It’s rare to catch Joe Bachie without eye black running down his cheeks and a uniform caked in grass stains. Almost as rare, the sun is shining and it’s nearly 60 degrees on a late-February day in East Lansing, a perfect afternoon for the Spartan football team to take it outdoors for the first of 15 full-squad spring practices of the season.
Source: Lansing State Journal
Several Spartans met with the media inside the Skandalaris Football Center on Tuesday prior to Michigan State’s first spring practice. Click through for quotes from quarterback Brian Lewerke, safety Khari Willis, defensive lineman Raequan Williams, linebacker Joe Bachie and tight end Matt Sokol.
David Dowell got off the bus at Michigan Stadium with all of one college start on his resume. The redshirt sophomore safety departed the Big House with his fingerprints all over the Spartans reclaiming the Paul Bunyan trophy following a memorable performance.
Source: MLive
Recap of the win over Western Michigan. Guests: Junior WR Felton Davis III and Junior Safety Khari Willis
Source: Spartan Sports Network
With so much focus on Michigan State’s lack of a pass rush last season, the secondary almost has gotten a free pass. For a unit that has become accustomed to sending players to the NFL, the Spartans struggled in 2016 with just eight interceptions while ranking 12th in the Big Ten in pass efficiency defense. Yes, some of that was because Michigan State failed to put pressure on the quarterback, but subpar play in the back end didn’t help.
Source: Detroit News
Khari Willis and Grayson Miller arrived at Michigan State at the same time. They both made their first start in the same game – an improbable, last-second win at Michigan in 2015. They’ve been part of a Big Ten championship team and a 3-9 squad. They’ve played well, made mistakes and been injured. Their dads even have the same first name, John. Willis and Miller, both junior safeties, can now add veterans in the secondary to their list of shared experiences.
Source: MLive.com
Coming off a 3-9 season, Michigan State football is hoping to rebound in 2017. This season, though, one of the biggest weaknesses is their secondary. They have budding defensive backs in Justin Layne and true freshman Josiah Scott, but behind them, there’s not much. There is Tyson Smith, a player who was at one point highly-touted, but he is in the process of recovering from a stroke. While he seems to be healthy enough to play, no one will be able to tell how prepared he is to get back on the gridiron until the season starts.
Source: isportsweb
For Michigan State to rebound from 2016, its defense will have to make drastic improvements in 2017. Across the board, the Spartans struggled defensively on the way to a 3-9 record. MSU’s lack of pass rush contributed to the ineffectiveness of a vulnerable secondary, and vice versa. Meanwhile, Michigan State got some solid linebacker play, but it was inconsistent because of injuries and general up-and-down performance.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
When Khari Willis arrived at Michigan State in 2015, he joined a veteran team that won 24 games the previous two seasons combined. Despite making the switch from a dominant running back in high school to a newcomer at safety in college, the Jackson Lumen Christi product adapted quickly and played nine games as a true freshman, including three starts. Willis was primarily a backup again last season, but considers it a missed opportunity for him to make a bigger impact.
Source: MLive.com
If Michigan State is to return to some semblance of its famous “No Fly Zone” secondary, it will be with some experienced new starters at safety and potentially a few young players at the corners in 2017. That’s how Michigan State’s secondary looked when players left for summer break earlier this month, in the middle of an offseason in which three starters must be replaced.
Source: MLive.com