MSU's Thorne: 'We're a different team this year'
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne speaks with the media on Monday, Nov. 15 in the lead up to the Spartans game at Ohio State on Nov. 20, 2021.
MSU Athletics, MSU Athletics
COLUMBUS, Ohio – One after another, Michigan State football players continued to find themselves relegated to the sidelines.
Jalen Nailor before the game.
Quavaris Crouch for much of the game.
Kenneth Walker III, Jayden Reed and Xavier Henderson during it.
Injuries continued to expose the limited depth of the No. 8 Spartans in Saturday’s 56-7 beatdown at No. 4 Ohio State that takes them out of contention for the Big Ten East title — and could affect MSU’s quest for a 10th win in the regular-season finale next week at home against Penn State.
“We gotta get healthy, and we got to get ready to go,” said Tucker, who earlier in the season said he would not discuss specific injuries. “That's what we're gonna do.”
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The biggest concern is Walker, whose Heisman Trophy candidacy took a significant blow against the Buckeyes. The junior running back a week after running a career-best 30 times got just seven touches Saturday — running six times for a season-worst 25 yards and catching one pass for 4 more yards. MSU gave Walker the ball three times for 24 of his yards in the first quarter. Walker's day wound up being a short one as he exited the game after one carry on the Spartans’ opening drive of the second half, trailing by 49 points.
With Walker sidelined with what appeared to be a nagging left ankle injury that bothered him last week against Maryland, MSU ran the ball 21 times for 66 yards while throwing 38 times to finish with a season-low 224 total yards.
“We planned for it to be more balanced. But obviously with Ken being a little nicked up and some of our other backs being a little nicked up, it's kind of hard to get a feel for the running game and try to stay balanced,” senior tight end Connor Heyward said. “We're a balanced team — we're gonna run the ball, we're gonna throw it — but we're run-first team.”
Even throwing the ball became increasingly difficult. With Nailor already out with a right hand injury,, Reed returned after halftime in a tracksuit and wearing a walking boot on his right foot. He had just two catches for 28 yards despite 10 first-half targets.
“If we have Speedy (Nailor) and Bird (Reed) or not, it's always the same thing. You gotta go out there and you gotta execute,” said quarterback Payton Thorne, who went 14 of 36 for 158 yards and one late touchdown. “So we'll see next week where we're at, and we'll go from there.”
MSU’s offense was once again without starting left tackle Jarret Horst, who Tucker said after junior transfer missed the Purdue game that he was out for an unspecified “medical” reason.
The defense is dealing with its share of injuries as well.
Like Reed, Henderson returned after halftime wearing his uniform pants but no pads and a sweatshirt. The senior safety said he had “a little stinger.”
“I got a little shoulder action,” said Henderson, who had seven first-half tackles. “I don't think it's too bad, but they told me that I shouldn't play the (second) half.”
Crouch, who sat out last week’s win over Maryland, did not start again and was limited in the first half with a bulky brace on his right knee and finished with three tackles. MSU started Noah Harvey again, but the senior also appeared to injure his arm making a tackle late in the first half. Ben VanSumeren and Ma’a Gaoteote filled in much of the second half alongside Cal Haladay.
MSU also played without starting defensive tackle Simeon Barrow for the second straight week. The redshirt freshman was ejected at Purdue early in the second half for a targeting penalty. Freshman cornerback Chuck Brantley also did not play for the second straight game after appearing to injure his shoulder in the Nov. 6 loss to the Boilermakers.
“It's just next man up,” Thorne said. “If you're playing, you're starter. That's how we look at it.”
Keon’s moment
With Nailor and Reed out, it was a chance for Keon Coleman to get more reps. And the freshman receiver made the most of them.
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Coleman caught his first career touchdown pass, a 12-yard throw from Thorne on the first play of the fourth quarter that was MSU’s only score. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Coleman caught three passes for 27 yards, both season highs after entering Saturday with just two catches for three yards.
Tre Mosley led MSU with 46 yards, all on one catch. Heyward’s four catches were a team high and went for 20 yards.
“Keon had a really nice catch today, and then the other guys played fine and then did their jobs,” Thorne said. “Obviously, none of us played all that great on offense.”
Secondary concerns
Darius Snow, who has emerged as the starting nickel back next to Henderson and fellow safety Angelo Grose, had a career game in the secondary.
The sophomore took over in the second half at safety and registered a game- and career-high 16 tackles.
Grose made eight tackles, but he and Henderson along with cornerbacks Chester Kimbrough, Marqui Lowery and Chester Kimbrough repeatedly got torched in coverage by OSU’s receivers in the first half.
Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud had 393 yards on 32-for-35 passing, getting 393 of his 432 passing yards and all six of his touchdown throws.
Henderson said the Spartans, who entered Saturday with the nation's worst pass defense, allowed too many explosive plays against OSU.
“The rush and cover didn't work together. He had some time back there,” Henderson said. “And when he didn't have that much time, dudes were open too many times. Sometimes you got to dedicate more people to the pass game, but that opens up the run. I mean, they didn't even have to run much. They're were just opening up with the pass, really.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
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