EAST LANSING — Getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks continues to be a problem for Michigan State football’s defense.
Making Bryce Underwood’s night uncomfortable would go a long way to the Spartans pulling off an upset of No. 24 Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25 (7:30 p.m., NBC).
The question is, can MSU generate enough of a pass rush to knock the Wolverines’ blossoming quarterback off his mark repeatedly and make him look like a true freshman?
“Pressure is something that we always want as a defense, definitely on third downs,” junior defensive end Jalen Thompson said Wednesday. “So really, it’s just everybody focusing on their job and getting their one-on-ones done. I just feel like when everybody’s doing that, it puts pressure where it needs to be.”
There is plenty of pressure on MSU (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten) to stop a four-game losing streak and a three-game skid in the rivalry against U-M (5-2, 3-1). The Spartans’ hopes of making a bowl game for the first time since 2021 is in jeopardy, as could jobs be, potentially, if the season continues to unravel after a second 3-0 start under second-year coach Jonathan Smith.
Getting a win over the Wolverines would go a long way toward building momentum for the four games that remain. But it starts with getting to Underwood, the highly talented Belleville native who is a burgeoning star in college football and continues to show week-over-week improvement.
“I think it’s always important to be able to get a pressure on a quarterback. And from week to week, there’s different ways to do it, there’s different emphasis on it,” defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said Wednesday. “So we make those evaluations – I’m not gonna get into exactly what we’re kind of thinking – but I think that anytime with a quarterback that you can create pressure, it’s an advantage for the defense.”
The former five-star recruit is competing 62.4% of his passes for 205.7 yards per game with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. In last week’s 24-7 home win over Washington, Underwood used quick, short throws to his running backs and tight ends – a major issue for MSU’s defense – and finished 21-for-27 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Five of the 6-foot-4, 228-pound QB’s TD passes have come in U-M’s last three games.
In the Spartans’ 24-17 loss at U-M last season, the Wolverines rotated Davis Warren as their passer (13-for-19 for 123 yards and a TD) and Alex Orji as their run-first option (64 yards on six carries, with a TD). MSU didn’t have a sack – a season-long issue that persists this season.
“It’s a different play-caller, it’s a different quarterback,” Smith said Monday. “The quarterback’s skill set creates differences than last year. … You look at them, and they have some balance offensively.”
The Wolverines’ offensive line, which features three redshirt freshman starters, ranks 33rd in the FBS with nine sacks given up this season. Six of those have come against Big Ten opponents, with USC getting to Underwood three times in U-M’s 31-13 road loss on Oct. 11.
The Spartans’ 13 sacks are tied for 44th-fewest in the Football Bowl Subdivision and 13th in the Big Ten, but they only have seven against Big Ten opponents. They have gone three games this season without a sack, including last week’s 38-13 dismantling by Fernando Mendoza and No. 2 Indiana, after enduring a six-plus-game drought a year ago. MSU also hasn’t forced a turnover in its past two games and has just five on the season.
“That’s always a point of emphasis,” junior linebacker Jordan Hall said Tuesday. “Different ways to get the ball out or different ways to change the picture on the quarterback to maybe force some throws that he isn’t comfortable with. But that’s always something that we’re looking for, to have that turnover ratio in our favor. The percentages of winning football games increase drastically when you’re able to win that turnover margin.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pestering QB Bryce Underwood key for Michigan State football defense
Reporting by Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
