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Michigan State true freshman Delton Williams emerged as a promising tailback prospect for the Spartans, but there's a chance his future might not be at that position despite his success this season.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

EAST LANSING — Make no mistake about it, the focus of the Michigan State football team is on winning its Jan. 1 Rose Bowl game against Stanford.

Above all else, that's what the No. 4-ranked Spartans' (12-1) practices and meetings will be built around as the prepare to play the Cardinal (11-2).

That said, the bowl practices that will take place in East Lansing afford coach Mark Dantonio the opportunity to take a look at some young players at different positions.

"We'll have small opportunity periods within bowl practice structured for our young players this week,'' Dantonio said at his Tuesday press conference at Spartan Stadium. "When we get out there (California), it's going to be business as usual. But this week we'll do some of that. ''

Dantonio said he'll begin by looking at defensive linemen James Bodanis and Brandon Clemons on the offensive line, and Riley Bullough will be back working at linebacker.

The biggest potential move -- and perhaps most shocking -- could involve freshman tailback Delton Williams.

Williams has looked as impressive as any other Spartans' back in his limited opportunities this season, and yet, his future might not be at that position.

"I think that a little bit depends on how some of our other running backs develop,'' Spartans co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Dave Warner said on Tuesday. "It depends on what our needs are going to be on defense. There are a lot of factors that go into it.

"But I'll say I'm very happy with Delton Williams and what he's done this year. Wish we could have gotten him in there more. But he's shown he has the ability to be a Big Ten football player as a running back. Whether he stays there or goes to defense, we don't know that. But we're happy he's with us. He's going to help us win football games in the future.''

Williams, who leads the Michigan State tailbacks with a 6.3 yards-per-carry average, has said he still sees himself as a safety, even though at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds he would seem to be too large to play the position.

So while Williams has said he is flattered to be favorably compared to former Spartans great and current Pittsburgh Steelers tailback LeVeon Bell, his dream is to become a two-way player.

It's quite possible Williams might not end up starting on either side of the ball if he splits his time or doesn't have the conviction to compete at tailback.

The Spartans have promising safeties waiting in the wings to compete for the starting safety spot senior Isaiah Lewis will be vacating, most notably RJ Williamson and Demetrious Cox.

At tailback, Jeremy Langford returns to defend his starting tailback spot along with junior Nick Hill.

In picking out players who have stood out on the scout teams, Warner was high on red-shirting freshman tailback Gerald Holmes.

"Gerald Holmes is a guy at running back who I've told Coach Dantonio all season long, he's going to be a player,'' Warner said, "So we're anxious to look at him.''

Warner also has been impressed with redshirt freshman QB Damion Terry, and he brought up the play of receiver DeAnthony Arnett.

"DeAnthony Arnett is another guy — let me throw that out too,'' Warner said. "Sort of put him on the back burner because he got hurt and was getting limited reps early in the year because we had a good crew there. I've heard nothing but positive, good reports about him on the scout field stepping up. He looks better. He's putting on weight. So I'm anxious to see what the future holds for him also because we all know what we expected of him when he showed up here. So I'm excited to see him in the future.''

Defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi wasn't as enamored talking about future starters as he clearly is about the current ones and the Rose Bowl task at hand.

"No question having seven straight years of having bowl practice makes you better,'' Narduzzi said. "Winning is obviously the major focus for me, Coach Dantonio is more into development. I'm more into Stanford and games if we didn't have any developmental periods… that's why he's the head coach and I'm coaching on defense. I'm worried about stopping the next opponent. I'm not worried after practice if we have a bowl scrimmage with our younger players.

"That's all fun,'' Narduzzi said. "but as far as what we need to do is beat Stanford. But obviously those practices are huge for our kids.''

Narduzzi was asked about replacing senior middle linebacker Max Bullough and threw out several potential replacements, including Riley Bullough.

"It could be a bunch of different guys, I don't know who it is going to be,'' he said. "First of all, it has got to be a guy that can run the defense from huddle or a noâhuddle standpoint. I think Darien Harris, I think Riley Bullough will have a chance. Ed Davis will have a chance. We've tossed that name around too putting him in there.

We have plenty of good guys. I think they're all similar positions. So it could be anybody in there.

"If (red-shirting freshmen) Shane (Jones) and (Jon) Reschke step up and show something in bowl practice … everything will be told in spring ball as far as where we stand there,'' Narduzzi said. "I told Riley today, `it's about time you got back on the defensive side of the ball. You've been soft over there on offense for so long now. I'm sick of looking at you over there.'

" But he's one guy I'm looking forward to just getting back over to see what he's got. You lose a lot when you're not there. There are meetings every day when you're not sitting in there listening to what's going on. When a mistake is made against Minnesota or Ohio State, you're not hearing it. You're hearing about protections and foot work and taking a hand off.''

Narduzzi was asked about offensive scout team standouts he has noticed, and while he praised the work Terry did as a scout team quarterback, he made it clear that's where the true freshman belonged this season.

"Damion Terry has grown a lot since camp,'' Narduzzi said. "I personally didn't feel he was ready watching him through camp based on who he was out there against. But I think he's come a long way as a football player, a quarterback and a leader. He's been the guy.

"Believe me, you'd rather see him as the guy on the scout field than the guy at Spartan Stadium on Saturdays, I think,'' he said. "He's going to be a better player leading that thing. We had to teach him everything on how to check. He had the worst fake checks I've ever seen. You had to pretend like you're checking into another play and it was awful. We had to coach him up on that, too.

"He was a really quiet guy that was laid back. I think he's grown a lot from that experience over there. So I think there's a lot to come with Terry here in the future.''