Wisconsin Badgers post-spring review: A look at Michigan State

As players, coaches, fans and, yes, even the media await the start of fall camp to arrive for the Wisconsin Badgers in less than two months, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at UW's 2019 opponents.

Homecoming weekend will be a buzz with alumni returning to Madison, but Wisconsin also faces an intriguing cross-divisional showdown against Michigan State on Oct. 12.

We caught up with Paul Konyndyk of SpartanMag.com who answered some questions we had about the Spartans before they head into fall camp.

Last year, Michigan State ended with a 7-6 record, 5-4 in conference play. What should be the way-too-early expectations for this program heading into the 2019 season?

Paul Konyndyk: Michigan State coaches and players expect to be good. They are motivated to prove that injuries and other bad breaks are to blame for a disappointing 7-6 season in 2018. Fans are hung up on the offensive woes of last year, and are fearful that Michigan State will continue to struggle to score points again in 2019 despite a re-shuffling of the coaching staff on offense.

Typically, Michigan State teams during the Mark Dantonio era have outperformed expectations when they’ve been low. This has the feeling of a year in which the Spartans will overachieve.

Defense has been the strength of the Michigan State program for most years during the past decade, and the Spartans will be darn good on defense again this season. The interior d-line, led by seniors Raequan Williams and Mike Panasiuk, will be arguably as good as any in the country. The Spartans have a veteran linebacker crew led by senior captain Joe Bachie, who is my pick for the best middle linebacker of the Dantonio-era. On the back end, the Spartans have an elite corner in junior Josiah Scott, who was the defensive MVP of the Redbox Bowl.

Offense has been balanced and bruising during the best years of the Dantonio-era. It was toothless last season. Injuries to key personnel–there were too many to list–was one of the biggest storylines for the Spartan offense last season. Things went downhill fast Brian Lewerke suffered a shoulder injury while leading Michigan State to heroic comeback victory at Penn State. Star wide receiver Felton Davis was lost a couple of weeks later, and things really fell apart.

The most encouraging development during spring football was the re-emergence of Lewerke as Michigan State’s starting quarterback. Everything was in place for back-ups Rocky Lombardi and Theo Day to make their case for a starting job. And both of the those guys made progress. Neither, however, made a serious run at Lewerke, who closed the spring with a fantastic performance in the Green-White game.

Lewerke was accurate. He threw with impressive velocity into the wind on out routes to the field side. In short, Lewerke was back. If Lewerke stays healthy, and the defense is as good as I expect it to be, there is no reason to believe that Michigan State can’t win 10 games this season.

On both sides of the ball, which one or two returning players could have the most impact this season?

Paul Konyndyk: There’s a bunch to choose from on defense. On the d-line, Kenny Willekes, Raequan Williams and Mike Panasiuk are all future NFL draft picks. Willekes, a former walk-on, would have likely gone in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft if he hadn’t broken his leg in Michigan State’s bowl game. That injury is likely the reason why Willikes opted to return for his senior season after recording 78 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and 20.5 tackles for loss as a junior.

Like Willekes, Williams is a guy that could have made the jump to the NFL after a breakout junior season. His decision to return had a lot to do with wanting to finish his degree before moving on to the next phase of his football career. Over his career at Michigan State, Williams has steadily improved. He entered the program as an athletic, big-framed, former basketball player. As a senior, Williams is the leader of the interior d-line. Williams has played a ton of snaps alongside his tag-team partner Mike Panasiuk, a fellow Chicagoan that plays the run as well anyone in the Big Ten. Those two guys demand a ton of attention, and free up everybody else on their defense to fill gaps and make plays.

At linebacker, Joe Bachie runs as well as any middle linebacker during the Dantonio-era. He is outstanding against the run, but he also excels against the pass. He’s physical, fast, and he’s outstanding at getting the front seven where it needs to be. Bachie has 214 career tackles and has made 26 consecutive starts for this defense.

Junior corner Josiah Scott missed most of the 2018 season with injury, but when he played he made an impact, and he looks to be the next great Michigan State corner. Justin Layne has tremendous physical attributes and he used them well on the field, but I don’t think he is the same caliber of football player as Scott, who is fierce competitor, a respected leader, and the top playmaker in the Spartan secondary.

On offense, Brian Lewerke seems to be the key to everything. He’ll need better pass protection and a functional rushing offense to help him out, but he’s a dynamic playmaker, who can change the game with his arm or his feet. Lewerke has two very good wide receivers in senior Darrell Stewart and junior Cody White, both of whom were hampered by injuries in 2018. Stewart is a sneaky-athletic pass catcher with a tailback build and 101 career receptions as a three-year letter winner. White, who missed several games with a broken hand last season, has 77 catches as a two-year letter winner.

Michigan State wasn’t able to overcome the loss of veteran running LJ Scott to injury last season. Underclassmen Connor Heyward, La’Darius Jefferson, and Weston Bridges did their best, but struggled to get much going on the ground. Some of those struggles were the result of poor run blocking by the o-line, which was a mix-and-match outfit due to injuries. There were plenty of occasions, however, when those young running backs didn’t take advantage of good run blocking when it was there for them. Youngsters like Elijah Collins, a redshirt freshman, and Anthony Williams, a true freshman from Chicago, will have an opportunity to push for work behind Heyward at tailback.

