Utah State at Michigan State Preview: A Battle of Experience

Only eight college football teams in the nation return 18 starters or more from last season. Friday night’s matchup between Utah State and Michigan State features two of those.

The Aggies, who rank tied for fourth in the nation in terms of experience according to Phil Steele Magazine, have more returning starters than any other team on their schedule. That is, except for Michigan State.

The Spartans return 10 offensive starters and nine defensive starters from a squad which went 10-3 and finished No. 15 in the nation in the AP Poll. No team in the nation has more returning talent.

Offensively, the lone non-returning Spartan is center Brian Allen, fourth-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams who had 38 career starts for Michigan State. Defensively, the Spartans will look to replace the production of defensive end Demetrius Cooper and linebacker Chris Frey, who is now with the Carolina Panthers.

“The thing you kind of look at is the consistency they’ve had in their coaching staff and their schemes,” said Utah State head coach Matt Wells. “That’s the first thing you’re looking for. Then, as you see the players, certainly, there’s a lot of them coming back.”

En route to a second-place finish in the Big Ten East division in 2017, the three losses on Michigan State’s schedule came against No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 17 Northwestern, and No. 5 Ohio State. Meanwhile, the Spartans picked up wins against Michigan, Washington State, and No. 8 Penn State.

One key for the Aggies in this matchup may be their ability to stop the run. In 2017, USU ranked 115th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing 216.4 yards per contest. Meanwhile, Michigan state returns three of its top five rushers from last season’s squad, which averaged 167.8 yards per game.

“Our experience is a plus,” said senior safety Gaje Ferguson of the defense’s ability to stop the run. “We have a lot of guys back and we have a different game plan. We now have (defensive coordinator) Keith Patterson and he’s very run-stop minded. He’s going to bring a lot to our defense this year and helping stop the run. It’s going to be a lot different this year than it has been in year’s past.”

The MSU offense is led by junior quarterback Brian Lewerke and senior running back LJ Scott, both members of the Athlon Magazine preseason All-Big Ten second team. Lewerke passed for 2793 yards along with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2017, while Scott had 898 rushing yards for eight touchdowns and 1044 all-purpose yards.

The Spartan defense is highlighted by 2017 All-Big Ten first-team selection David Dowell. In his sophomore season, the safety ranked fifth in the nation with 11 interceptions. He also recorded four pass deflections and was second on the team with 75 total tackles on the season.

Michigan State also boasts a notorious front seven on defense, one which held opponents to just 95.3 yards per game, the second fewest behind only Alabama. Junior linebacker Joe Bachie is a do-it-all kind of a player for the Spartans, leading the team in total tackles last season with 100, as well as recording 7.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and three interceptions.

“They are big, strong and physical,” Wells said of the Michigan State defensive front seven. “Hopefully, the pace can wear them out a little bit and get them tired. There’s no secret that we’re going to play with pace on offense. To see where they ranked coming out of last year against the teams they did it against is pretty impressive. They’re deep and they’re talented. It’ll be maybe the best we see all year.”

The 2017 Spartan defense also ranked seventh in the nation in total yards allowed, averaging just 297.6 yards per game allowed, and 37th in turnovers forced with 23.

“They have some big boys up front. They have some nice linebackers, so it’s going to be a war in those trenches come Friday night. I’m more prepared than I ever have been in my entire life,” said senior offensive lineman Rob Castaneda. “I’m excited to be on a big stage like that and it’s going to be a fun night for our team.”

Even though the Aggies will begin the season on a big stage in front of 75,000 fans, Wells feels confident that his team will be able to come out prepared on Friday night.

“It will be a tremendous opportunity for our guys to go see right where we’re at, and our guys are excited about it,” he said. “This is a team that I’m anxious to watch play as we come together. Camp has been good, it’s been physical and it’s been a grind as most camps are. Our guys are excited and prepared for this opportunity to play Friday night.”

The Aggies and the Spartans kick off Friday at 5 p.m. MST in East Lansing, Mich.