Scouting Report and Prediction: #4 Michigan State (2-0) vs. Air Force (2-0)

Scouting Report and Prediction: #4 Michigan State (2-0) vs. Air Force (2-0)

A look at this week’s opponent…

The Air Force Academy comes in with a group of incredible men recruited to be warriors and heroes for the greatest nation on earth. They have a laundry list of recruitments to meet to be officers and not necessarily to be elite football players.

These young men are not intimidated by crowds or the scoreboard. They will fight, battle, scratch and pull simply based on instinct. I wrote about that earlier in the week. YOU CAN READ THAT WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

This is the first time a service academy will play at Spartan Stadium. A little side note that I find fascinating is that the Air Force mascot is Falcons and they are bringing multiple live Falcons with them.

MSU DL Coach Ron Burton came to MSU from Air Force when Ted Gill the former DL coach did not have his contract renewed. Burton has done a phenomenal job coaching at MSU and was a great help this week in game planning for the highly irregular triple option attack.

Dantonio said about playing the Falcons, “Have an opportunity to play Air Force as they come into Spartan Stadium. First time an academy has come to Spartan Stadium, from what I understand. Have a lot of respect for Coach Calhoun and what they've accomplished there. 10 wins last season.”

He added, “When you look at them offensively and defensively, really what you see is highly motivated people that are quick-bodied, that are playing the game extremely hard, tough. Very difficult to prepare for. You have to shift gears from going from an offense like Oregon to an offense like Air Force. A lot of different scenarios there involved with option football.”

When MSU has the ball…

The Spartans are going to have the major advantage of being much better at the skilled positions. That said Air Force is going to sell out to stop the run. Unlike last week the Spartans will need to use the pass to set up the run. I do not anticipate the Spartan skill players on the edge having trouble with that.

Another area of benefit for MSU is that compared to Air Force, purely from a size standpoint is physically MUCH bigger than the Falcons. Because the young men of Air Force have size standards for their service in the United States Air Force they aren’t recruiting for size alone.

Despite the size advantage of the MSU offensive line, look for Air Force stacking the box with more players as they key on stopping the run. MSU will have to prove that they can punish the Falcons on the perimeter to force them to add the extra bodies from the box to the outside in pass coverage. If that happens this game is over.

Connor Cook has had disappointing season with a 55% completion percentage (35/63) and frankly 60% is the lowest acceptable rate for a QB of his caliber. If he is erratic or makes poor decisions then he allows them to stay in the game. Fans on a whole may not respect the Air Force D, but don’t tell that to Dantonio. They have high caliber defenders on the outside that will make it difficult for MSU to use the pass to set up the run if the Spartans struggle with inefficiency.

Dantonio said of their D that, “Defensively very impressive. A lot of 3-4 type personnel and settings. But they're an attacking-type defense. Weston Steelhammer is a safety, excellent safety, Jim Thorpe Award watch list.”

When MSU is on defense…

The Spartans defense must prepare for a triple option attack that wants to play in tight spaces and with nothing but guts. I will let Mark Dantonio explain how tough they are.

“They have great players. I'm telling you, what they do, they do extremely well. Their fullback, No. 3, is an outstanding player. He's going to run through you. They've got guys that can get to the edge. They may have lost their quarterback, so they'll deal with that, but they'll have somebody who has played before in that situation.”

Dantonio has preached offensive line since he arrived at MSU and he loves what the Falcons have. “I think their offensive line is experienced. What they do from a formation standpoint, the variations of option football is textbook. It's where people go to learn about option football. They go to Navy, they go to Georgia Tech, they go to Air Force.”

A lot is made of the Air Force use of the “Cut Block.” Just this week I have seen it called,

“Cheap” and “Cheating” and it isn’t. Allow me to explain. A chop block is illegal. A chop block is one in which an offensive player is physically engaged with a defender and another offensive player comes into the situation and goes low on the defenders body in a block or chopping situation. That is illegal. A cut block is when a player is engaged in a one on one situation and goes low, but the opponent IS NOT engaging one player while getting chopped by another. All teams use cut blocking in one on one situation like the goal line, but Air Force plays every single play from a goal line standpoint that is why they use it every play.

Dantonio discussed their blocking scheme this week. “You're always concerned, but that's football. That's why we've worked on these things every other day in summer practice. This past summer, summer camp here, we've had Air Force periods or individual periods dedicated to cut blocking. I don't think there's any question you need to stay on your feet and get off blocks. They're going to work off back cuts and in-line cutting, which everybody does, even zone teams, et cetera. They do it at a little bit higher level. They'll split you out with their offensive line splits. A whole different dynamic relative to offensive football.”

Intangibles…

Having Coach Ron Burton on staff greatly helps MSU. He understands the schemes and concepts of the Falcons and has been a great help from the scouting side of preparing for the Falcons having coached there for ten years.

Dantonio bragged on his assistant this week saying that Burton has provided a, “Huge advantage. Coach Burton, first of all, he gives us an accurate scouting report on each and every player really if they're juniors or seniors. He was either recruiting guys and had a feel for them or they were playing on the football team when they were younger. That's a tremendous advantage. Secondly, he's been in that culture. He understands the culture, how they practice, the drills they work on, what has to happen for us to be successful on the defensive side of the ball. He was there for 11 years. I think he understands the mindset, the tempo that goes with playing there and goes with actually attending there.”

I will tell you this. While some gloss over a service academy as if they are an easy W, Dantonio hasn’t. This game concerns him. He admitted it on Sunday night.

“We’ve worked extremely hard on it (Air Force triple option attack). Did studies on it throughout the offseason and visited with various people from a coaching stand point. We’ve also worked on it every single day in practice this summer. I hope that shows. (Laughs) Whether it is drills or actually having team periods versus Air Force, simulate plays. We have worked on it a lot, because I don’t think it is possible to get ready for it in two days or three days’ time. We’ll see what happens on game day. They are very well versed at it. They know what they are doing. They have answers for what we are doing so again it will be another game of adjustment.”

Here is one last intangible consideration for you. MSU does not have to play their best game on Saturday to win this contest against the Falcons of Air Force. Air Force can’t win without help from MSU. That is a major key.

Extra Point…

The Air Force Academy gathers in their corner of the stadium after every game home and away and sings their alma mater. They also fly with the team a small group of top cadets. Dantonio is VERY patriotic and should MSU win or lose on Saturday, I look for the Spartans to head to that corner with Air Force (after prayer at midfield) and stand behind them while they sing their song. Then head to the student section and sing with the students.

I am not a prude, but I am a proud American. I have no issues with Spartan Nation being loud and proud. I hope on this day, fans remember that the opponents on the football field are the embodiment of American Exceptionalism. Our heroes and that they get the respect worthy of their commitment to the greatest nation on earth.

Prediction…

Air Force will score, but MSU is better. Make it 31-14 MSU wins!