The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 135 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Mel Tucker was tabbed as the replacement for Mark Dantonio as Michigan State's head coach, after the latter unceremoniously re- signed in February 2020. Tucker's first cam- paign was a rough one, with the Spartans fin- ishing 2-5 overall and last in the Big Ten East. While the losses were not pretty — with all five coming by at least 11 points, includ- ing a 49-7 defeat at Iowa and a 52-12 drub- bing against Ohio State — the Spartans did beat Big Ten West champion Northwestern and took down their biggest rival, Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Those signs of life have fans optimistic that Tucker can eventually rebuild the program. MSU's offense, which was dead last in the Big Ten for points per game (18.0) and yards per game (330.3) last season, returns seven starters this year — four of them on the of- fensive line. Ball security — or lack thereof — plagued the unit, with the Spartans turn- ing it over 20 times on the year, which was tied for the seventh most in the land. Sixth-year senior left tackle AJ Arcuri, who has started 12 career games, was the best of the bunch on the line last season. He graded out the highest (65.6 overall) out of every offensive lineman on the team, accord- ing to Pro Football Focus, including an elite pass-blocking grade of 80.0. Michigan will face quarterback Rocky Lombardi again this year, but he won't be in a Spartan uniform, with the former MSU signal-caller having transferred to Northern Illinois this offseason (the Wolverines take on the Huskies Sept. 18). Redshirt freshman Payton Thorne is the favorite to land MSU's starting job, at least to begin the year, after emerging as the top option late last season. Still, Thorne is unproven. He connected on 56.5 percent of his throws for 582 yards with three touchdowns and three picks last season. There will be a competition for the job in fall camp, with Temple transfer An- thony Russo, who threw for 6,292 yards and 44 touchdowns in four years in Philadelphia, currently penciled in as the No. 2 man at the position. Many believe he has a strong chance to unseat Thorne at some point. There is a plethora of players vying for starting spots at running back and wide re- ceiver, too. MSU's top three rushers at the tailback spot are back, including two who accumu- lated 200 or more yards a year ago — fresh- man Jordan Simmons (219) and redshirt junior Connor Heyward (200). The Spar- tans also brought in sophomore Wake For- est transfer Kenneth Walker III, whose 13 rushing touchdowns last season were tied for 10th nationally, and Auburn transfer Harold Joiner III, who accumulated 94 yards and one score in 2019, moves that will only make the competition that much more intense. The wideouts are led by junior Jalen Nailor, who paced the club in receiving yards (515) and receiving touchdowns (four), and topped the Big Ten in yards per reception (19.8) in 2020. Redshirt sophomore Jayden Reed impressed in his first campaign in East Lansing after transferring from Western Michigan, hauling in 33 catches for 407 yards and three scores. MSU's defense was middle of the pack in the Big Ten last year, ranking seventh in the league and 54th nationally in total defense, yielding 396.7 yards per contest. The strength of the group is up front, par- ticularly on the edges of the line and at line- backer. Stalwart fifth-year senior end Jacub Panasiuk notched 25 stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last season, while sixth-year se- nior end Drew Beesley — a third-team All-Big Ten selection — tallied 27 tackles, 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and three sacks. Redshirt junior linebacker Noah Harvey was second on the team in tackles last sea- son with 54, trailing only Antjuan Simmons (75), who departed the program. Harvey also ranked third on the team in tackles for loss with 5.0. The Spartans' secondary was suspect a year ago, with the group allowing opponents to rack up 239.4 yards per contest through the air, which checked in 72nd nationally. Three starters — junior safety Xavier Henderson, freshman nickel Angelo Grose and redshirt sophomore corner Kalon Gergin — are back. Henderson, who leads all active MSU players with 139 tackles and has also posted two interceptions and eight passes broken up throughout his career, headlines the back end. Notes MSU lost eight fumbles and threw 12 in- terceptions to rank 126th in the country in turnover rate (giving the ball away on 19.6 percent of the team's drives) last season … Cornerback Shakur Brown left the program early to go undrafted in the NFL after notch- ing five interceptions last season. ❏ There Is Nowhere To Go But Up For The Spartans 2021 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2020 Result Sept. 3 at Northwestern W, 29-20 Sept. 11 Youngstown State — Sept. 18 at Miami — Sept. 25 Nebraska — Oct. 2 Western Kentucky — Oct. 9 at Rutgers L, 38-27 Oct. 16 at Indiana L, 24-0 Oct. 30 Michigan W, 27-24 Nov. 6 at Purdue — Nov. 13 Maryland — Nov. 20 at Ohio State L, 52-12 Nov. 27 Penn State L, 39-24 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Jayden Reed, R-So., WR Including his time at Western Michigan (2018) and MSU (2020), he has registered a combined 1,204 receiv- ing yards on 89 receptions with 11 TD catches, as well as 1,886 all-purpose yards, in 20 games. Defense: Noah Harvey, R-Jr., LB The 6-4, 235-pounder recorded eight or more tackles in five of MSU's seven games in 2020 … Has totaled 10 sacks in his career. Redshirt freshman quarterback Payton Thorne threw for 582 yards and three scores last year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS GAME 8 • MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS • OCT. 30 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 71-37-5 First Meeting: U-M 39, MSU 0 (Oct. 22, 1898 at Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: MSU 27, U-M 24 (Oct. 31, 2020 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: Mel Tucker, 2-5 at MSU (2nd year) and 7-12 overall (3rd year) 2020 In Review: 2-5 overall, 2-5 Big Ten (7th East) Final 2020 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 16 (7 offense, 7 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2019 (New Era Pinstripe Bowl vs. Wake Forest, W 27-21) Returning Leaders Passing: Payton Thorne (582 yards, 3 TD) Rushing: Jordan Simmons (219 yards, 0 TD) Receiving: Jalen Nailor (515 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: Noah Harvey (54) Sacks: Drew Beesley, Michael Fletcher (3.0) Interceptions: Shakur Brown (5)