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Michigan State vs. Football Figures Oregon: Offensive woes continue to grow

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EUGENE, Ore. – Free Press sportswriter Chris Solari rates Michigan State football on an A to F scale after the Spartans’ 31-10 loss at No. 6 Oregon on Friday night.

Violation: D-minus

For the second week in a row, quarterback Aidan Chiles lost a fumble deep in opposing territory while trying to make a play. This one was much more egregious, coming on first and goal on a long pass to Nick Marsh, putting MSU at the Ducks’ 2. Chiles’ second option on the play-action pass would have been to throw the ball away, but he tried to weave through heavy pressure and got the ball knocked out. That was far from the offense’s biggest problem. It was a persistent theme of the second-year quarterback dodging oncoming Oregon pass rushers as he had four sacks and was under constant duress all night. His line remains the primary problem for an offense that struggled to produce 130 total yards and just 43 rushing yards on 23 attempts through three quarters. Without 21 yards lost on sacks, Chiles would have been MSU’s leading rusher, with 50 yards on his other eight carries.

Defense: C

RAINER SABIN: Michigan State has once again shown how far it is from the Big Ten’s elites

Credit the secondary — especially the monster games of cornerback Charles Brantley (nine tackles) and safety Malik Spencer (seven tackles) — for keeping this from being a big loss. Spencer and Brantley both intercepted passes in the end zone early. But the Spartans ahead of them struggled all night in tackling, given 166 rushing yards on slick running back Jordan James and 141 yards on catches by Oregon receivers. MSU allowed the Ducks to run for 192 of their 363 yards in the first half at an 8.3 yard per carry clip. Oregon also went 5-for-7 on third downs in the first half. After halftime, however, the Spartans became much more physical up front, limiting the Ducks to just 21 rushing yards, 114 total yards and 1-of-5 on third down over the final two quarters.

Special teams: B-minus

Punter Ryan Eckley’s numbers don’t show it – he booted six for a 44.3-yard average while landing just one inside the 20 – but his main job was to keep electric Oregon return man Tez Johnson a big one would break. That included fishing punts and getting the ball away from him more often than not, and Johnson had two returns for just 6 yards.

Kicker Jonathan Kim also had to keep the Ducks from breaking one, and he sent two of his three kickoffs for touchbacks before hitting a 42-yard field goal on his lone attempt in the fourth quarter.

Coaching: C

The bye week comes at an optimal point for Jonathan Smith, a break after three straight losses. But for a long time Friday, the Spartans looked every bit as overmatched and overwhelmed as they did during the first half of the season under their first-year coach. There’s little clay to knead at this point for offensive line coach Jim Michalczik, who is slowly molding true freshmen Rakeem Johnson and Rustin Young into a unit decimated by injuries and transfer portal losses. Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren has to work around that, too, and his brave fourth-and-2 deep ball from Chiles to Marsh is a blueprint for what he wants MSU to be in the long run — even if the lack of a run game often takes those opportunities gone. chances.

Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s halftime adjustments and his motivating his troops to finish strong also deserve mention, though Oregon’s offense ultimately finished this game down by half due to their dominance in the first two quarters.

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

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