Spartans Start Strong, Stomp Bobcats 44-3
By: Jonathan Schopp
The Spartans got the season off to a good start Saturday by pounding Montana St. 44-3 in front of the largest home opener crowd since 1990. Led by an active defense that played fast all over the field, this one was all MSU from the start. It’s hard to tell too much with a mismatch like Montana St., and easy to over analyze what we’ve just seen, but there’s a few things that stood out during the course of the game.
The opening effort was strong, but clearly not perfect. Sloppiness seeped into the dominant victory through wide receiver drops, occasional mental lapses, and typical opening game rust. There was also a bit of confusion at times that resulted in a couple of time outs burned, and glares of ire from Coach D. In reality though, these are typical things indicative of a young team playing a non-conference home opener.
Defenders flew around the ball with a vim all day led by Captain Jr. LB Greg Jones. The depth of the defense was showcased early and often as the Spartan Nation got a good look at many potential contributors. Rs. Jr. DB Rod Jenrette came out to hit, and was around the ball all day. Rs. Fr. DT Jerel Worthy stood out as a physical specimen with a high motor, dropping a couple hints that he could be an impact player for the Green and White during his career. Fr. LB Chris Norman showed flashes of his noted athleticism by getting in on tackles, pressures, and helping block a punt block during the first game of his career.
With Jr. WR Mark Dell out, So. WR Keshawn Martin got a lot of chances Saturday returning kicks and working as a receiver. But he had a tough day. He seemed confused at times, and maybe a step slow mentally in different situations. Martin’s performance seems nothing to fret about though, serving as another phase of the maturation and experience gathering process. Getting Martin so involved today should pay off later into the season as he’ll be counted on to infuse energy into the offense.
The TE position looked as deep and strong as advertised as transfer Rs. So. Brian Linthicum and Fr. Dion Sims looked physically imposing at the line scrimmage. Each proved they can get off the line pretty well too by getting into the passing game and collecting a first touchdown. Though So. Garrett Celek did not play, and Jr. Charlie Gantt took a helmet shot in the kidney area late, the development of the TEs is something to look forward to all year.
The Offensive line didn’t dominate much today. It’s still the biggest question mark on this team’s drive to achieve double digit victories this season. It could develop into more of a concern with the potential injury to Sr. C Joel Nitchman. The running game struggled a bit too, only averaging 4.4 yards a carry behind the developing line and brand new set of feature RBs, who each saw their first action at the college level. Though RB production struggled a bit, the potential of the backfield with such a deep group of talented players came through clearly by game's end.
Remember, the running effort really has two fronts. The RB and OL positions primarily share the responsibility to develop a dependable and productive running game. So before getting too deep into comparing the half dozen or so potential ball carriers, fans should pay good attention to what happens up front, and its impact on running game production.
It didn’t take long to note the absence of the weapon that was K Todd Boleski. MSU was spoiled to have such a bomber launching kickoffs the last couple of seasons. Those days are over. Not to suggest a competent kickoff man won’t develop this year, but the outstanding leg of Boleski clearly will not be easy to replace.
Wait a minute, all this talk so far and no mention of the QBs? What is there to say at this point? They still look pretty darn close and competitive to just about everyone who saw the game. Both helped feed Sr. WR Blair White’s big day of 162 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns. But it feels to me like we know a little more what we’ve got with Cousins right now. I’m left curious to see more snaps from Nichol. Nichol has a spark and energy, a speed about him that could separate him from the pack of QBs in the conference one day. Cousins seems slightly more deliberate and tactical in his approach, which is not necessarily a bad thing. To conclude much more, we need to see more snaps from each, though maybe more from Nichol. We don’t want to over analyze this one game against a Division 2 opponent, but both looked as comfortable and confident as they were described throughout pre-season camp.
Some credit should be given to Montana St. for their effort today. They appeared organized, and put forth a decent effort level throughout the afternoon. But there was simply too much size, speed, and talent on the Spartan side of the football, especially defensively, to threaten turning this one into anything resembling a real contest. Considering the serious troubles other Big Ten teams had today with non-conference openers, 44-3 looks even a better beginning to a promising year in Green and White.
