Film at 11: Michigan State Defense

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Raise a toast, or pour one out, for the end of an era.

This Friday’s climate-controlled tussle for “A giant, rectangular piece of wood with some stuff on it,” marks the 23^rd time – and potentially final time — that the manufactured Penn State-Michigan State rivalry will punctuate the regular season for both programs.

While this series has arguably been the most unpredictable, unsettling, and downright wacky of any since the Nittany Lions pushed the Big Ten to 11 in 1993, this season’s Spartans appear to be a soft, checked-out opponent to finish strong against and bank some last-minute style points…style points that should lock down a NY6 invitation to hang with the Chick-fil-A cows in Atlanta or the dancing VRBO Excessive Cleaning Fees (just a bunch of guys wearing wine-stained carpet mascot outfits) in Glendale, Arizona.

10-2. Again. NY6 Bowl. Again.

For those of you who read that and let out an exasperated sigh, you’re well within your right to do so. Season-ticket holders, alums, current tuition payers, or the herd of Walmart We Are’s who didn’t attend Penn State but root with equal vigor as those who did, you’re all entitled to fierce opinions about the on-field product. If you want to boo, boo. If you want to yell at the coach, yell at the coach.

Just don’t throw stuff. No more reports of projectiles landing on the field. “Nothing that plugs in, you guys. Nothing that could really hurt me,” as Liz Lemon once said. We’re better than that. Or, in the immortal words of late Cincinnati Bengals head coach Sam Wyche:

Ok, stepdad’s done lecturing now. Let’s talk about the Spartans.

Starters

Philosophy

Stopping the run is paramount for Michigan State defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton. Currently, the Spartans reside in the cellar of the B1G in all PFF grade categories except run defense (80.0 — 9th B1G). The Spartans held Michigan RB/LLC member Blake Corum and OSU’s Treveyon Henderson to 59 and 63 rushing yards, respectively. They had a season-high 12 TFL against Nebraska. Of course, they also had not-so-good two-play sequences like this one:

On consecutive snaps the Huskers run zone read option from the same formation and it looks like the Spartans were in the same defense, too. I overlayed the two plays to show you how [figuratively] everyone is literally in the exact same place, at least through the mesh point.

Chop Robinson knows exactly how devastating those “kick-out” blocks can be. Zion Young (right defensive end for MSU) effed around and found out on first down; on second down he made a business decision and cheated over the block.

Unfortunately for him, that’s exactly what the offense was hoping he’d do. The QB sees him committing to the RB so he pulls the ball back and calls his own number. The kick-out blocker is now his lead blocker; there are three potential tacklers between the ball and the end zone (down blocks seal the rest of the play inside) and three blockers to deal with them. That’s winning math. Or losing math, in Michigan State’s case.

Against the pass, Michigan State ranks 4th in pressure rate when sending four-man (or fewer) rushes – essentially, “Organic” pressure rate. For you golfers: getting pressure while dropping (at least) seven into coverage is like hitting greens in regulation. Feeling the need to blitz to keep the opposing offense from operating with impunity limits a lot of what you can do in coverage. When you can get home with four, your playbook is wide open – and it takes a couple pages out of the offense’s playbook, too.

On the back end, the collective is greater than the sum of the parts — or that’s what the positive spinsters will preach, at least. The Spartans don’t have the playmakers on the outside to lock you up man-to-man so they play more zone defense — and run more zone blitzes — than anyone in the B1G, per Sports Info Solutions.

“When guys are playing hard and they are running, they are going to cover up for each other,” Hazelton said.

Quarterbacks are trained to associate pressure with man coverage, Scottie and the Spartans Spartans purposely flip that trend in hopes of turning a QB’s instincts against him. They actually lead the B1G in plays blown up — a signature stat of my own design — behind a zone blitz.

