35-13 that was the final score for the Michigan State vs Western Michigan game on Friday night at Spartan Stadium. Though that may look good on paper and the Spartans did end up covering the spread. It did not feel that way during or after the game…

Takeaways from MSU vs WMU

The biggest takeaway was from the way Michigan State reacted after the win. Coach Tucker said the team was determined to play better immediately after the game and nobody was celebrating. That sort of attitude coming from the MSU players displays how badly they want to be great. This weekend UNC barely beat Appalachian State 63-61 and Coach Brown was celebrating in the locker room. That wouldn’t fly with the Spartans and they’re determined to play better going forward.

The worst part was the injuries for the Spartans. That was the biggest concern that MSU wanted to avoid especially in a game like this. It was just announced Monday morning by Mel Tucker that LB Darius Snow is done for the season. Snow’s father is Eric Snow and played basketball at MSU during the 90’s, but Darius has made a name for himself despite that. The Spartans will need to replace the leadership on and off the field as Darius makes his recovery.

Michigan State WR’s

The wide receivers looked fantastic for MSU on Friday night as well. Even despite Jayden Reed only having two catches for 31 yards, Keon Coleman, Germie Bernard, Daniel Barker, and Tre Mosley all had touchdown receptions. That was a huge positive to see MSU’s best WR battling an injury and the other guys could fill in with the production. I talked about it before the season, but Keon Coleman is about to have a massive season and it started on Friday night with 4 catches for 84 yards and a really nice touchdown grab.

Michigan State Secondary

Though the secondary didn’t look the best on Friday the pass rush looked fantastic. It was led by UNLV transfer Jacoby Windmon who had 4.0 sacks and won Walter Camp National Defensive player of the week. Ben VanSumeren was another bright spot at LB that led the team in tackles with 11. Coach Tucker was extremely impressed with VanSumeren’s ability to be quick and gritty. Khris Bogle and Aaron Brule both are transfers and both recorded a sack each against the Broncos. Moving forward this pass rush that was assembled by Brandon Jordan is going to be a sight to watch out for in the Big Ten.

MSU’s Biggest Questions

The biggest question mark headed into the season for MSU was how would MSU replace Kenneth Walker’s production at RB? The duo of Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard are the answer to that question as Berger picked up the start. Berger’s consistency at practice led to Tucker giving him the start and Berger ran for 120 yards with 16 carries and a touchdown. When I talked to Berger after the game he said 120 yards was nice, but he felt like he definitely could’ve gotten more. Broussard also had 10 carries for 54 yards and showed flashes of potential. It will be interesting to see what that snap count looks like for the two backs moving forward, but the potential for a great duo is definitely present.

Michigan State will take on the Akron Zips on Saturday at 4 pm. There will certainly be a lot of things to look out for. It will be interesting to see how MSU answers their inconsistent performance against WMU.

Photo Credit: Lansing State Journal