The atmosphere was electric.
Fans packed Spartan Stadium to witness a heavyweight battle between the No. 7 Oregon Ducks and No. 5 Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night.
For the Ducks, it was a chance to prove they could remain among the elite without Marcus Mariota. Meanwhile, the Spartans needed a win if they hoped to fulfill their aspirations of reaching the college playoff this season.
The game delivered in excitement, and ultimately Michigan State pulled out a 31-28 victory over Oregon
Defeating the Ducks gave the Spartans a victory both on and off the field. The win capped off a terrific recruiting weekend that saw over 200 football and basketball targets flock to East Lansing for the big-time matchup.
While the Spartans likely made good impressions on the recruiting trail, they continue to trend upward nationally. Michigan State rose to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll after Saturday night’s impressive win.
Three things we learned
Michigan State is set at running back
One of the biggest questions heading into the season was how will the Spartans replace Jeremy Langford in the backfield?
Those concerns grew after junior Delton Williams was arrested after flashing a gun in a road-rage incident on campus in mid-March. Coach Mark Dantonio suspended the tailback for five months.
With redshirt freshman Madre London being named the starting running back and true freshman LJ Scott backing him up, there was uncertainty whether they were ready to handle the load.
The duo extinguished those doubts with back-to-back impressive weeks running the football.
They combined for 179 yards and two touchdowns against the Ducks. London broke a 62-yard run on his first carry of the game. On the carry, London showed good vision and excellent speed down field. He continues to solidify his position as the team’s No. 1 running back and led all rushers with 103 yards on 18 carries.
Scott flashed the type of ability that made him a highly coveted prospect in 2014. He rushed for 76 yards and found the end zone twice, including the game-winning touchdown.
The pair should give Michigan State a dominant stable of running backs for years to come.
Secondary
Like the running back situation, the secondary had more questions than answers heading into the season.
After losing Trae Waynes and Kurtis Drummond to the NFL, the secondary lost its top two playmakers.
Two young players have put college football on notice that the self-appointed “No Fly Zone” is still alive and well.
Sophomore Montae Nicholson and redshirt freshman Vayante Copeland proved invaluable to Michigan State’s defense with a promising showing against Oregon.
After a Week 1 win over Western Michigan, Nicholson told Mike Griffith of MLive that restoring the No Fly Zone is a priority.
"We're never satisfied, either, but we're taking steps in the right direction," Nicholson said. "They can think what they want to think, we know how good we are, we're going to go into next week, get mentally prepared, and take care of business."
When Oregon tried to challenge the secondary early with a deep ball, Nicholson made it pay with an interception he wrestled away from the receiver. Meanwhile, Copeland has the makings of a shutdown corner, and the Ducks offense rarely targeted him.
The excellent coverage gave the defensive lineman plenty of time to disrupt Vernon Adams and make the quarterback uncomfortable.
Special teams
Losing defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was a big blow and it led to a coaching staff shuffle.
Special teams coach Mike Tressel moved to co-defensive coordinator, which opened up a spot for new hire Mark Snyder.
The transition hasn’t been seamless and special teams play continues to be a thorn in this team’s side.
Both punt and kick coverage is proving a major weakness, and it’s something Dantonio needs to correct in a hurry.
In the opener against Western Michigan, the team gave up a 100-yard touchdown return. Kick returner Darius Phillips recorded 170 yards on his first two attempts.
Against Oregon, the struggles continued. Michael Geiger missed a 28-yard attempt and the team surrendered an 81-yard punt return for a score.
The lone bright spot was the punter. Jake Hartberger booted five punts for an average of 51.4 yards.
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via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566574-michigan-state-football-what-we-learned-in-win-over-oregon
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