Formation

I’ll begin where any QB looks first when ID’ing a defense: the safeties. The Spartans play a ton of “single-high,” meaning either one- or three-deep looks, with the other safety assisting in run support – again, Scottie’s main focus.  The key note for the QB is there will be a defensive back in the middle of the field, so opposing offenses will say the middle is “closed”:

This is when you’d try to work Jahan Dotson toward the sideline, or chuck up a back-shoulder ball to a George Pickens-type. Sorry, I always forget you guys hate Steelers references; an Allen Robinson-type, if you prefer. Wait, he’s on the Steelers, too. Whatever, you get my point.

Michigan State is an “even-front” defense – meaning they position an even number of defenders on the LOS (usually four). Odd fronts tend to feature bigger, less mobile players who are more concerned with keeping your offensive linemen from climbing to their second level than making tackles. Even fronts are all about penetration, technique and gaps:

Often all four will have a hand in the dirt. The three-point stance gives a defender a leverage advantage over an offensive lineman but it’s a lot harder to play backwards from that position. If they’re behind the sticks or it’s 3rd down they’ll stand up the DE on the strong side to give him the option to drop into coverage:

Nickel backs are popping up across college football like unicycles in Brooklyn and Hazelton appears to be another one of these hipster doofuses. He uses a “big nickel” with a third safety which allows him to move those guys around and disguise his intentions a little more than just handcuffing the most diminutive guy to the nickel role. Much like I wrote about Maryland, Michigan State appears to build from the back, forward.

They will adjust their looks to match your identity. JJ McCarthy is the best deep ball thrower in the B1G (if not College Football); the Spartans played mostly 4-2-5 alignments in Ann Arbor. When Nebraska came to East Lansing they had more rushing than passing yards in all but one of their games this year. Hazelton turned back the calendar, swapped his hipster fedora for a stetson, and loaded up the box Pop Warner-style.

Lion Tamers

 1-JADEN MANGHAM, SAFETY: Mangham doesn’t get the love he deserves from PFF but I can’t shake the feeling he reminds me of someone. Mangham was the 14th-ranked “athlete” (recruits who have yet to find the position that maximizes their incredible physical tools) in the nation from the ’21 class. What other late-bloomers do we know who wore #1…?

Mangham consistently flies down from his high safety role to make stops near the LOS. In coverage that mobility translates to incredible range. Last but not least he has the ball skills to tie it all up in a festive little ball-hawking bow (4 INT’s in 2023).

I’ve now compared him to a Bear, a shark and a bird of prey. This kid merits the mixed metaphor. He’s of the land, of the sea, and of the sky — like a gull opening a mollusk by dropping it onto your dad’s minivan. He’s Earth Wind and Fire. He’s Crosby Stills and Nash. He’s Nick, Joe and Kevin, for you kids.

55-JALEN THOMPSON, DEFENSIVE END: From Cass Tech – the same Detroit high school that gave the world Penn State defenders Kalen and Kobe King – comes the true freshman Thompson. The green teenager got a shot in an expanded rotation vs Michigan, started the next week against Minnesota, then hung two sacks and a forced fumble on Nebraska. His 81.2 PFF run defense grade was largely built on chasing down QBs with elite mobility. If this is a Pribula game, Thompson is gonna have a lot of chances to put out some nice tape.

I can’t wait til he hits the combine and we get an official measurement on those wings of his. He’s long, strong, and one can reasonably presume, not averse to getting the friction on. If he can put it all together with a defined pass-rush plan, he’ll be special — and that’s coming from a guy who watches TJ Watt for 60 minutes every Sunday.

Red Circles (Problem Areas)

27-CAL HALADAY, MIDDLE LINEBACKER: Despite leading his team in tackles, Haladay also leads in missed tackles (13). Opponents have a 131.3 passer rating and 3 TDs when targeting receivers he’s covering — both marks the worst of their defensive starters. He’s that classic, downhill LB who melts like a witch in the rainforest if you ask him to play backwards in coverage.

I’m officially placing Penn State’s towering tight ends (both Warren and Johnson are 6’6”) on “Big Game Watch” (no pun intended). Haladay is 6’1”; that match-up could look like Vince Williams trying to carry Gronk up the seam.