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▼ whelming debut season in East Lansing declined during the second half of the year and zapped him and his coach of their confidence. "He never got that confidence back," said Graham Couch, who covers the Spartans as a columnist for the Lansing State Journal. "You thought he was going to be the guy for two years, and when he's not it throws everything out of whack." Redshirt sophomore defensive end Shilique Calhoun scored more touchdowns (three) — on fumble returns of 16 and four yards, and an interception return of 56 yards — than the Michigan State offense (two) in the first two games of the 2013 campaign. photo courtesy michigan state Click here to listen to BGI's michigan state preview podcast Playmakers at any position on offense are in short supply for Sparty, which has made the search for rhythm all the more difficult. For the first time in a long time, Dantonio's offense is without a workhorse at running back. Le'Veon Bell exited for the NFL after rushing for 1,793 yards last season. In his stead, redshirt junior Jeremy Langford and converted linebacker and redshirt freshman Riley Bullough have carried much of the load offensively. The receiver corps is also still a year away from being a big part of the offense, according to Couch. "There's not a lot of hope," he said prior to the Youngstown State victory. "It doesn't look like anything that's about to click." The bright side for Dantonio's team is that they are winning games anyway. A mixture of a ball-hawking defense and a soft schedule make it very possible that the Spartans could remain in the mix for a Big Ten title through the month of October while trying to find an identity on offense. Michigan State's defense is stocked with future NFL talent and experienced leaders. Senior linebacker Max Bullough is the team's pied piper in the middle of the defense. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Shilique Calhoun also is mak✦ Page 2 ing it very easy to forget about William Gholston, who left for the NFL after last season. Calhoun is second on the team in scoring with three touchdowns from his spot on the defensive line. All-America candidate Darqueze Dennard, a senior, helps hold the defense together at cornerback by allowing the front seven to bring constant pressure. Dantonio, who also coached national championship-caliber defenses at Ohio State, said this is one of the best groups he's been around. "It's right up there with the top ones," he said. "We have guys playing at a rapid pace, running to the football. It's so much easier to play this game when you have confidence. Our confidence is at a very high level. I think you see that in the performance." The defense rolled through early-season wins against Western Michigan and South Florida, but has not yet been truly tested. Those two teams also lost handily to Football Championship Subdivision schools during the month of September. After a trip to South Bend, the schedule remains very welcoming for this stingy defense. The team starts Big Ten play with games against four of the bottom five teams in the conference. Three of those four — Iowa, Illinois and Purdue — ended 2012 at the bottom of the conference's total offense rankings. It's not unrealistic to imagine Michigan State entering its Nov. 2 meeting with Michigan as a one-loss team. "They'll win a game or two this year they shouldn't win because the defense will come up with an incredible performance," Couch said. "And they'll lose a game or two they shouldn't lose because somebody gets lucky and scores and the offense can't do it right now." Notre Dame's goal for Saturday is to avoid the possibility of becoming one of the former in those scenarios. ✦