Can Jonathan Smith's Staff Fix the Michigan State Football's Run Game?

Outside of 2021 with Kenneth Walker, the Michigan State football's offense has had a terrible time trying to get the run game operational...

Outside of those 'Air Raid' offenses that the late, great Mike Leach put together, most college football offenses need some hint of a run game to be successful.

However, outside of a spectacular season out of Kenneth Walker III in 2021, Michigan State has struggled mightily with its ground game going back several years.

If we know one thing about head coach Jonathan Smith, it's that he and his offensive staff want to establish the run and build their offense off of that. Over time, with a chance for development to take place, Smith and Co. had a lot of success with that at Oregon State. Now, they must do it again in East Lansing for a rushing attack that ranked 127th out of 133 teams a year ago.

Everyone points to the offensive line as the most important factor in the run game, and with good reason. However, a successful run game is also predicated on the ball-carriers having good chemistry and timing with their O-line. MSU running backs coach Keith Bhonapha and offensive line coach Jim Michalczik are primarily focused on installing the new offense with their position groups. Still, the pair will set aside time to make sure the O-line and backs are on the same page as spring practice continues.

"Me and Coach M, we get together post practice," Bhonapha said. "Depending on the day, there's times we'll get together and watch film. Right now, we've got so much stuff we're trying to get a handle on first [that] we're kind of on our own.

"Obviously, if he sees stuff and I see stuff, we're communicating. Are they pressing it too wide? Are they too fast? Are we false stepping, as far as our tracks and things like that? That's been our communication as of now. When we install, me and Coach M will talk a lot about where the points are going, what the aiming points were, the double teams are working. That's one of the things I'm always talking to my guys about — know where the double teams are. And I'm asking guys in meetings...where is the O-line working? Because if you don't even know where they're going, it's going to be hard for you to be efficient in the play."

In 2024 and beyond, the Big Ten will feature a wider range of offensive styles and philosophies with the West Coast schools — USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington — entering the fold. With that said, the team that does the best job at reestablishing the line of scrimmage is going to win this conference more often than not. That's a major reason why Michigan has won the Big Ten each of the last three seasons.

Michigan State has been below average at the line of scrimmage for too long, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. If the Spartans are going to get back to a place where they are competing for championships, that's a major fix that needs to take place under Smith and his staff.

The Michigan State Spartan Football Spring Green and White Game (Spring Showcase) will be held at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation, Spartan Stadium, on April 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.

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