5 MSU Players To Watch During Matchup vs. Eastern Michigan
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Michigan State is looking to get out to a 2-0 start.
The Spartans had real ups and downs last Friday in a 30-20 win over Toledo, but Week 2 brings a new opportunity. MSU will face Eastern Michigan (1-1 overall, 1-0 MAC) for the first time since the 2014 season, with kickoff on Saturday set for 3:38 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Here are five Michigan State players to watch during the game:
WR Rodney Bullard Jr.
Wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. was one of the team's top performers during the season opener. He had seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. That score happened on fourth down during the fourth quarter, shortly after Toledo had taken the lead. Bullard then made a great catch on the ensuing two-point conversion that pushed the lead from five points to seven.
The big question is whether Bullard can sustain it. Wide receiver is still probably the biggest question mark for the Spartans right now. Bullard's Week 1 performance was great, but now he needs to show that he can replicate it. Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic needs a steady hand at X or Z receiver to throw to week after week, and Bullard appears to be the most promising candidate entering the second game of the season.
OT Rakeem Johnson
Offensive tackle Rakeem Johnson is another player to keep an eye on. He and left guard Conner Moore seemed to be the weak links on the offensive line during the season opener, but Moore is a slightly more proven player than Johnson. Every single offensive snap during Week 1 featured Johnson at one of the tackle positions: 55 snaps at right tackle, and then 33 snaps at left tackle.
The playing time at left tackle is because starter Ben Murawski was out of the game for a while. His status for Saturday will be a big factor and will probably determine where Johnson plays. Murawski was in the game during kicker Liam Boyd's game-sealing field goal in the fourth quarter. That probably indicates he'll play, but there's no way to be 100% sure, with there being no availability reports for non-conference games in the Big Ten.
Backup RBs
This counts for more than one player, but oh well. Starting running back and star player Cam Edwards got 29 touches during his first game with the Green and White. One reason is that MSU had the ball for 43 minutes and could run a ton of plays, but that's still not a very sustainable strategy.
How the Spartans and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan get the other backs involved will be interesting. Five total running backs got playing time against Toledo. Jaziun Patterson, an Iowa transfer, got seven carries for 23 yards. Marvis Parrish, a Western Kentucky transfer, got six carries for 28 yards. Brandon Tullis and Kenneth Williams made some brief offensive appearances, but neither got a carry.
DT Eli Coenen
Defensive tackle Eli Coenen was one player who stood out a lot during Week 1. He got pressure as a pass rusher several times as a 3-tech and batted down a pass during the opening drive. Pat Fitzgerald named him the defense's top player from the season opener during his weekly Monday press conference. It wasn't a huge surprise, as Toledo's interior offensive line was going backward fairly often.
Like Bullard, Coenen needs to prove that he can replicate that type of night. Defensive tackle depth was perhaps this team's biggest concern entering the season, but the lack of a clear star was another issue. Coenen, who transferred this season from Illinois and began his career as a defensive end at D-II Bemidji State, seems to have a shot at being one of the surprise stars on this year's team.
CB Charles Brantley
Week 2 will also be a big one for starting corner Charles Brantley. He struggled a lot during the season opener, getting flagged for defensive holding on a third down once and then allowing a 60-yard touchdown reception after biting on a double move. Brantley's 19 defensive snaps would place him at CB3 on the depth chart against Toledo, behind Tre Bell (42 snaps) and Tyran Chappell (30 snaps).
It would be pretty early to give up on Brantley, though. He's always been an aggressive corner who has been willing to take risks -- he just took a bad one during Week 1. Brantley proved he can be an exceptional Big Ten corner during his 2024 season at Michigan State. Getting back to that level may be difficult after a tough year at Miami (FL) and some injuries that kept him limited during the offseason.
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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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