MSU's Thompson Knows How Close He is to Turning Corner
Michigan State struggled to reach the quarterback last season.
After totaling 15 sacks in their first four games, the Spartans went on a six-game drought where they did not record a single sack. They finished the season with just 19.
It was anyone's guess as to what exactly changed. Defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa, however, has an idea.
"Once you put some games on tape, teams are now watching game time as opposed to watching what we did, what we came from," Suiaunoa said. " ... So, I think that was part of it. Teams got to study us.
"The other part of it, I think, was just us, as we started the season, there was a point where we leveled off in terms of what we did; we didn't do a good enough job coaching those guys, we didn't do a good enough demanding more from those guys."
With defensive lineman Jalen Thompson, in particular, there was an expectation for him to take a significant leap in Year 2 after turning in a promising first season. But all he would be able to muster up were 17 tackles. And he didn't record a single sack.
But after reviewing the film this offseason, Thompson learned just how close he is to making plays on the opposing signal-caller.
"I was taking some bad angles," Thompson said. "Wasn't taking the deep shoulder angles that I should have been taking. And I definitely -- watching back at the end of the season, coach made me a whole cut up showing me all these missed opportunities I missed out on. That was probably the biggest takeaway for me was those angles, taking away angles to the quarterback."
" ... Seeing it on the outside looking in, it's like, 'Dang, I'm one step away or one angle. Just taking a little step more this way, I could've made that play."
What's important is that now he knows. And with that knowledge, Thompson can reach a new level in Year 3 and help elevate the Spartan defense to that level of dominance it had known early on last season.
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