EAST LANSING — Josiah Scott and Justin Layne have yet to pick off one of Brian Lewerke's passes in practice.

They know it. He knows it. And, Tuesday, he was joking about it.

After praising co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett, the sophomore quarterback added that he loves making Barnett upset by beating his corners and safeties every day in practice.

Not many QB’s can say that they've gotten the best of the young Spartans' secondary this season. Led by Ohio cornerbacks Scott and Layne, MSU boasts the No. 4 passing efficiency defense in the country, allowing only 168 yards per game through the air.

Which isn't bad, considering that Scott is a true freshman and Layne a receiver-turned-defensive back playing in only in his second season.

“They are very sound and fast,” Lewerke said of Scott and Layne. “They are physical and strong at the point of attack. They are great at press coverage. It’s awesome to know that we are going to have them around for a couple of years. They are establishing leadership at a young age.”

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Scott, a three-star recruit from Hamilton, has received most of the headlines this fall, stepping into a starting role on opening day and shutting down nearly everyone lined up across from him.

The 5-foot-10, 173-pound speedster broke up a pair of passes in his debut and landed his first interception the following week against Western Michigan. The former Fairfield High School standout has been a constant in the Pro Football Focus top-10 lockdown corners in the Big Ten.

His only hiccup so far came late in a road win over Minnesota, allowing two fourth-quarter touchdown grabs by Tyler Johnson.

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said the blame can’t be placed squarely on Scott’s shoulders for those last two Gopher scores. The coverage the defense was in, along with two perfectly placed passes, aided in furious Minnesota comeback attempt, he added.

“He's had a great season thus far,” Dantonio said Oct. 14 after a 30-27 road win over Minnesota. “He needs to reaffirm his situation. I have a lot of confidence in him. He's a very good player. The one thing I know about Josiah is he is a competitor. He will come back this week ready to play and compete.”

Scott did just that, helping hold Indiana to only 158 yards receiving Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

“We aren’t patting ourselves on the back too much,” Scott said. “We need to move forward each week and try to get better. We want to be the best. We want to be No. 1.”

In that 17-9 come-from-behind win over the Hoosiers, Layne drew the toughest task of the day, facing off with Indiana’s leading receiver Simmie Cobbs.

Layne held the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Cobbs to 53 yards on seven catches, 27 of which came on one play. Cobbs entered the game with 37 receptions for a team-leading 409 yards and three touchdowns.

“I think I did all right, but I wouldn’t say I had a great game,” Layne said Tuesday inside the Spartans’ indoor practice facility. “I slowed him down more than most teams have, so I did all right.”

Layne, a Cleveland native who was switched from wide receiver to defensive back before the BYU game in 2016, finished with a pass breakup and a career-high 10 tackles in the Spartans’ sixth win of the season. Surprising to most — even himself — he showed he isn’t your typical player. He also has a bit of that stereotypical swagger from the corner position, on full display when he was caught on camera giving Michigan’s Eddie McDoom the signal for “choking” after he dropped a pass late in the fourth quarter.

He isn’t afraid to hit, either.

Junior receiver Felton Davis knows that too well.

“I tip my hat off to Justin for doing that,” Felton said of Layne changing positions. “Last year, he couldn’t really understand it. Now, he has come into his own and plays with confidence. It’s a whole different mind change (tackling). Most don’t expect a wide receiver to be physical. Now, he has to come down and hit the (Penn State’s Saquon) Barkleys and (Wisconsin’s) Corey Clements and other big running backs like that. It’s like, wow.”

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Dantonio is the one who pulled the trigger on Layne’s move from offense to defense. It’s paid off, so far.

“He played very well this last week. I think he’s playing very good football,” Dantonio said at his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon. “(He’s) tackling well and playing the ball down the field. We ask a lot of our corners. I think he’s very good. He’s 6-foot-3 and can really run. He has great ball skills and is tackling effectively.

“… I think I said: ‘Hey, you’re starting,’ and just sort of threw him out there,” Dantonio continued. “We moved him after three or four games … So, he was just learning the position last year. I think he’s much more complete right now.”

Layne has also been a mainstay in the Pro Football Focus top lockdown corners in the conference, joining Scott and safety Khari Willis. Each week, he is drawing the toughest, biggest wideout the other team has to offer.

MSU had to replace all four starters in the secondary this season. That’s hardly new for this team, which hosts youth at nearly every position on both sides of the ball.

The Spartans are 14th in total scoring defense, allowing less than 17 points per outing through seven games. Scott and Layne have been effective in pass coverage, but their work on the back end is also allowing the Spartans’ pass rushers to put in work.

Last season, MSU (6-1,4-0) finished with 11 sacks. They already have 18 this year.

Count Layne as someone who is still a tad surprised at how fast this has all come

“I know the person I am, and knew I’d eventually become that, but not this fast…" he admitted. “I love it — being considered one of the best defenses in the country.”

Layne said he didn’t know that the Lewerke took pride in playing keep away from them.

Now that he does, he has a new challenge.

“I haven’t picked Brian off,” Layne laughed. “But if he’s talking like that, I have one coming for him now.”

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com.