2021 Season Recap:
Head Coach: Mel Tucker (Career Record: 20-14)
2021 Schedule: W-L: 11-2
Week 1 @ Northwestern – Win – 38-21 – 185 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD – 326 Rushing Yards, 4 Rushing TD
Week 2 Youngstown State – Win – 42-14 – 315 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TD – 272 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD
Week 3 @Miami (FL) – Win – 38-17 – 261 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TD – 193 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD
Week 4 Nebraska – Win – 23-20 – 183 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD – 71 Rushing Yards, 0 Rushing TD
Week 5 Western Kentucky – Win – 48-31 – 327 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD – 192 Rushing Yards, 4 Rushing TD
Week 6 @ Rutgers – Win – 31-13 – 339 Passing Yards, 3 Passing TD – 261 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD
Week 7 @ Indiana – Win – 20-15 – 141 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD – 100 Rushing Yards, 0 Rushing TD
Week 8 Michigan – Win – 37-33 – 196 Passing Yards, 0 Passing TD – 199 Rushing Yards, 5 Rushing TD
Week 9 @ Purdue – Loss – 29-40 – 276 Passing Yards, 2 Passing TDs – 182 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD
Week 10 Maryland – Win – 40-21 – 287 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TDs – 194 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD
Week 11 @ Ohio St – Loss – 7-56 – 158 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TDs – 66 Rushing Yards, 0 Rushing TD
Week 12 Penn St – Win – 30-27 – 268 Passing Yards, 2 Passing TDs – 183 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD
Week 11 Pittsburgh – Win – 31-21 – 354 Passing Yards, 3 Passing TDs – 56 Rushing Yards, 0 Rushing TD
2021 Offense:
- 31.8 Points per game
- 253.1 Passing Yards per game
- 176.5 Rushing Yards per game
- 27 Passing TDs
- 23 Rushing TDs
2021 Defense:
- 25.3 Points per game
- 324.8 Passing Yards allowed
- 117.2 Rushing Yards allowed
- 27 Passing TDs allowed
- 10 Rushing TDs allowed
2021 Impact Players:
Offense:
- Payton Thorne – QB – 235-389 3232 yards 27 TDs, 82 carries 181 yards 4 TD
- Kenneth Walker – RB – 263 carries 1636 yards and 18 TD
- Jayden Reed – WR – 59 catches 1026 yards 10 TD
- Jalen Nailor – WR – 37 catches 695 yards 6 TD
- Tre Mosley – WR – 35 catches 530 yards 3 TD
Defense:
- Xavier Henderson – S – 96 Tackles, 10 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 Int
- Quavaris Crouch – LB – 75 Tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
- Jacub Panasiuk – DE – 37 Tackles, 11 TFL, 7 sack, 1 Forced Fumble
- Jeff Pietrowski – DE – 33 Yackles, 7 TFL, 5.5 Sacks, 3 Forced Fumble
- Drew Beesley – DE – 29 Tackles, 5.5 TFL, 5.5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble
Key Losses from 2021 team:
- Kenneth Walker – RB – 263 carries 1636 yards and 18 TD
- Jalen Nailor – WR – 37 catches 695 yards 6 TD
- Drew Beesley – DE – 29 Tackles, 5.5 TFL, 5.5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble
- Jacub Panasiuk – DE – 37 Tackles, 11 TFL, 7 sack, 1 Forced Fumble
2022 Michigan State Spartans:
2022 Schedule: W-L: 2-0
Week 1 Western Michigan – Win – 35-13 – 233 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TD – 197 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD
Week 2 Youngstown State – Win – 52-0 – 236 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD – 260 Rushing Yards, 6 Rushing TD
2022 Offense:
- 43.5 Points per game
- 234.5 Passing Yards per game
- 228.5 Rushing Yards per game
- 5 Passing TDs
- 7 Rushing TDs
2022 Defense:
- 6.5 Points per game
- 198 Passing Yards allowed
- 81.5 Rushing Yards allowed
- 0 Passing TDs allowed
- 1 Rushing TD allowed
Key Returning Starters:
- QB – Payton Thorne
- WR – Jayden Reed
- WR – Tre Mosley
- DT – Jacob Slade
- LB – Cal Haladay
- Returning 13 of 22 starters on offense and defense
Impact Newcomers:
- RB – Jarek Broussard (Transfer Colorado)
- RB – Jalen Berger (Transfer Wisconsin)
- TE – Daniel Barker (Transfer Illinois)
- OG – Brian Greene (Transfer WSU)
- DE – Jacoby Windmon (Transfer UNLV)
- CB – Ameer Speed (Transfer Georgia)
New Coaches:
- Defensive Line / Run Game Coordinator: Marco Coleman
- Pass Rush Specialist: Brandon Jordan
- Running Backs: Effrem Reed
Team Preview:
MSU is looking to build off the momentum from last season’s school-record turnaround, the Spartans improved from 2 wins in 2020 to 11 wins in 2021. In just his second year in East Lansing in 2021, Mel Tucker led MSU to an 11-2 record, a Top 10 ranking, and a win in the NY6 with a victory over No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. He was also named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. After a record-setting season in his first year as the starting quarterback, redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne is back for the Spartans in 2022. In his first year as the starting quarterback, Thorne was 234 of 388 passing for 3,233 yards with a school record 27 TDs in 2021. Thorne also showed he can be a threat on the ground, not including sacks, he gained 362 yards on 61 carries, including 20 for first downs and four TDs. In the first game of the 2022 season, Thorne tied his career high with four touchdown passes against Western Michigan. Through two weeks Thorne is 30-52 for 445 yards 4 TDs and 1 INT.
