Pat Caputo - MSU football set up better than Michigan for bright future
Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke (14) rushes for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
When the subject is Michigan and Michigan State football, there is perception and then there is reality.
Perception is the Wolverines’ future is brighter, reality is the Spartans continue to be better on the field.
The narrative allegedly had changed after Michigan went 10-3, losing its three games by a mere total of five points in 2016, while the Spartans were 3-9 with its program suffering major losses because of off-the-field conduct issues.
Then came MSU’s 14-10 victory in Ann Arbor, and the rivalry making an about-face.
It’s highly likely, given the remaining schedules for Michigan (at Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State) and MSU (vs. Maryland, at Rutgers), the Spartans will place ahead of the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings (each team has two conference losses, MSU the head-to-head win) for the eighth time in 10 years.
But what about next season? How about two years from now?
Michigan has traditionally had much more highly-regarded recruiting classes than MSU, which has only been enhanced under Jim Harbaugh.
Yet, that’s the rub. A case can be made the Spartans are better positioned for the future.
Brian Lewerke appears to be the next quarterback in MSU’s pipeline to the NFL (Brian Hoyer, Kurt Cousins, Connor Cook).
The Spartans true freshman 3-star wide receiver recruit, Cody White from Walled Lake Western, is far more advanced than Michigan’s 5-star true freshman recruit Donovan Peoples-Jones from Detroit Cass Tech.
Felton Davis III has another year remaining for MSU.
The Wolverines’ problems at QB are well-documented. What’s underrated is their lack of production at wide receiver. Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson were outstanding and have been sorely missed. An early injury to promising freshman Tarik Black didn’t help. Neither did one more recently to sophomore Kekoa Crawford.
It’s amazing how cautious Michigan is with redshirt freshman QB Brandon Peters. He simply doesn’t target wide receivers. The Wolverines have gotten their running game on track against struggling teams, but how is that going to work moving forward?
Last week vs. Maryland, Michigan wide receivers combined for a catch for two yards. That’s it. When the Spartans beat Penn State, Lewerke passed 56 times for 400 yards. The same day, Peters threw for 56 yards vs. Minnesota.
It’s not a formula that will work for the Wolverines’ moving forward.
Also, given the youth which has emerged along MSU’s offensive line, the future of the Spartans’ offense appears much brighter.
It’s on defense where the Wolverines may have the edge. The Spartans have budding defensive stars (linebacker Joe Bachie, defensive end Kenny Willekes and cornerback Josiah Scott come to mind first), but Michigan’s defense could truly dominate the two next years.
Linebackers Devin Bush and Khaleke Hudson are exceptional. End Chase Winovich has another year and look for hs bookend, Rashan Gary, to become much more productive next season. And the key parts of the secondary - David Long, Josh Metellus and Levert Hill are young.
There is also the coaching factor. Seldom has a coach re-established himself after a poor season faster than MSU’s Mark Danontio. The blowout loss to Ohio State last week aside, the Spartans have downed Penn State, Michigan and Iowa this season. A 10-3 final record is entirely possible - with the future looking up.
Underestimating Harbaugh is a losing bet, however. He has unlimited resources and talent. It’s combined with much to prove. But he must resolve the quarterback situation. It’s Michigan’s bottom line.
The schedule next season won’t make it any easier for Harbaugh, though. The opener is at Notre Dame. The Wolverines have the Spartans and Ohio State on the road, as well.
Conversely, MSU’s big non-conference game is at Arizona State (Lewerke is from Phoenix), and the Spartans get Michigan and the Buckeyes in East Lansing.
To this point, Harbaugh has delivered a lot style points for Michigan, but little of substance.
He will get nowhere until Michigan owns this state again.
At this point, Dantonio still has the belt, and reality suggests he could very well keep it for the foreseeable future.
- by Pat Caputo
- Nov 14, 2017
- Comments
Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke (14) rushes for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
When the subject is Michigan and Michigan State football, there is perception and then there is reality.
Perception is the Wolverines’ future is brighter, reality is the Spartans continue to be better on the field.
The narrative allegedly had changed after Michigan went 10-3, losing its three games by a mere total of five points in 2016, while the Spartans were 3-9 with its program suffering major losses because of off-the-field conduct issues.
Then came MSU’s 14-10 victory in Ann Arbor, and the rivalry making an about-face.
It’s highly likely, given the remaining schedules for Michigan (at Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State) and MSU (vs. Maryland, at Rutgers), the Spartans will place ahead of the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings (each team has two conference losses, MSU the head-to-head win) for the eighth time in 10 years.
But what about next season? How about two years from now?
Michigan has traditionally had much more highly-regarded recruiting classes than MSU, which has only been enhanced under Jim Harbaugh.
Yet, that’s the rub. A case can be made the Spartans are better positioned for the future.
Brian Lewerke appears to be the next quarterback in MSU’s pipeline to the NFL (Brian Hoyer, Kurt Cousins, Connor Cook).
The Spartans true freshman 3-star wide receiver recruit, Cody White from Walled Lake Western, is far more advanced than Michigan’s 5-star true freshman recruit Donovan Peoples-Jones from Detroit Cass Tech.
Felton Davis III has another year remaining for MSU.
The Wolverines’ problems at QB are well-documented. What’s underrated is their lack of production at wide receiver. Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson were outstanding and have been sorely missed. An early injury to promising freshman Tarik Black didn’t help. Neither did one more recently to sophomore Kekoa Crawford.
It’s amazing how cautious Michigan is with redshirt freshman QB Brandon Peters. He simply doesn’t target wide receivers. The Wolverines have gotten their running game on track against struggling teams, but how is that going to work moving forward?
Last week vs. Maryland, Michigan wide receivers combined for a catch for two yards. That’s it. When the Spartans beat Penn State, Lewerke passed 56 times for 400 yards. The same day, Peters threw for 56 yards vs. Minnesota.
It’s not a formula that will work for the Wolverines’ moving forward.
Also, given the youth which has emerged along MSU’s offensive line, the future of the Spartans’ offense appears much brighter.
It’s on defense where the Wolverines may have the edge. The Spartans have budding defensive stars (linebacker Joe Bachie, defensive end Kenny Willekes and cornerback Josiah Scott come to mind first), but Michigan’s defense could truly dominate the two next years.
Linebackers Devin Bush and Khaleke Hudson are exceptional. End Chase Winovich has another year and look for hs bookend, Rashan Gary, to become much more productive next season. And the key parts of the secondary - David Long, Josh Metellus and Levert Hill are young.
There is also the coaching factor. Seldom has a coach re-established himself after a poor season faster than MSU’s Mark Danontio. The blowout loss to Ohio State last week aside, the Spartans have downed Penn State, Michigan and Iowa this season. A 10-3 final record is entirely possible - with the future looking up.
Underestimating Harbaugh is a losing bet, however. He has unlimited resources and talent. It’s combined with much to prove. But he must resolve the quarterback situation. It’s Michigan’s bottom line.
The schedule next season won’t make it any easier for Harbaugh, though. The opener is at Notre Dame. The Wolverines have the Spartans and Ohio State on the road, as well.
Conversely, MSU’s big non-conference game is at Arizona State (Lewerke is from Phoenix), and the Spartans get Michigan and the Buckeyes in East Lansing.
To this point, Harbaugh has delivered a lot style points for Michigan, but little of substance.
He will get nowhere until Michigan owns this state again.
At this point, Dantonio still has the belt, and reality suggests he could very well keep it for the foreseeable future.
