Michigan State’s new offense looks to combine Shanahan elements with Aidan Chiles’ talents
East Lansing, Mich. – When Michigan State fans convene at Spartan Stadium for the annual spring scrimmage on Saturday, they will see some familiar names at running back and wide receiver, a new offense and new quarterbacks as part of a new direction for Spartan football.
Coaches haven’t yet revealed what kind of format will be instituted for the Spring Showcase, which will kickoff at 2 p.m. Whether it’s a controlled practice with periods of scrimmaging, or a competitive game, Spartan fans are going to notice a difference in style of play.
When head coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren were at Oregon State last year, their Beaver offense operated with the quarterback under center – rather than receiving snaps in a shotgun formation – more than any FBS offense in America, outside of the service academies.
Oregon State threatened opponents with a pounding running style, but also manipulated heavy defensive boxes with explosive, play-action deep shots, and a diversified passing attack which stretched defenses vertically and horizontally.
Lindgren, who was Smith’s offensive coordinator at Oregon State from 2018-23, describes his offense as being “multiple pro style.”
“Marrying the run and the pass, making them look the same in order to push the ball down the field and create explosives,” Lindgren said when asked to describe Michigan State’s new offensive philosophy.
Deploying the quarterback under center is more commonplace in the NFL than in the college game, and it’s been that way for years. However, play action (fake handoff) elements within the pass game – spiced up with bootlegs, rolls and half-rolls – have added more diversification to the old pro style in recent years. Although the Smith/Lindgren outlook on offense begins with an old-fashioned center exchange, the route combinations and window dressings are juiced up with a modern flair.
Lindgren has modeled some of his approach to the Mike Shanahan coaching lineage, which has dominated the NFL over the last 20 years – with Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers the most noteworthy current purveyor of his father offensive philosophy, with the Packers and Dolphins also noted practioners.
“I think more than half the NFL is running that type of West Coast system,” Lindgren said. “I call it ‘modern pro style.’ I think those guys have done a really good job of tweaking the system a little bit from what it was 15 or 20 years ago and being just kind of under-center stagnate, now there are different motions and different ways of getting stuff. Those in my mind are some of the best minds in the world and we study the Niners, and the Lions do a great job, and they are all tied in that tree that we study in the off-season.”
Michigan State’s offense likely won’t look exactly like the Oregon State offense of 2023. It will be tweaked, depending on the capabilities and limitations of the current roster.
“Our offense from a year ago with (quarterback) D.J. Uiagalelei looked different than it did with Aidan (Chiles),” Lindgren said.
Oregon State started Uiagalelei, but Chiles received one or two first-half drives in nearly two-thirds of Oregon State’s games, as a true freshman and QB apprentice.
“We called the game a little different last year when Aidan was in the game, while staying with some of the key things we believe in,” Lindgren said.
Lindgren and Smith believe in physicality up front, with quickness a key component of the blocking schemes. They’re known for inside zone and wide zone concepts, with quickness to the edge or quickness out to the linebacker level being trademark staples of the offense. If you watched Oregon State closely last year, there were inside runs off of “duo” blocking schemes and some I-formation fullback leads behind what appeared to be man blocking schemes.
Lindgren and Smith aren’t going to put their entire offense on display, Saturday. But there will be some concepts which build tangents off a successful run game – with universal Shanahan elements at work.
“The big thing for me is how those guys (Shanahan disciples in the NFL) are able to create explosive passes and they do that by marrying the run and the pass,” Lindgren said. “They make them look the same on a run down and stay on schedule and you’re able to keep defenses off balance that way. To me, scoring points is about creating explosive plays and those guys are some of the best at doing that.
“To me it’s how multiple they are and able to do the same things, the same concept through multiple looks to where we are keeping things simple for us. We have the wide zone. Our guys have hundreds if not thousands of banked reps of running the wide zone, but you’re running it a multiple of different ways where it looks like you are doing a lot more than you really are.”
It will become simple for Michigan State’s players at some point. But they’re not there yet. Don’t expect a polished product on Saturday.
“We have thrown a lot at them,” Lindgren said. “They have done a nice job of taking that and then taking the next step. The guys have had an awesome attitude, they have been working hard at it.”
Michigan State’s defense has been ahead of the offense in the two closed scrimmages that have taken place in each of the past Saturdays.
“A lot of teachable moments,” Lindgren said. “Throwing a lot at them as far as install. A lot of guys getting it for the first time. A lot of little details to clean up.
“We brought four (offensive) coaches that have been doing this offense for a while, and we have so many (players) that are learning it for the first time,” Lindgren said. “You have to remember, hey this is the first time this guy has ever run this play. And sometimes our expectation might be a little bit too high for the first time he’s doing it.”