They will need to replace unanimous first-team All-American Kenneth Walker III, who ranked second in the country with 1,636 rushing yards and his 18 rushing TDs, winning the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp National Player of the Year. Effrem Reed, who was an offensive analyst the past two seasons, was promoted to running backs coach in the offseason so the room will look a lot different. The RB room will be led by newly arrived transfers Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) and Jarek Broussard (Colorado). Berger is off to a strong start in his first season as a Spartan, rushed for a career-high 120 yards and one touchdown in his Spartan debut against Western Michigan, and followed that with a career-high three touchdowns and 107 yards vs. Akron. Jarek Broussard is second on the team with 25 carries for 135 yards 2 TDs through 2 weeks. Elijah Collins will also compete in the backfield for carries during the season, looking to regain the form he showed during his freshman season in 2019, when he nearly rushed for 988 yards.
1st team All American Wide receiver Jayden Reed is back for his senior season at Michigan State. Reed’s explosiveness was one of the main reasons for MSU’s school-record turnaround season last year, he led the Spartans with 59 catches for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. Through two games this season, Reed leads the Spartans with eight catches for 107 yards. MSU also brings back experienced starter Tre Mosley alongside Reed. Last season Mosley recorded career highs in catches (35), receiving yards (530) and TD receptions (3) while starting 9 games for the Spartans. He caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the season opener vs. Western Michigan and has four catches overall for 77 yards and two TDs through two games. Sophomore Keon Coleman showed flashes of his athleticism as a true freshman with seven receptions for 50 yards, one of which came on a touchdown grab at Ohio State. He spent the winter with the basketball team, playing in six games, but also participated in spring practice and has earned a starting role the first two games. In Week 1, Coleman led MSU had four catches for 84 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in the second quarter, in his first career start. Also rotating in at WR is True freshman Germie Bernard. After committing to Washington years ago, Bernard joined the Spartans in January and competed in spring practice. He made an immediate impact in his first game as a Spartan, catching his first pass and racing 44 yards to the end zone in the first quarter against Western Michigan and has three catches for 73 yards in his first two games.
The Spartans lost four starters (center Matt Allen, guard Blake Bueter, tackle AJ Arcuri, guard/tackle Kevin Jarvis) from last season’s offensive line, but still return plenty of experience in 2022. Senior J.D. Duplain, a second-team All-Big Ten honoree is back for his fourth consecutive season starting games at left guard. At right guard, sixth-year graduate senior Matt Carrick brings 20 career starts to the table. Carrick rotated at right guard in the first seven games last season, but missed the second half of the year with an ACL injury. Redshirt junior Spencer Brown has started the first two games of the season at right tackle. Brown, who still has three years of eligibility remaining, earned his first career start in the Peach Bowl victory over Pitt last season. Fifth-year senior Jarrett Horst, who transferred to MSU in 2021 after starting two years at left tackle at Arkansas State. Horst returned to the lineup in a reserve role at left tackle against Western Michigan in Week 1 and was back in the starting lineup for Week 2 against Akron, earning co-offensive player of the week honors for the Spartans. Another experienced transfer joined the Spartans over the summer, as Brian Greene transferred in from Washington State. A sixth-year graduate senior, Greene has played in 32 career games overall, including 10 starts at center for the Cougars.
