Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Searching For Answers New faces litter Spartans offensive depth chart By Wes Morgan A new era begins in East Lansing, Mich., in 2012 after quarterback Kirk Cousins exhausted his eligibility and moved on to the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Now it’s up to junior Andrew Maxwell to keep Michigan State among the Big Ten Conference’s elite. After an 11-3 campaign last fall, which included a Legends Division title, a loss to Wisconsin in the league championship game and a triple-overtime victory over Georgia in the Outback Bowl, Maxwell leads an offense that will rely heavily, per usual, on the running game. Junior Le’Veon Bell (6-2, 244 pounds) and senior Larry Caper (5-11, 222) combine for a potent tandem out of the backfield. The duo totaled more than 1,000 yards rushing last season and look to improve on that output significantly this year. Caper registered a team-best 503 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman in 2009, but has been overshadowed ever since. He chipped in 121 yards and a score in 2011 behind Bell’s 987 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. Maxwell seems to have all the tools to be a solid signal-caller for the Spartans, and MSU’s opener against Boise State on Aug. 31 was an example of how the box score doesn’t always tell the full story. The Spartans’ 17-13 victory over the depleted Broncos featured three Maxwell interceptions and no passing touchdowns. The first-time starter finished 22-of-38 passing for 248 yards. But there are several reasons MSU fans aren’t panicking when it comes to their QB. “I think there’s some good news in the passing game, but the execution was definitely off with the wideouts — no question,” said Graham Couch, a Spartans columnist for the Lansing State Journal. “He had receivers in the wrong positions, but he always threw the ball to the right place. Only one interception was his fault, and it was just a bad throw behind [the receiver]; it wasn’t the wrong throw to make. “On the final two drives of the game, which ultimately gave them the lead, and the other where they marched down the field and took up seven or eight minutes, he made all the right decisions. There weren’t any explosive plays, but there were a number of big throws on third-and-five, third-and-seven.” A major concern heading into this fall was identifying reliable receivers, a group that struggled against Boise State. The Spartans lost their top four receivers from a year ago — B.J. Cunningham (79 catches for 1,306 yards and 12 touchdowns), Keshawn Martin (66 catches for 777 yards and four scores), Brian Linthicum (31 receptions for 364 yards) and Keith Nichol (26 snags for 352 yards and three touchdowns). The four players that comprise the depth chart at the two staring positions — sophomores Keith Humphrey, Tony Lippett and Jeremy Langford, and freshman Andre Sims — accounted for six total receptions for 83 yards in 2011. Lippett had a particularly rough first outing against Boise State. “That game was two or three plays from being a complete blowout,” Couch said. “Michigan State really dominated it. If Tony Lippett, who basically gave one interception away and fumbled what would have been a touchdown … if he just sits the game out, they probably win by three or four touchdowns. Another pick was off Larry Caper’s hands.” Similar to Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert, MSU tight end Dion Sims, a 6-5, 280-pound junior, is the team’s biggest and best receiving weapon in the red zone. Sims, who is expected to turn pro following this season, caught 12 passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns in 2011, but had seven grabs for 65 yards against Boise State. The offensive line returns four starters, but head coach Mark Dantonio is clearly looking for a better effort from his big men protecting their quarterback moving forward. Maxwell was touched 11 times, though he didn’t take a sack. Bell racked up an impressive 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but had to dig deep. “For [Boise] losing six defensive linemen, [Bell] had to work for it,” Couch said. “He wasn’t thrashing them. But Bell is a beast. He’s clearly a ferocious back. Can he do it against the Notre Dames and Ohio States of the world? Who knows?” What Michigan State will undoubtedly be able to do against any competition is get into opposing backfields. The Spartans pocketed a league-high 45 tackles for loss last season and return veteran leader William Gholston (6-7, 278), a surefire first-round draft pick in 2013 at defensive end who compiled 70 tackles, 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage and five sacks in 2011. However, the strongest unit on defense is at linebacker, where the trio of senior Chris Norman and juniors Max Bullough (season-high 89 tackles in 2011) and Denicos Allen cause a lot of trouble. Two-time All-Big Ten cornerback Johnny Adams opted not to turn pro and is back for his senior season opposite junior Darqueze Dennard. “The defense is ferocious,” Couch said. “In the second half [versus Boise] they didn’t give up anything. [Boise] just couldn’t move the ball.” Facts & Figures Notre Dame vs. Michigan State Game Info Date: Sept. 15, 2012 Site: Spartan Stadium (75,005) Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET Television: ABC Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Series Facts: This will be the 76th meeting between Notre Dame and Michigan State, with the Fighting Irish boasting a 46-28-1 record against the Spartans dating back to 1897. Notre Dame bested MSU 31-13 in South Bend last season. The Spartans have won three of the last five contests (2007, 2008 and 2010). MSU Head Coach Mark Dantonio’s Record • 45-22 (.672) in six seasons at MSU Prime Personnel • QB Andrew Maxwell (10) — After serving as Kirk Cousin’s apprentice, the 6-3, 212-pound junior gets his shot as MSU’s starting quarterback this year. The Midland, Mich., product saw action in four games last season, completing 69 percent of his passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. • RB Le’Veon Bell (24) — He took over starting duties midway through 2011 and finished with 948 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades. The 6-2, 244-pounder had 44 carries for 210 yards and two scores against Boise State in the season opener. • DE William Gholston (2) — A junior looking to pick up where he left off in 2011 (70 tackles, 16 stops for loss and five sacks), Gholston is the anchor of the defensive line. He tied a program record with five tackles for loss in an overtime victory against Georgia in the Outback Bowl. • CB Johnny Adams (5) — The fifth-year senior is in his third season as a starter. He was tabbed as a preseason All-America selection by Phil Steele’s after compiling 51 tackles and nine passes defended on his way to earning an All-Big Ten first-team nod in 2011. For The Record • Michigan State’s offense may have a number of question marks in 2012, but the defense is primed to dominate. The Spartans return nearly the same group that ranked 10th nationally in scoring allowed (18.4 points per game), ninth in rushing yards allowed (100.5), 11th in passing yards surrendered (176.9) and sixth in total defense (277.4). • Graduated quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 723 of 1,128 passing attempts for 9,131 yards with 66 touchdowns in his four-year career in East Lansing. He owns nearly every one of the program’s major passing records. It’s a tough act to follow for Maxwell, who is 29‑of‑51 passing for 294 yards with one TD over the past two years as a reserve.