Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
big loss with the departure of leading re- cevier Leonte Carroo. His exit will open up opportunities for a pair of rising stars: Andre Patton and Janarion Grant. A year ago, they combined to make 69 catches for 784 yards, and if the spring game was any indication, they appear poised to im- prove on those numbers this fall. Grant was the star of game with 11 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, while Patton had nine catches for 112 yards. Quarter- back Chris Laviano is also back after completing just over 60 percent of his passes for 2,247 yards as a sophomore. However, he's probably going to have to battle to hold onto that spot, as Rutgers recently landed Zach Allen, a graduate transfer out of TCU who is eligible to play right away. Whoever earns the spot will be running an up-tempo spread offense that will be very different from the team's familiar pro-style scheme. DEFENSE Chris Ash had been a de- fensive assistant at a succession of major programs before the Scarlet Knights gave him his first head coaching oppor- tunity this past January. The defense he inherits surrendered the second-highest yardage total in school history last year (5,544), so there's plenty of work to be done. If everyone stays healthy, the front four should be solid, with tackle Darius Hamilton returning from a knee injury that cost him nearly all of his junior sea- son, and veterans Julian Pinnix-Odrick and Quanzell Lambert back at the end spots. Elsewhere, however, questions abound. The linebacker corps was gut- ted by graduation, and the secondary still has a lot to prove on the heels of a season in which Rutgers gave up 275.9 passing yards per game. SPECIAL TEAMS The kicking game is a big unknown, with place-kicker Kyle Federico, a four-year starter, and punter Joey Roth both gone. However, the re- turn game is in good hands. As a junior, Grant averaged 13.9 yards per punt re- turn and 24.6 yards per kickoff return. OUTLOOK If you want to build a win- ner, you could do a lot worse than to raid Urban Meyer's staff. That's just what Rutgers did, plucking Ash from Ohio State, where he had spent two seasons as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a dismal season marred by discipline problems, coaching upheaval and lop- sided losses. One of Ash's tasks has been to re-establish a sense of optimism. He's already had some recruiting successes, but as for the on-field results, some pa- tience is likely to be required – especially considering that this year's schedule be- gins with a road trip to the West Coast to face Washington, then deals up consecu- tive games against Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan to open the conference season. 2015 RECORD 12-2, 7-1 Big Ten SERIES RECORD Michigan State leads, 15-14-1 MOST RECENT MEETING Connor Cook threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns, and the Spartans crushed Penn State, 55-16, on Nov. 28, 2015, in East Lansing. OFFENSE The Spartans have some big shoes to fill on this side of the ball, with Cook having departed along with Big Ten Receiver of the Year Aaron Burbridge and two All-America offensive linemen. But Cook's most likely replacement, fifth- year senior Tyler O'Connor, is not entire- ly untested; with Cook injured, he split time with the more run-oriented Damion Terry and led the Spartans to a road vic- tory over second-ranked Ohio State. At wideout, veteran R.J. Shelton is the lead- ing candidate to replace Burbridge as the Spartans' go-to pass-catching threat. He's coming off a junior season in which he set career-highs for receptions (43) and yards (503). The line needs three new starters, but Michigan State played a lot of linemen last year due to injuries, and that experience should pay off this fall. DEFENSE Graduation hit the Spartans' defensive line hard, claiming three starters, including three-time first-team All-Big Ten end Shilique Calhoun. But the lone returnee up front – junior nose tackle Malik McDowell – is an All-Big Ten performer, so the Spartans have a great cornerstone upon which to build. In addition, they boast two playmaking linebackers in Riley Bullough and Jon Reschke and they may get 2014 starter Ed Davis back if he graduates this summer and successfully petitions the NCAA for a sixth season. Davis missed last season with a torn ACL. Michigan State is very deep in the secondary with three starters returning, including safeties Demetrious Cox and Montae Nicholson, who com- bined for six interceptions last season. As with the offensive line, the Spartans had some injury problems in the secondary and were forced to use a lot of starting combinations. The pass defense suffered last year, but there should be a payoff in 2016, as Michigan State returns seven players with starting experience. SPECIAL TEAMS Place-kicker Michael Geiger has led the Spartans in scoring the past two years and is back for his fourth starting season after hitting 12 of 19 field goal attempts as a junior. Punter Jake Hartbarger ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 42.7-yard average as a freshman. OUTLOOK The Spartans had a lot of fun at Penn State's expense last year, scoring almost at will, including late in the game on a gadget play that featured center Jack Allen scooting 9 yards into the end zone. That moment will no doubt be on a lot of minds when the teams meet again in their regular-season finale, but whether Penn State will be in position to exact a bit of revenge is very much an open question. By late Novem- ber, the new starters on offense won't be so new anymore, and they'll be battle- hardened after facing a schedule that in- cludes nonconference games against Notre Dame and BYU along with Big Ten slugfests against Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State. One perk for the Spar- tans: those games against the Badgers, Wolverines and Buckeyes will all be in East Lansing. ■ 2 0 1 6 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L W E E K 1 2 MICHIGAN STATE T i m e T BA , N o v. 2 6 @ B e av e r St a d i u m