Coming off a stellar season in 2021 where the Michigan State defense led the Big Ten in sacks the Spartans are right back at it to start the 2022 season. Michigan State has 12 sacks and 20 TFL in the first two games of the season. Michigan State lost both of its 2021 starters at defensive end to graduation. To help fill the need UNLV transfer Jacoby Windmon made a position change from Linebacker to Defensive End in the preseason. Through two games the position change seems to have been the right move, Windmon leads the college football in sacks(5.5), forced fumbles (4), and tackles for loss (6.5). Jeff Pietrowski has started the first two games at defensive end on the opposite side of Windmon. Pietrowski was productive as a rotational player with the Spartans in 2021, ranking second on the team with 5.5 sacks. As a starter this season he has six tackles, including a half tackle for loss, through two games. The Spartans also added impact transfer Khris Bogle from Florida to bolster the pass rush. Bogle played three seasons with the Gators, collecting 69 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. After adding first-year coach Brandon Jordan, who was hired in January as a pass rush specialist the Spartans expect to have one of the best pass rush groups in the country. The Spartans are loaded with experience and talent along the interior of the defensive line including returning starters Jacob Slade and Simeon Barrow. Slade posted career numbers in 2021 with 40 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks and was selected as 1st team All Big Ten. According to PFF, he racked up 40 QB pressures, the most of any Big Ten defensive tackle and tied for 10th most in the FBS. Barrow also proved to be a solid force up the middle in his first year for the Spartans, tallying 34 tackles, four TFLs and three sacks in 10 starts.
The linebacker group will be missing one of its key players as junior starter Darius Snow suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 against Western Michigan. Returning starter Cal Haladay won the middle linebacker job as a redshirt freshman in 2021 and went on to earn Freshman All-America honors after tying for the team lead with 96 tackles. Haladay was back at it with 10 tackles in Week 1 against Western Michigan. In Week 2 vs. Akron, Haladay returned a fumble 21 yards and also forced a fumble on a sack in the third quarter. Graduate senior Ben VanSumeren earned the start next to Haladay for the Spartans in the season opener and he responded with a career-high 11 tackles against the Western Michigan. Aaron Brule started eight games and played in 12 last season at Mississippi State, recording 52 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks and will provide much needed depth for the Spartans.
At cornerback, the Spartans brought in another transfer this season that will bolster the cornerback position as Ameer Speed enrolled in January after spending his first five years at Georgia. He recorded six tackles in his Spartan debut against Western Michigan and had a career-high nine stops vs. Akron in Week 2. Opposite of Speed, sophomore Charles Brantley has started the first two games of the season and leads the team with four pass break-ups. Senior Chester Kimbrough has started the first two games at nickelback. He moved to nickelback in spring after starting 11 games at cornerback for the Spartans in 2021. Kimbrough has been extremely productive through the first two games with nine tackles, including two sacks for 13 yards, and three pass break-ups.
The Spartans expected Safety to be a strength of the defense as starters Angelo Grose and Xavier Henderson return at safety in 2022, however Henderson exited the game with an injury in Week 1. In 2021 Henderson recorded career highs in tackles (96) and tackles for loss (10) and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. Following Henderson’s exit from the game in Week 1, Kendell Brooks stepped up against Western Michigan and posted five tackles and a forced fumble. In his first career start against Akron in Week 2, Brooks caused another fumble and had a career-high seven tackles. Angelo Grose started all 12 games of the regular season at safety in 2021, he led the team with more than 1,000 snaps on defense while collecting 83 tackles, one interception, and six pass break-ups.
Week 1 No. 14 Michigan State scored two touchdowns in less than three minutes in the fourth quarter to break open a close game on the way to a 35-13 win over Western Michigan. Western Michigan got on the board first as Palmer Domschke hit a 27-yard field goal with 6:31 left in the first quarter, but the Spartans scored touchdowns on their next three drives to take a 21-3 lead into the half. Following a Spartan turnover on their first possession of the second half, the Broncos took advantage with a seven-play, 67-yard drive, capped by a Sean Tyler 4-yard touchdown run at the 8:20 mark to make it 21-10. The Broncos made it a one-possession game on Domschke’s second field goal of the night, this time from 42 yards out with 49 seconds left in the third quarter. Michigan State responded with an eight-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to take a 28-13 lead. Then with 4:07 left Thorne threw a pass up the middle on the first play and connected with Mosley for the touchdown, giving the Spartans a 35-13 lead and putting the game out of reach for Western Michigan. QB Payton Thorne completed 12-of-24 passes for 233 yards and threw four touchdown passes to lead the way for the Spartans, while redshirt sophomore Jalen Berger had 16 carries for 120 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Keon Coleman caught four passes for 84 yards, including one touchdown, while redshirt junior wide receiver Tre Mosley had two catches for 51 yards and a score and freshman Germie Bernard caught a 44-yard touchdown pass. Junior safety Angelo Grose and graduate linebacker Ben VanSumeren had 11 tackles apiece to lead the defense, while redshirt sophomore linebacker Cal Haladay and sophomore cornerback Charles Brantley each had 10 tackles. Senior linebacker Jacoby Windmon had seven tackles, four sacks for a loss of 17 yards and one forced fumble.