UPDATES FROM WEEK FOUR
The Spartans went through nine practices this spring prior to scrimmaging for the first time on Saturday, April 6. The Spartans understandably had some operational errors on that day.
“Coming out of that first scrimmage, the typical things: pre-snap penalties, and we had a number of turnovers, putting the ball on the ground, quarterback-center exchange, some of those basic things,” Lindgren said.
Simple center-quarterback exchanges wouldn’t seem like a source of errors for a college offense. But many of today’s high school quarterbacks operate solely out of the shot gun. Taking an old fashioned snap from under center, and executing a reverse pivot to conduct a handoff, requires more practice than you might think.
“Man, those first couple of practices, it’s interesting,” Lindgren said with a laugh. “I always keep that film and show it to them a couple years later to show them how uncomfortable they were with doing it. But they will be thankful as they get later in their career.”
Chiles became well-versed in handling a pro style quarterback last year at Oregon State.
Sixth-year senior Tommy Schuster, a transfer from the University of North Dakota, had a little bit of experience in playing under center prior to coming to Michigan State.
“He had some familiarity,” Lindgren said. “Most of these high school guys, not very much. I think getting them under the center a little bit is good for them. They’re doing that at the next level. I think the guys are excited about the opportunity to get comfortable with it.”
Coaches and players won’t reveal who committed the turnovers in the first scrimmage, but at least one running back fumbled as a result of penetration and a hard hit from defensive end Ken Talley.
“Too many pre-snap penalties that stalled drives out, and mental busts, assignment errors and then some fumbles,” Lindgren said. “It was maybe the second time we’ve gone live through the spring, and it was really good for our guys to see that and re-confirm that we need to do a good job of taking care of it.
“Positives: I thought we moved the ball, groups one through three. All three moved the ball at times. I thought for the first scrimmage, third down situations – particularly with that first group – we did a nice job of converting on some third downs and staying on the field.”
THE LATEST ON CHILES
Aidan Chiles photo courtesy Michigan State University.
Aidan Chiles (6-3, 213, Soph., Long Beach, Calif.) continues to impress teammates with his leadership and talent.
“He can sling it,” said wide receiver Alante Brown, who played quarterback in high school.
Chiles completed 68.6 percent of his passes last year (24-of-35) as a second-string true freshman with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
He is a threat to keep the ball on zone read options. Oregon State used the occasional designed QB sweep last year with Uiagalelei, and the same is possible if not likely with the swift-footed Chiles, who seems bigger than 6-foot-3.
Chiles is taking the bulk of the first-string reps for the first time in his college career.
“We are really challenging him on consistency,” Lindgren said. “As a young guy a year ago, you saw flashes where it’s one or two big-time plays and then there would be two or three mental mistakes or missing a throw here or not making a correct read. So I’ve really been challenging him on consistency and we’ve seen it at times but that is something where we are getting him to tighten up the details as he moves into the fall of just being consistent and stacking those quality, well-executed plays, one after another, being more consistent that way.”
Schuster (6-0, 204, 6-Sr., Macomb Twp, Mich. | Chippewa Valley High School) passed for more than 9,000 yards at North Dakota. He holds school records in passing yards, completions and TD passes (63).
He is expected to give Michigan State a ready, steady mind as a back-up for Chiles, eager to suit up as a Power Five QB for the first time, in his home state.
“Gosh, he’s just a savvy player and has a feel for the game,” Lindgren said of Schuster. “He made some plays in the two-minute situations (on Thursday). He had a really good practice on Tuesday. I think he only had one incompletion.
“You can tell that he has done it before and has been out there. He’s done a nice job of extending plays: ‘If something’s not there, I can move subtly in the pocket and make a play or extend it in the scramble drill and throw a nice catchable ball.’”
True freshmen Allesio Milivojevic (6-2, 220, Naperville, Ill. | St. Francis) and Ryland Jessee (6-4, 206, San Diego Helix) round out a brand new room of scholarship QBs, while fifth-year senior Andrew Schorfhaar (6-2, 198, Dewitt, Mich.) returns as a walk-on.
“For true freshmen, shoot it’s a big step up as far as the speed of the game goes,” Lindgren said. “I like those guys’ skill sets. Ryland shows some athleticism, did some nice things in the scrimmage. And I really like Allessio’s arm, strong arm, can push the ball down the field.
“Both of those guys have flashed and have done a nice job of learning it for true freshman. Drew has been in the program for a while and we enjoy having him in the room.”
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