On the day Michigan State football dusted off its pads, coach Jonathan Smith had the Spartans working on tackling during a full-contact practice.
EAST LANSING – In his sixth and final preseason camp as a Michigan State football player, Darius Snow has seen a lot.
Three coaching changes. Two COVID-altered Augusts. A big-time bowl game and four seasons of missing out on the postseason. Even NCAA rules changes to how much tackling can be done before the season begins.
Monday, Aug. 6, was the last time Snow will put on the pads for the first time during camp. And second-year coach Jonathan Smith and his staff made it a special event.
Inside Spartan Stadium. With live tackling. A defensive player’s dream.
“Everything we do, we’re training for a game. So everything you practice is for the game,” the senior linebacker said Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Come Saturday, they’ll be back inside the stadium playing ball for the first time, albeit in a contained fashion.
Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi on Tuesday said the Spartans used their tackling time a day earlier for “good work” with some periods working on the passing game and the run game on first and second downs. The defensive staff began installing its third-down defense Sunday and is expected to work on its red-zone packages this week.
All of it serves as a leadup to the first of two scrimmages inside Spartan Stadium, which Snow said will be Saturday, Aug. 9.
“I think really the decision from coach was just to get the guys experience in the stadium,” Rossi said of moving Monday’s workout into the stadium. “We had some new people that were additions to the roster, and we’re gonna be scrimmaging later in the week. So it was, hey, get them over in there to practice, let them see what its like. Then when we get over there for the scrimmage, create the most game-like situation as possible. …
“So I thought (Monday) was great to get some live hits. We got the ball out on the perimeter on some ‘now’ screens, which are the hardest tackles in football, and put our guys in those situations. So it was good work.”
MSU went 5-7 in Smith’s debut season, though the defense showed significant improvement on Rossi’s watch from the previous two years. The Spartans finished 34th in the nation in total defense at 332.0 yards allowed per game, limiting opponents to 206.9 passing yards (46th) and 125.1 yards per game on the ground (32nd). They also finished 15th nationally in first downs allowed.
Still, MSU gave up 26.1 points per game to finish 77th in scoring defense. The Spartans got outscored 211-74 in their six Big Ten losses. They also ranked 109th in third-down defense (44.3% conversion rate) and tied for 117th in fourth-down defense (66.7% conversion rate).
“I thought overall, we did a good job of not allowing explosive plays down the field in the pass game. I think that’s the quickest way to get beat, to get balls thrown over your head,” Rossi said. “The slow death is you get a bunch of third down in a drive and not being able to get off the field, and we created a lot of those situations. We need to be better getting off the field.”
That’s a big reason, too, for making tackling to the ground a priority this season. Senior linebacker Wayne Matthews III, in his second season at MSU after spending his first three years at Old Dominion, embraced the opportunity to go live this early in camp.
“It’s pretty unique, but it’s also fun, too, for the guys that may have not been hitting as much,” said Matthews, who had 33 tackles in his nine games last season. “But having to hit on Day 1 (in pads) is pretty fun.”
In 2021, Snow’s second season as a Spartan, the NCAA cut the limit of contact practices in the preseason to 18 from 21. It is one of a number of rules changes over the past decade-plus meant to emphasize player safety, with many opting to use a technique called “thud,” or making contact with the opponent and releasing after the initial hit, or tagging an offensive opponent as a way to simulate action.
Though most have said that none of those can replicate bringing an offensive player to the ground.
“You can’t tackle every day. It’s the same thing as professionals. Everything is to train for the game,” Snow said. “So when we’re going and we’re in ‘thud’ and tag, a lot of time you can’t actually ‘thud’ them because you’re coming from the side, so you gotta tag off. And a lot of times, the question is, ‘Does he make that tackle?’
“Well, there’s no question about it if you’re actually playing live and tackling them. It’s one thing to practice it and you’re making the most out of it that you can. But when we’re out there playing football, we’re playing football.”
It also gives the Spartans an idea of what to expect when things go live for the first scrimmage, which is a little less than three weeks out from the Aug. 29 opener against Western Michigan at Spartan Stadium (7 p.m./FS1). It’s an important benchmark for players trying to impress coaches for playing time and roles.
“Obviously the first week, you can’t scrimmage the first Saturday because we don’t have everything in. Then the second Saturday, you do have everything in. So everything’s in and we’re playing ball. And that’s the biggest evaluation, is what I’ve learned over time,” Snow said. “The first scrimmage is where they see where everybody is at. And then if there’s still a competition at some positions, you can tell the week after just by the way they split reps and things like that.
“I think the first scrimmage is the biggest eval in terms of where everybody is at, and the second scrimmage kind of finalizes it.”
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football breaks out pads, works on tackling immediately
Category: General Sports