Week 2 No. 11 Michigan State improved to 2-0 on the season with a 52-0 shutout over Akron, accumulating nearly 500 yards in total offense, including 260 rushing yards. The Spartans had six rushing touchdowns in the game, led by redshirt sophomore Jalen Berger, who had three TDs in addition to 107 yards on the ground. Graduate running back Jarek Broussard had 15 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Elijah Collins had eight carries for 57 yards and one score. Redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne completed 18-of-28 passes for 212 yards. The Michigan St defense held Akron to 225 yards of total offense with only 22 rushing yards, both totals were the fewest by an opponent under Mel Tucker. The Spartans had five sacks against Akron to bring their season total up to 12 through 2 games. Senior linebacker Jacoby Windmon, had five tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss, along with three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to lead the defensive unit. Cornerback Ameer Speed led the team with nine tackles, while junior safety Angelo Grose and senior defensive back Kendell Brooks had seven tackles apiece. Looking forward Michigan State will continue to rely heavily on running the football and rushing the passer this season. If any other their opponents are able to stop this pass rush there is gaps in this defense that can be taken advantage of.
2022 Depth Chart:
Offense:
QB1- #10 Payton Thorne RS JR 6-2 210
QB2- #14 Noah Kim RS SO 6-2 185
QB3- #12 Katin Houser FR 6-3 213
RB1- #8 Jalen Berger RS SO 6-1 215
RB2- #3 Jarek Broussard RS JR 5-9 195
WRX1- #1 Jayden Reed SR 6-0 190
WRX2- #5 Germie Bernard FR 6-0 200
WRZ1- #00 Keon Coleman SO 6-4 215
WRZ2- #16 Christian Fitzpatrick RS SO 6-4 218
WRF1- #17 Tre Mosley RS JR 6-2 198
WRF2- #85 Cade McDonald RS JR 5-11 195
TE1- #9 Daniel Barker GR SR 6-4 250
TE2- #6 Maliq Carr RS SO 6-5 255
LT1- #79 Jarrett Horst RS SR 6-6 300
LT2- #53 Brandon Baldwin RS SO 6-7 315
LG1- #67 JD Duplain SR 6-4 300
LG2- #50 Brian Greene GR SR 6-3 300
C1- #59 Nick Samac SR 6-4 300
C2- #74 Geno Vandemark RS FR 6-5 325
RG1- #56 Matt Carrick RS SR 6-5 320
RG2- #50 Brian Greene GR SR 6-3 300
RT1- #58 Spencer Brown RS JR 6-6 315
RT2- #77 Ethan Boyd RS FR 6-7 325
Defense:
DE1- #47 Jeff Pietrowski JR 6-2 250
DE2- #2 Khris Bogle SR 6-4 245
DT1- #64 Jacob Slade RS SR 6-4 305
DT2- #41 Derrick Harmon RS FR 6-5 320
DT1- #8 Simeon Barrow RS SO 6-3 290
DT2- #97 Maverick Hansen RS JR 6-4 300
DE1- #4 Jacoby Windmon SR 6-2 250
DE2- #26 Brandon Wright SR 6-2 250
WLB1- #13 Ben Van Sumeren RS SR 6-3 235
WLB2- #7 Aaron Brule GR SR 6-2 242
MLB1- #27 Cal Haladay RS SO 6-1 230 (In place of injured Darius Snow)
MLB2- #10 Ma’a Gaoteote SO 6-1 230
NB1- #12 Chester Kimbrough SR 6-0 185
NB2- #30 Justin White RS JR 5-8 180
FS1- #15 Angelo Grose JR 5-10 180
FS2- #1 Jaden Mangham FR 6-2 175
SS1- #33 Kendell Brooks SR 6-0 215 (In place of injured Xavier Henderson)
SS2- #28 Tate Hallock RS JR 6-4 210
CB1- #6 Ameer Speed GR SR 6-3 215
CB2- #29 Marqui Lowery RS SO 6-0 180
CB1- #9 Ronald Williams RS SR 6-2 195
CB2- #00 Charles Brantley SO 6-0 170
