The Wild Style Of Play From Transfer Spartan
In this story:
The transfer portal can do wonders for any Collegiate Football team, and it seems that it has done so already for the Michigan State Spartans with their breakout wide receiver Omari Kelly.
Having arrived in East Lansing from Middle Tennessee State, Kelly was expected to do something for the team, but his duties were mainly relegated to punt returns and a catch here and there on offense.
Through four games, however, Kelly has done much more than expected, having racked up 317 yards off of 21 receptions, and has become the team's leading receiver, even ahead of MSU star Nick Marsh.
But with the surprise comes an even more surprising play style, including hurdles that encouraged his teammates to hurdle, and throws that were and weren't successful.
Kelly's Hurdling Influence
- The MSU offense has seen three total players attempt a hurdle, a play in which a runner puts his health at risk in order to gain more yards, and at times to look cool, by jumping over a defender.
- But nobody had attempted a hurdle until Kelly had attempted his first against the Boston College Eagles, in which he had fumbled the ball in dramatic fashion.
- Shortly after he went for a hurdle, his teammate Makhi Frazier tried to jump over a defender as well, which also resulted in a fumble.
- Two weeks later, his Quarterback, Aidan Chiles, went for one, making the total number of attempted hurdles for the Spartans three, and the number of successful ones zero when he fell with no further gain.
- However, had Kelly never attempted a hurdle, his teammates would have been much less likely to go for the jump themselves, which makes clear his impressive influence in his wild play style.
Kelly's Attempted Throws
- In the Spartans' first Big Ten conference game, Kelly failed to catch a pass, but instead of letting the play end there, he picked up the ball before it was considered down and chucked it down the field.
- To go for a pass like he did, whether it had been planned or not, took a gutsy way of thinking, and when the pass was completed for a first down he was rewarded.
- Later in the game, he attempted another pass that he failed to complete, but his crazy style of play helped give MSU some much-needed momentum in their failed comeback against the Trojans.
Now that he will be coming out of the team's bye week as a huge influence within the Spartans' offense, Kelly will likely be the source of many of MSU's wild plays in the future.
He is set to give Head Coach Jonathan Smith much more than he had bargained for, a much needed thing in the time of rampant injuries, and hopefully his impact will be seen in a bowl game at the end of the season.
Keep up with all our Michigan State football content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation,WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on MSU’s special teams when you join our community group, Go Green Go White,WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don't forget to give us a follow on X@MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.