3&Out: Michigan State defense saved the day in first victory of the Jonathan Smith era

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State coaches warned us that their team was in for a tricky match-up in Week 1 against Florida Atlantic. And that is exactly what the Spartans got in a 16-10 win over the T om Herman -coached Owls.

Self-inflicted errors and redzone turnovers were a big reason why this game ended up being as close as it was. And it didn’t help that Spartan quarterback Aidan Chiles had a first collegiate start that he would like to forget, completing just 10 passes and throwing two picks.

Despite a rough night for the Michigan State offense, the Spartans rode the performance of their defense to a win on Friday night in Spartan Stadium.

Continue reading for a football 3&Out .

1. Michigan State defense outperformed expectations

The story of this football game was the play of the Michigan State defense. Aside from one coverage bust, which led to FAU’s lone touchdown in a desperate fourth-down situation for the Owls, the Spartans were outstanding on defense from start to finish.

Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi invested game reps in a lot of players and was rewarded for that investment. The Spartan defense was fresh, active, and aggressive. Its difficult to recall a time when Michigan State played this many individuals on defense in a close game.

The entire defense delivered against FAU, but the play of the defensive line paved the way for the entire group. Eleven different defensive linemen played snaps for Michigan State. No player on the d-line played more than 64 percent of the snaps. Kris Bogle led the group in snaps played with 46 and Jalen Thompson was next with 40, followed by D’Quan Douse with 39. By rotating liberally at both defensive end, rush end, and defensive tackle, the Spartans stayed fresh and made the plays necessary down the stretch to seal victory.

Bogle set the tone for the d-line, recording a sack on the opening defensive series. Douse then raised the bar with first-quarter safety. The defensive line continued to make plays until the end of the game. Bogle finished with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as the starting rush end for Michigan State. His back-up Anthony Jones was also productive, recording a fourth down sack and pair of quarterback hurries. Ken Talley also had a big night.

The Spartan defense wasn’t perfect. They had too many penalties, including several 15-yarders that need to be cleaned up quickly with Michigan State moving into Big Ten play next week at Maryland. Be that as it may, it was refreshing to see the Spartan defense overcome their own mistakes, as well as pick their teammates up when they were struggling.

Michigan State’s first defensive series of the second half is a perfect example. Aided by penalties, FAU marched down the field into the red-zone. Back-to-back sacks Ed Woods and Bogle forced FAU to settle for a field-goal attempt which missed wide right.

The Spartan defense continued to hold firm until the closing seconds of this game, sealing victory with a turnover-on-downs when Talley forced an incomplete pass by Cam Francher.

2. Chiles looked like an 18-year-old first-time starter

Aidan Chiles has a ton of talent, and that talent was on display on several throws during this game. There were also numerous occasions in which Chiles looked like an 18-year-old quarterback starting his first collegiate football game. This is not the Michigan State debut that Chiles envisioned for himself, or that most Spartans fans envisioned for him. But it was understandable.

I give Chiles credit for taking accountability for the struggles of the Spartan offense during post-game interviews. He was obviously disappointed with the way he played, as he should be.  That said, he was not the only member of the Spartan offense that needs to play better.

This was a game with many correctable mistakes, and a performance like this one is something to grow from both for Chiles and the Spartan offense.

I am not worried about Chiles. He will learn a lot from this game and be better as a result. One of the biggest learning moments for Chiles was his red-zone interception intended for Montorie Foster late in the third quarter. That ball was in the air a long time and the pass was telegraphed. FAU defensive back Phillip Dunham picked the ball off and returned it to the 40-yard line of the Spartans. That interception proved costly, as it set up the first touchdown drive of the evening for Florida Atlantic and turned a 16-3 game into a 16-10 nail-biter.

Smith said afterward that Chiles misread the coverage, which is something that goes along with being a young quarterback. Smith was also keen not to place too much of the blame on Chiles. While the ground game accumulated nearly 200 yards on the night, the rushing attack was inconsistent and often ineffective in the red zone.

Chiles needs to be better, and he should be as he gains experience as a first-year starter.

3. Penalties will cost Michigan State if not cleaned up

Michigan State totaled 12 penalties in this game for 140 yards. Against a better team than FAU, those penalties would have resulted in a loss. Some penalties are unavoidable. When a quarterback is athletic and is a threat to run on every play, there are going to be some 15-yarders. There really is no way for defensive players to avoid some calls when they are already in the process of tackling when the quarterback goes into his slide.

I do, however, think several 15-yarders were avoidable, including the targeting call that got Malik Spencer tossed from the game, Dillon Tatum’s horse-collar tackle on the sideline, and the illegal hands to the faced that drew a flag on Ben Roberts . That illegal hands to the face penalty, however, was not as bad as the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on J ordan Turner , who removed his helmet in disgust after drawing after being flagged on a late hit in the second half. That penalty didn’t hurt Michigan State as it occurred after the Spartan defense had stopped Francher short of the line to gain on fourth down, but it would have been devastating in nearly any other situation.

Bottom line, Michigan State needs to play cleaner football than it did on defense against FAU.

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