Justin Layne and Khari Willis depart the Michigan State secondary to begin their professional football careers. Which other playmakers departed the program, and who appears ready to step up in their place?

Paul Konyndyk: Layne and Willis were the two biggest losses for Michigan State on defense, but there were a handful of others, including slot linebacker Andrew Dowell, who had a heckuva senior season in 2018. Dowell was athletic enough play pass defense outside the box, and as a senior he played with the physicality to come down into the box and make plays against the run. Dowell’s back-up last season, Anjtuan Simmons, has all of the tools to play the position as effectively as his predecessor. Simmons also has plenty of experiences as a high-performing back-up each of the past two seasons. There’s no reason to believe Simmons won’t be as good Dowell. The issue, however, is depth at the position. One year ago, Michigan State had the rare luxury of having two starter quality slot linebackers in Dowell and Simmons. The Spartans are fortunate to have Simmons, but they’ll have to develop some depth behind him to avoid wearing down.

With Willis no longer in the program, the Spartans will be asking a lot from sophomore Xavier Henderson, one of the highest ranked prospects in their 2018 recruiting class. Henderson had solid on-the-job training as a freshman last season. He was a reliable nickel back, and should be ready to take on a much larger role this season. Henderson is viewed as rising leader in the Spartan program. He will not, however, be able to replace the leadership of Willis, who was one of the best around. Josh Butler isn’t Layne, but he has solid experience at corner, and he more than held his own as a starter in Michigan State’s bowl game against Oregon.

On offense, Michigan State’s two biggest holes are at tight end and running back. The Spartans also need to find a third receiver to replace Felton Davis and take some of the attention away from Cody White and Darrell Stewart.

Sophomore wide receiver Jalen Nailor is poised to have a big year as the third receiver for Michigan State. He has good hands and is an explosive big-play threat on perimeter runs like jet sweeps. During spring football he showed the ability to stretch the field vertically.

Michigan State wasn’t good at tight end last season. Departed senior Matt Sokol struggled as a receiver and he was inconsistent as a blocker. Junior Matt Dotson showed some promise as pass catcher last season, and he was functional as a blocker. There will be a great deal on Dotson’s shoulders this season as an all-around tight end. Dotson has filled out quite a bit and is well put together.

At running back, it's too early to determine who will be get the bulk of Michigan State’s carries. Right now, I’d guess that junior Connor Heyward is the starter at tailback to begin the season. Elijah Collins, a redshirt freshman, is a name to remember, as is Anthony Williams.

Was there one or two players that stood out during spring practices that could propel themselves into extended fall camp reps and a role on this team?

Paul Konyndyk: Freshman running back Anthony Williams was one of the biggest revelations from spring football. I didn’t expect him to be as complete a back as he showed himself to be as an early-enroll freshman. Williams impressed me more than most first-year running backs I’ve seen during spring ball. I’m not going to say that I was impressed with him as I was with Le’Veon Bell as first-year player. That said, Bell was a revelation. At any rate, Williams is a guy that can get the ball and go. He has good hands and he can do damage on the perimeter. Coaches compare him to Jeremy Langford, the former Chicago Bears draft pick that was highly productive as a two-year starter.

Xavier Henderson is the guy on defense that really stood out to me because he had such sky-high expectations coming in, and he plays a position of a need at strong safety. Henderson is more athletic than Khari Willis, but I didn’t think that Henderson would have as good as he is this fast. Sometimes it doesn’t translate to the field immediately, but Henderson is going to be a dynamic football player. The Spartans need him to produce now. He appears ready to do exactly that.

It's still early, and maybe this comes full circle from my first question regarding expectations this upcoming season, but what is your way-too-early predictions and record for 2019? What would it take to find a way to Indianapolis to compete for a Big Ten championship?

Paul Konyndyk: Michigan State needs an offense with a pulse to deliver on a 10-win season, because I think the defense is going to be special. On offense, I think we’ll see some more no-huddle tempo stuff from Michigan State, and think that will benefit Lewerke, who likes the updated offense. The Spartans didn’t show a whole lot during spring football, so it remains to be seen what we can expect on the field. But it’s difficult to imagine the offense being as a bad as it was last season. Lewerke’s injury was a big part of the problem, but not all of it.

If the offense is even average, it will be a big benefit to the Michigan State defense. It amazes me how effective the Spartan defense was all season last year given the amount of three-and-outs from the MSU offense. Not just three-and-outs, but also sudden-change situations like interceptions and fumbles.

For Michigan State to get to Indianapolis, the offensive line needs to overachieve. The o-line hasn’t been a strength for the Spartans for several years and that has to change. There are a bunch of guys on this o-line with a lot of experience, and some talent to boot. Guys like Cole Chewins have been hindered by injuries. Chewins played hurt last year. As a group, however, this o-line has underperformed. Kevin Jarvis, Jordan Reid, and Matt Allen have flashed potential. Jarvis was slowed by injury last season. As a junior, he needs to have the breakthrough that many expect him from him. Reid is a guy that has been touted as a rising star for two years. Like Jarvis, Reid needs to breakthrough.

I’m not predicting big things from the offensive line at this point. I thought they were ready to take a big step last year. That didn’t happen. Injuries were a big factor, but this group needs to perform.

I think a 10-win season is doable for Michigan State and that is what I’m going to predict. If Lewerke hadn’t suffered the injury he did a year ago at Penn State, I think the Spartans would have won 10 games a year ago. There were so many close losses.