Michigan State football's Big Ten Network preview show features plenty of misdirection

More and more, college football becomes a made-for-TV product. The billions of dollars in rights fees give networks free reign over the sport, and those corporate partners receive unfettered access beyond any local entity.

And the Big Ten Network pulled into East Lansing as Michigan State returned to the practice field Thursday, Aug. 21, to begin preparing for the Aug. 29 season opener against Western Michigan (7 p.m./FS1).

The Spartans wrapped up their preseason camp Monday, took two days off, then got back to work with cameras rolling and broadcast crews watching. It is an annual glimpse of practice that often gives the most comprehensive view — at least as to what’s allowed to be presented — of how MSU really looks behind closed doors. Here are a few observations from the late-night airing on BTN:

What was that?

The biggest takeaway: no matter what program, no matter what level, college football coaches know when cameras are at their practices that aren’t under their control. Jonathan Smith and his staff showed they are no different.

Very little offense-vs.-defense work was shown, other than a couple quick and vague snippets. Most of what aired was individual position drill work, similar to what is presented during MSU’s once-a-week media availability during camp for local reporters and photographers in August to observe and record.

And though it appeared that some of the Spartans who were not in those open portions of preseason camp had returned to the field, it became far murkier to judge based on jersey numbers. Why?

Well, in one clip, three running backs wore No. 4. In another, two offensive linemen with No. 72. An offensive player wearing No. 86 ran pass a route against what appeared to be upper depth chart defensive backs — the only No. 86 on the roster is walk-on kicker Blake Sislo. And the guy in the No. 12 green jersey among the wide receivers quite visibly was not tight end Jack Velling, the only offensive player on the roster who wears that number.

Though there clearly was some masquerading for the cameras, it did catch Sislo off to the side pantomiming kicks along the sideline. That would be the only view of MSU’s special teams, and the BTN crew of Dave Revsine, Howard Griffith and Jake Butt did not once mention the unit — even though punter Ryan Eckley recently was named a second-team preseason All-American by The Associated Press. Smith admitted Monday that his two scholarship kickers, Martin Connington and Tarik Ahmetbasic, both were battling injuries.

Timing matters for these cloak-and-dagger actions, though. The Spartans having shifted from focusing on themselves during camp to game preparation for the Broncos, which started Thursday. The BTN closes its three-week trip around the conference Friday at Michigan.

Potential to improve

What didn’t make the broadcast? A lot, of course.

Butt said Aidan Chiles opened the practice with a “pretty” 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nick Marsh. However, the former Michigan tight end, who has become an insightful color analyst, added that he saw “progress but some similarities” to last year’s indecisiveness from the junior quarterback during the workout that led to missed opportunities in the pass game afterward.

“Clearly, at his best, just his physical traits and talent, he’s toward the top of the Big Ten conference,” Butt said. “It’s just about avoiding those mistakes, eliminating those turnover-worthy plays. … This guy’s just raw talent is as good as it gets in the Big Ten.”

Still, Butt believes MSU fans “should be really excited about what this offense can be this fall” because he feels the Spartans’ offensive line “is night and day from where it’s been these past few years.”

On defense, Howard — a former Illinois and NFL fullback — feels Smith’s transfer portal additions in the secondary will give MSU an immediate boost in man coverage and far more depth from a year ago. He said it will be up to defensive coordinator Joe Rossi to scheme up front to generate more pressure and sacks, adding that there isn’t a “star-studded, elite guy coming off the edge.”

Overall, Griffith said he thinks MSU “is going to be a tough, physical football team” with upgrading the offensive line with transfers.

“But I also believe this is going to be also a tough season for them,” he said. “This is still a program that’s still building, that’s still bringing in pieces. But I like this football team. If they can find ways to stay in games — I think that’s the most important part, not having a bunch of penalties and turn the football over — they can surprise some people this year.”

Other tidbits

• The Spartans enter the season with the fourth-most transfers in the Big Ten.
• With Smith and his assistants Rossi and Lindgren, MSU is one of just six schools in the 18-team league to have its head coach and both coordinators returning from a year ago. “Consistency, continuity matter,” Smith said.
• On the offensive line, Smith said the Spartans had “close to nine or 10 guys competing for starting spots” in camp and battles remain a week out from the opener.
• Revsine said offensive coordinator Brian Lidgren told him transfer center Matt Gulbin could possibly be MSU’s best offensive player.
• Rossi said he was pleased with the work his defense put in during camp as the attention shifts toward WMU. “This is a fun group to coach,” he said.
• Defensive end Quindarius Dunnigan said he wants MSU’s defense to be “hard-hosed.” His fellow captain, linebacker Jordan Hall, added: “The word that comes to mind is calloused for me. I want our team, especially on defense, to be able to face adversity. It’s rare to have a game go exactly how you want it to go and everything go perfect. But I want the team to be able to adapt in those hard situations and pull through when things get tough.”

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What did Michigan State football's Big Ten Network preview show?