Cavalier Corner Digital

✦ top storylines: notre dame vs. michigan State By Lou Somogyi ball," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. The two new co-offensive coordinators are Jim Bollman and Dave Warner, replacing Dan Roushar, who was named the running backs coach for the New Orleans Saints last February. Bollman has 36 years of coaching experience, including serving as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Ohio State from 2001-11. He has needed every year of that background for the Spartans this season. No Offense, But … Much of the blame for Michigan State's anemic showing on offense during the first two games of the season against Western Michigan and South Florida was placed on the inability to settle on a quarterback. In game three against Football Championship Subdivision member Youngstown State, the Spartans turned the reins over to redshirt sophomore Connor Cook, who also has been named the starter against Notre Dame. However, there was plenty of credit, or blame, to share all around, because the problems in the first two games were a collective, team effort. Four of the Spartans' six touchdowns in victories against Western Michigan (26‑13) and South Florida (21-6) were produced by the defense, which gave a twist to the meaning of "scoring defense." Especially notable were the seven points on offense Sept. 7 against South Florida, which yielded 53 points to FCS foe McNeese State in its opener. Until the 55-17 victory last weekend against Youngstown State, the Spartans' struggle to move the ball was not a complete surprise. First, Michigan State last year finished 108th nationally in scoring offense with an average of 20.0 points per game. They also were 114th in passing efficiency and 95th in total offense. Second, those poor numbers were achieved despite the presence of secondround NFL Draft selection Le'Veon Bell — whose 137.9 yards rushing per game ranked third in the country in 2012 — and tight end Dion Sims, a fourth-round selection who caught six passes for 52 yards in MSU's 20-3 loss to Notre Dame. A major problem has been the lack of production at wide receiver, which has traditionally featured marquee players for the Defense Never Rests Redshirt freshman Riley Bullough, who was shifted from linebacker to running back in the last week of spring practice, had 21 rushing attempts for 82 yards (3.9 yards per carry) through three contests. photo courtesy michigan state Spartans, from Gene Washington in the 1960s; Kirk Gibson in the 1970s; Mark Ingram (father of 2009 Alabama Heisman Trophy winner Mark Jr.), Andre "Bad Moon" Rison and Courtney Hawkins in the 1980s; Gari Scott, Herb Haygood, Muhsin Muhammad and first-rounder Plaxico Burress in the 1990s; and in the past decade first-rounder Charles Rogers and second-round pick Devin Thomas. Last year's relatively green receiving corps dropped 66 passes (about a halfdozen versus Notre Dame), and about a dozen more were muffed in the first two games this season. The 29 total completions against Western Michigan and South Florida averaged a meager 7.2 yards, with none of the top four receivers averaging better than 9.5 yards per catch. The overall yards per catch jumped to 9.4 after the rout of Youngstown State — still well behind Notre Dame's 14.8 average. Meanwhile, in the backfield, it's usually not a promising sign when a backup linebacker, Riley Bullough, had to be shifted to running back in the last week of spring practice. The 6-2, 230-pound redshirt freshman has been listed with redshirt junior Jeremy Langford as the top running back, although 5-8 redshirt junior Nick Hill also has been in the rotation and picked up 83 yards on nine carries last weekend versus the Penguins. "We know the kind of offense that Coach [Mark Dantonio] wants to run, and he wants to be physical and run the foot✦ Page 7 Whereas the Michigan State offense is undergoing major construction, its defensive base is as strong as ever, headlined by a linebacking corps that ranks among the best at the school in the last 50 years, rivaling the days of Percy Snow and Chuck Bullough in the late 1990s. Phil Steele's 2013 College Football Preview listed the group as the fifth-best in the nation. Another Bullough (Chuck's nephew) is in the mix, with senior Max Bullough returning after producing a first-team AllBig Ten campaign last year. The corps also includes fifth-year senior Denicos Allen and 6-3, 250-pound junior Taiwan Jones, who took the starting job away from a team captain last season. It's easy to mitigate Michigan State's No. 1 total defense ranking this week (177.0 yards per game) — and also No. 1 in pass efficiency defense (68.1 rating) and No. 4 in run defense (50.3 yards per game) — due to the fact that it has played a weak schedule. Nevertheless, under seventh-year defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, the Spartans have had the Big Ten's top defense the past two seasons. Michigan State is one of just five NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools to rank among the top 10 nationally in total defense the past two seasons, joining

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