Michigan State football defeated Western Michigan in their season opener on Friday night, 23-6, opening the season with a win.
In the game, it never got dicey for the Spartans, who took control early and never looked back, holding a multiple possession lead for the majority of the game.
While the game went pretty smooth, and on surface, the Spartans seemingly dominated the game, the win did not come without any concerns. Quite honestly, there were some key things that are of major concern coming out of the game, that need to fixed before the challenges get tougher.
After a film review, some of these concerns popped up, and showed their ugly face. Here, we are going to identify three key concerns coming out of the win over WMU:
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Pass Protection
Let’s start with the obvious, Aidan Chiles was running for his life for a majority of the game. After a season ago, where pass protection struggled, the Spartans showed more struggles once again.
Michigan State has dynamic weapons all over the passing game, and it is imperative that they are able to give Chiles enough time to get the ball to their playmakers.
Offensive line coach Jim Michalczik needs to put all of his time and effort in shoring this facet of the game up.
Man to Man Coverage
On paper, the secondary had a good night, holding WMU to 48.4% passing and 188 yards. So, this is definitely nitpicking some, but on the tape, there was some man to man struggles that need to be cleaned up.
Notably, the Broncos beat Spartan defensive backs in one on one situations multiple times for big gains, which is less than ideal. Other times, errant throws, in part to good pressure, helped bail the Spartans out on some coverage plays.
All in all, it was a good day from the secondary, but if we get nitpicky, it is important to recognize the lesser opponent and understand that some coverage things need to be cleaned up before the competition stiffens.
Onside kicks
Quite simply, giving up onside kicks just can not happen, ever. Making sure it never happens again is critical.
BONUS: Kicking
Honestly, this goes hand in hand with the injury situation at kicker. Ryan Eckley was forced to kick a field goal, and while Blake Sislo drained his extra points, field goal kicking needs to get right.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three concerns with Michigan State football following season opener
Reporting by Cory Linsner, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
