The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1265378
THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 133 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Following former head coach Mark Dan- tonio's unceremonious exit from Michigan State this February, the Spartans are seeking a breath of fresh air, and they're hoping new head man Mel Tucker can bring just that. Dantonio resigned from the program amid off-field controversy, after having his on- field production dip ever since a 2015 Col- lege Football Playoff appearance. Tucker, who went 5-7 in his lone season at the helm of Colorado football, has an uphill battle to turn MSU around, inheriting a ros- ter short on top-notch talent. The strength of a Spartan club that fin- ished 7-6 with a Pinstripe Bowl win last season was a No. 18 national finish in total defense. Key departures, though, make hav- ing even a solid group a challenge in 2020. Defensive end Kenny Willekes was the leader the last two seasons, being tabbed first-team All-Big Ten in 2018 and 2019, but now he's off to the Minnesota Vikings. Cornerback Josiah Scott is gone to gradua- tion, too. He led the squad in pass breakups (eight) and interceptions (three) a year ago. Only three starters remain on that side of the ball from last season — junior safety Xavier Henderson, senior defensive end Ja- cub Panasiuk and senior linebacker Antjuan Simmons. Henderson ranked second on the team and 18th in the Big Ten with 83 tackles in 2019, and added two interceptions with seven passes defended. Panasiuk racked up 11 tackles for loss and five sacks on the season, playing on the opposite side of Willekes. Simmons, a versatile and athletic 'backer, led the team with 90 tackles to rank sixth in the Big Ten, and added 15 tackles for loss (tied for seventh in the league) and three sacks. That trio is solid, but it's the lack of ex- perience around them that is the biggest concern for first-year defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton. On offense, the most significant cause for concern comes at the most important position on the field — quarterback. Brian Lewerke was the starter under center the last three seasons, and while he was never one of the Big Ten's best, he provided stable pro- duction at the position, throwing for 8,293 yards throughout his career. The competition for starting signal-caller duties is between redshirt sophomore Theo Day, redshirt junior Rocky Lombardi and redshirt freshman Payton Thorne. Lombardi has the edge in experience, hav- ing already started three games. However, he has a career completion percentage of 42.9 and more interceptions thrown (five) than touchdowns (three). That leaves the door wide open for Day or Thorne to win the job. The offensive line, led by redshirt junior guard Kevin Jarvis, returns 10 players that have started at least one game in their ca- reers. Last season, the Spartans' line allowed just 1.38 sacks per game, which was the 18th fewest in America. The group will need to improve in run blocking, though, after only providing enough push for the team to gain 127.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 113th nationally. A positive for the Spartans' run game is the return of redshirt sophomore running back Elijah Collins. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season, and totaled 988 yards and five scores. He's once again expected to be the primary ball carrier. There's not a whole lot expected out of MSU in Tucker's first season. Making a bowl game appears to the goal. Beating the program's No. 1 rival, Michigan, is right up there on the list of aims, after Dantonio's crews failed to do so in three out of his last four seasons at the helm. If the Spartans play spoiler to the Wolver- ines and make a bowl game, it will be seen as a successful season. Notes MSU's clip of 22.4 points per game ranked 12th in the Big Ten and 105th in the country in 2019 … Redshirt junior offensive lineman Kevin Jarvis was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2017 and has 20 career starts (17 at right guard, three at left tackle), but missed significant time in 2018 and 2019 due to injuries … Head coach Mel Tucker has won two national championships as an assistant coach — in 2002 as the defensive backs coach at Ohio State and in 2015 as the defensive backs coach at Alabama. ❑ Spartans Enter Rebuilding Mode 2020 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2019 Result Sept. 5 Northwestern W, 31-10 Sept. 12 at BYU — Sept. 19 Toledo — Sept. 26 Miami — Oct. 3 at Iowa — Oct. 10 Michigan L,44-10 Oct. 17 Ohio State L, 34-10 Oct. 24 at Indiana W, 40-31 Oct. 31 Minnesota — Nov. 14 at Penn State L, 28-7 Nov. 21 Rutgers W, 27-0 Nov. 28 at Maryland W, 19-16 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Elijah Collins, R-So., RB The 6-0, 217-pounder earned All-Big Ten third-team honors from the media in 2019 … His 988 rushing yards were the second most by a freshman in school history for a single season and he was 12 yards shy of being the Spartans' first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford in 2014. Defense: Antjuan Simmons, Sr., LB The 6-0, 216-pounder had a team-best 90 stops, plus 15 tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception in 2019 … Has totaled 156 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his MSU career … Simmons was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last season. Senior defensive end Jacub Panasiuk has started 23 consecutive games entering the 2020 season, and is the team's active leader in tackles for loss (18.5) and sacks (8.0). PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS • OCT. 10 • GAME 6 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 71-36-5 First Meeting: U-M 39, MSU 0 (Oct. 12, 1898 at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 44, MSU 10 (Nov. 16, 2019 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Mel Tucker, 0-0 at MSU (1st year) and 5-7 overall (2nd year) 2019 In Review: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten (5th East) Final 2019 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 10 (6 offense, 3 defense, 1 spe - cialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2019 (Pinstripe Bowl vs. Wake Forest, W 27-21) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Rocky Lombardi (74 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT) Rushing: Elijah Collins (988 yards, 5 TD) Receiving: Tre Mosley (216 yards, 1 TD) Tackles: Antjuan Simmons (90) Sacks: Jacub Panasiuk (5.0) Interceptions: Xavier Henderson (2)