Why QB is Still a Question for MSU, Smith Against Penn State
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith did not name a starting quarterback for the Spartans' upcoming game against Penn State. According to his own words during his Monday press conference, he does not know, either.
"We're going to let that [QB battle] go throughout the week," Smith said. "Again, both those guys' skill sets present some positive things, so we're going to let that play out again this week."
The Ongoing Battle
The decision is between junior Aidan Chiles and redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic. Ahead of the Spartans' last game, Smith chose Milivojevic, saying that he was looking for a "spark" in the offense against Minnesota. Chiles had started each of the first 20 contests of the Smith era after following him to East Lansing from Oregon State.
Even though MSU lost to the Golden Gophers 23-20 in overtime, the offensive spark seemed to be there. Milivojevic threw for 311 yards while completing 20 of his 28 attempts and going the entire 60+ minutes without a turnover.
Chiles has only one 300-yard passing performance in his career, a 363-yard game against Maryland in Week 2 last season. He has averaged 190.4 passing yards per start during his entire career at Michigan State, and has been at 174.0 air yards per game this year.
Milivojevic definitely looked like the better passer during his first start. He made several difficult throws while facing pressure that Chiles has not made consistently at MSU. The efficiency was also amazing --- Milivojevic's 11.1 yards per attempt is a better number than all 20 of Chiles' starts.
Why Chiles is Being Considered
With how good Milivojevic played, it's definitely understandable to question why Michigan State's coaching staff would ever consider putting him back on the bench. Personally, my eyebrow will be raised too if it is Chiles taking the first snap of the game against the Nittany Lions.
Still, there are reasons for MSU to at least think it over some more and see how this week of practice goes. My hypothesis is that the decision won't really come down to who is throwing better.
I think it will come down to how the offensive line looks. Milivojevic was sacked seven times against Minnesota, with six of them coming in the first half. That resulted in a total loss of 56 yards.
For Chiles' flaws, he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten at eluding pass rushers, extending plays, and sometimes turning those extended plays into big gains. Milivojevic does not really have that dimension to his game as more of a pocket-passer. If the ball was not out quickly, or if the offensive line did not do its job protection-wise, there was a good chance he got sacked against Minnesota.
Possible Two-QB System
Something else Smith acknowledged is that there is a chance both Chiles and Milivojevic could play serious snaps against Penn State.
This is just speculation, but perhaps Milivojevic could get the bulk of the snaps, but when having Chiles' legs as an added dimension becomes convenient, MSU could do that. Chiles is still a good enough passer that it would keep defenses honest, so Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles probably wouldn't be able to just load the box in anticipation of a designed QB run.
"That's not outside the consideration," Smith said about the possibility of using different quarterbacks in different packages. "Because Aidan's skill set in a package and Alessio's in a package... that's not outside our thinking. We haven't decided on that.
"I do like the idea of a guy getting a chance to go out there and find some rhythm, and sometimes that takes multiple series in a row, but it's all on the table right now."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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