What we learned from Game 1

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Using just the season opener as a reference, it might not be fair to draw too many conclusions about the MSU football team.

But that will not stop me from trying.

The Spartans opened up their season Saturday at Spartan Stadium by knocking off Western Michigan, 38-14, and while it was just one game against an overmatched opponent, there still was a lot to learn from MSU’s win.

As expected, the Spartans’ offense was explosive and did a good job of moving the ball for much of the game against the Broncos. However, almost anyone would be lying if they said they weren’t surprised it was the running game — not junior quarterback Kirk Cousins and the passing attack — that paced MSU almost the entire day.

Coming into the season, the offensive line was a big question mark for the Green and White. But after the Spartans ran for 297 yards, including 141 yards for freshman Le’Veon Bell, it appears there might not be much to worry about when it comes to the guys up front for MSU.

Along with that, the emergence of Bell in the first game is a great sign for head coach Mark Dantonio and the Spartans. The grind of a full Big Ten football season can wear down any running back, which makes having three reliable backs — Bell and sophomores Edwin Baker and Larry Caper — quite the luxury for Dantonio.

Once Caper returns from his hand injury this week, it will be tough to argue against MSU having one of the deepest group of running backs in the conference.

As for the passing game, Saturday’s not-quite-as-impressive performance should not have fans too worried.

Sure, Cousins did not come close to matching the 353-yard showing he had last season against Western Michigan, but that was mostly because he didn’t have to. With the running game firing on all cylinders like it was, Cousins had to do nothing more than manage the game.

But when Cousins and his receivers were clicking, they showed what they are capable of, especially during a two-minute drill at the end of the first half, in which Cousins went four-for-five for 67 yards to set up Bell’s second touchdown of the day.

The one concern in the passing game has nothing to do with Cousins, but instead the drops a couple of his receivers seem to have, specifically juniors Keshawn Martin and B.J. Cunningham.

Martin in particular dropped a pass that would have been a touchdown on a day the always-dangerous receiver probably wants to forget.

Much like last season, though, the biggest questions for the Spartans remain on the defensive side of the ball.

In the secondary, where MSU struggled the most last season, there were signs the Spartans have improved.

One big plus for MSU was senior safety Marcus Hyde’s interception late in the third quarter. After finishing second to last in interceptions last season, seeing an interception in the first game, along with seven pass breakups, is very encouraging. The rest of the secondary also played well.

Although junior safety Trenton Robinson seemed out of place at times, he made sure tackles and was all over the field, and at corner, sophomore Johnny Adams and senior Chris L. Rucker prevented any big plays and each had a pass breakup.

And although Western Michigan accumulated 238 yards of passing offense, the numbers are deceiving as the Broncos quarterbacks threw a total of 53 passes.

Not giving the secondary any help, though, the MSU defensive front was the most disappointing unit in Saturday’s game.

Starting the day strong, senior defensive end Colin Neely registered a sack on Western Michigan’s first possession of the game. After that sack, though, the Spartans really struggled getting to the quarterback without blitzing and if they did get there, it always seemed to be one second late.

MSU did a great job of stopping the run, holding the Broncos to 85 yards on the ground. However, the best way to help an unproven secondary is by pressuring the quarterback with the front four, and the Spartans just didn’t have enough of that Saturday.

Fortunately for MSU, the good outweighed the bad in Saturday’s game. And with 11 contests left this season, the Spartans have plenty of time to fix their problems — no matter how small.

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