned it. He didn’t have it given to him. He could be this year’s Blair White inspirational story. A
• Chris L. Rucker, Superb player:Â A
• Rod Jenrette played through personal adversity to play the game he loved. A
• Caulton Ray: Cream rises to the top and yes he can run, but the little things earned him an A.
• Fans; Large, loud and in charge:Â A
• Trenton Robinson played hard and disciplined. A