Should Michigan State Spartans Have National Title on Mind?

Defense

While the offense should be much better, a defense that ranked No. 3 in the country in points allowed at 13.2 per game and  No. 2 in yards allowed at 252.2 per game will take a major hit. Six starters are gone, and many of them were major playmakers. This is also a unit that ranked No. 19 in the country with 28 turnovers gained on the year, good for the No. 10 best turnover margin since the offense did such a good job taking care of the football. The other amazing part is that this entire unit was good, ranking No. 2 in the country in rush yards allowed per game at 86.6 and No. 3 in pass yards allowed per game at 165.6. And the losses on this defense are all over the field.

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Up front, let’s start with the good news. Both defensive ends are back after incredibly great seasons last year. All-American Junior Shilique Calhoun and senior Marcus Rush were the strongest part of the front line last year, and both are back. Calhoun is a guy who can wreak havoc on a defense, evidenced by his 14 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, and even an interception. He’s on the 2014 Bednarik Watch List, and it’s well-deserved. On the other side, Rush was nearly as disruptive, recording 7.5 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 3 passes broken up, and a forced fumble. The return of both players is something for this line to look forward to. Also, junior Lawrence Thomas, sophomore Evan Jones, and redshirt freshmen Demetrius Cooper and Tyler Topilinski were highly recruited and could provide depth at the position. Now the bad news: both tackles are gone. Together, Micajah Reynolds and Tyler Hoover combined for 8 tackles for a loss, and Hoover had 4 sacks. Now Damon Knox, the only tackle who had any experience, is out indefinitely due to injury. That’s the bad news. The good news: there’s lots of untapped potential at tackle. First there’s the chance that Knox could come back at some point. Also, senior James Kittredge could step in at 6’4″ 295 pounds. So could 4-star junior tackle Brandon Clemens, who stands at 6’3″ 295 pounds, and junior tackle Joel Heath, who stands at 6’6″ 289 pounds. David Fennell and Noel Jones are two other tackles on the roster, and Dantonio has luckily recruited very well at this position, bringing in two 4-star freshmen in Enoch Smith, Jr., who stands at 6’2″ 275 pounds, and Craig Evans, who could be ready to start on Day One standing at 6’3″ 305 pounds. The biggest prize of the group, though is 5-star Malik McDowell. McDowell was recruited as an end, but standing at 6’6″ 292 pounds, he could easily fill the spot at tackle. As crazy as it sounds, the line should be better later in the season than it was last year. Both ends are back to cause trouble, and although there is little experience at tackle, Knox will surely do fine filling one void and there is lots of incoming talent and potential to fill the other hole. There may be some growing pains, but Dantonio has recruited incredibly well on the line, so there is no reason to expect much of a fall-off with both great ends coming back.

At linebacker, unfortunately, is where the biggest hit might be felt. Two of the three major contributors, Denicos Allen and Max Bullough, are gone. Allen had 71.5 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and a pass that he broke up. Bullough added on 50.5 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 passes broken up, and a forced fumble. You don’t just simply replace that kind of production. Luckily, senior Taiwan Jones is a returning starter with plenty of experience after 52.5 tackles and 7 tackles for a loss last year. Junior Darien Harris and senior Mylan Hicks, who played very sparingly last year but did see action in all 14 games, will now have to be thrust into probable starting roles. After that, sophomore Riley Borough, who saw no action last year, will need to provide depth. Before we worry too much about this group, though, redshirt freshmen Jon Reschke and Shane Jones were both Rivals 4-star recruits, and everybody else on the roster is a 3-star, so it’s not like there’s a lack of talent here. And Harris and Hicks both have plenty of experience in defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi’s system. With that in mind, yes the group will have a big drop-off this year. But it should be okay by the end of the year. However, with Oregon on the schedule the second game of the year, and the prospect of facing that deadly spread offense, the lack of experience at linebacker will be terribly exposed.

The secondary, like the defensive line, took some rough losses, but luckily there is some great talent returning as well. All-Big Ten safety

Nov 2, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (98) is sacked by Michigan State Spartans defensive end Shilique Calhoun (89) during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 29-6. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Kurtis Drummond has superstar written all over him as he enters his senior season, coming off a year with 4 interceptions, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 6 passes broken up, and 70 tackles. Junior Cornerback Trae Waynes, meanwhile, also has superstar potential after 3 interceptions and 5 passes broken up as the other corner last year. Cornerback Darqueze Dennard and safety Isaiah Lewis will be missed, though, after recording 4 and 2 interceptions respectively and 10 and 8 passes broken up. Junior safety R.J. Williamson appears to be the guy to replace Lewis, and after recording 30.5 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception as a back-up last year, he could do a pretty good job as the full-time starter. Sophomore cornerback Jermaine Edmondson, junior cornerback Arjen Colquhoun, and sophomore cornerbacks Darian Hicks and Ezra Robinson all saw significant action on the field last year. This year, one or two of them are bound to be able to step up and fill the void left by Dennard. Jalyn and Justin Williams could also provide depth as redshirt freshmen. Dantonio has recruited well here too, nailing two 4-stars and a 3-star coming in this year. As a unit, the new guys filling starting spots will not be as talented as the guys who left, but they have enough experience to avoid growing pains, and the returning starters should be even better. As a result, there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off, if any, in the pass-defense.

The defense may have lost lots of starters, but there’s lots of talent coming back and an incredible amount of incoming talent. Luckily, the biggest playmakers on the unit are back, and Dantonio has recruited really well to stock the cupboard with guys he can plug in. The recruiting, depth, and experience hint that by the end of the season the defensive line should be better than last year, the linebackers will probably be slightly worse, and the secondary should be just as good. That’s enough for another Top 10 defense. Maybe not top 5 again, but this group overall will be fine. There is too much talent for anything else to be true. All that Dantonio will have to worry about is growing pains.