Michigan State Football: 5 Takeaways from Win Over Furman

We got our first look at Michigan State’s 2016 football team in their 28-13 win over the Furman Paladins on Friday.

The Michigan State Spartans won their season opener on Friday, 28-13 over the Furman Paladins, and in that game we got our first look at the team which will look to defend the Big Ten title in 2016.

1. Tyler O’Connor looked competent but uninspiring.

Michigan State’s new starting quarterback fared decently enough. He completed most of his passes (13 of 18) and made few mistakes while depending on the ground game to move the offense. His first-half touchdown pass to Felton Davis III was about as nice as it could have been.

However, there were still some rough spots. He got picked off in the third quarter after missing Josiah Price on a comeback route and the Spartans struggled to convert on third down in the first half. Overall, O’Connor took care of the ball and ran the offense effectively enough to win, but we will get a better idea of what he is capable of in the coming weeks.

Related Story: Michigan State Beats Furman In Season Opener

2. Michigan State will be even more dependent on the ground game than initially thought.

Last season, the Spartans offense employed a near 50-50 split between run and pass, but in the season opener, they ran the ball over twice as often as they threw it. Part of the reason O’Connor looked decent in Friday’s game was because the Spartans were able to run the ball effectively, which put less pressure on O’Connor and the passing game.

The Spartans averaged 4.3 yards per carry and opened the game on a 32-yard endaround to R.J. Shelton, the longest play from scrimmage they had the whole game. It’s pretty obvious that Dantonio and company are not completely comfortable with O’Connor throwing the ball down the field just yet, as many of his passes were short patterns and screens.

Michigan State returns three running backs from last season who finished with 500 or more yards and over 100 carries. However, despite that…

3. L.J. Scott is far and away the Spartans’ number-one back right now.

The Spartans shared the carries very evenly between Scott, Madre London and Gerald Holmes last season and the three were listed on the depth chart going into week one as co-starters. However, that was clearly not the case on Friday.

Scott was the bell cow for the ground game, carrying the ball 20 times to London’s five while Holmes never got the football. Scott rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and looked good while doing it, hitting the hole effectively and breaking tackles.

Maybe the Spartans change it up going forward, but right now Scott is clearly the top running back on the depth chart.

More from Michigan State Spartans

• Betting Preview: Best Bets for Michigan vs. Michigan State 
• Michigan State basketball earns no. 7 seed, will play Davidson
• Jayden Reed returning to Michigan State football is huge news
• Peach Bowl: Michigan State football betting odds and prediction
• Michigan State football’s Kenneth Walker III snubbed from popularity contest

4. The defensive line did not look that good.

Malik McDowell is a star, we know that. However, beyond him the defensive line is troubling. The Paladins were able to run the ball pretty effectively between the tackles, the Spartans giving up about four yards per carry to Furman’s running backs and only making three tackles for loss during the game.

The line generally failed to generate a push in the passing game as well, picking up only one sack Also, McDowell left with an injury near the end of the game. He walked off under his own power, but that is still not something Michigan State wanted to see.

5. The fact that Furman hung around as long as they did is troubling.

The Paladins went 4-7 playing in the FCS Southern Conference last year and did not greatly improve their personnel this offseason. This game should not have been as close as it was into the fourth quarter and the fact that Michigan State did not pull away sooner should be cause for concern.

The Paladins moved the ball pretty effectively at times against Michigan State, picking up 18 first downs and converting a couple of fourth downs to keep the game close. If it hadn’t been for Andrew Dowell’s acrobatic interception in the fourth quarter when Furman had the ball down by eight in Spartan territory, the game might have ended up even closer.

The Spartans blew out the last two FCS opponents they faced (Jacksonville State in 2014 and Youngstown State in 2013) by a combined score of 100-24.

Next: College Football Bets For Week One

The Spartans will take the field next on September 17 against Notre Dame.