This game might lead to some mixed feelings from Michigan State football fans because of the up-and-down nature of what we saw, but the Spartans left week one with a rather decisive victory over Western Michigan. It was really a tale of two halves, as Michigan State started in very impressive fashion, but showed some flaws in the second half that they will need to address.
Below, we put together our five takeaways from week one for the Spartans:
1. Pass protection needs some work, quickly
It sucks to start a nice win in week one with a negative takeaway, but after starting the game with a nearly flawless half, Michigan State’s offensive line faced some major issues in pass protection in the second half, giving up four sacks and not allowing much time for Aidan Chiles to operate in the pocket. Despite a nice win, they’ll probably leave this game frustrated at how the pass protection looked in the second half, especially against a MAC team.
2. Omari Kelly and Nick Marsh are quite the duo
Largely because of the poor pass protection in the second half, the numbers weren’t very gaudy, but it’s pretty obvious that Michigan State has something special on its hands with the duo of Nick Marsh and Middle Tennessee State transfer Omari Kelly. The pair combined for 108 yards and a touchdown.
3. Makhi Frazier looks like a guy
While the pass protection struggled, the run blocking looked good on Friday night, and Michigan State was able to run for 186 yards and two touchdowns on the night, eclipsing their passing total by 31 yards. The main culprit on the ground was Makhi Frazier, who ran for 103 yards and a touchdown and showed a lot of burst out of the backfield.
4. Jordan Hall and Alex VanSumeren look like stars for MSU’s improved defense
This summer, Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said he feels linebacker Jordan Hall is a future NFL player. That looked to be the case on Friday, as he led the Spartans in tackles and added a sack on the night. On the interior, Alex VanSumeren looked to be way too much for Western Michigan to handle, and was a big reason they largely shut the Broncos offense out.
5. Ryan Eckley might get MSU their first Ray Guy award winner
Despite having some pretty remarkable punters over the years, Michigan State has never managed to have a Ray Guy Award winner on the team. That might change this week, as Ryan Eckley looks poised to be a top contender. Eckley hit multiple punts that pinned the Broncos on the goal line and was also handling kickoffs with some booming kicks.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Five takeaways from Michigan State’s win over Western Michigan