Five reasons why Michigan State should have improved rushing offense in ’23
East Lansing, Mich. – The drop-off in rushing production for Michigan State between 2021 and 2022 was stark. Just one year after Doak Walker Award winning tailback Kenneth Walker III powered one of the better rushing offenses in the Big Ten, the Spartans ranked outside the Top 75 among FBS teams in every major rushing category last season.
While losing Walker to the NFL Draft following an 11-win season in 2021 was a significant factor in the decline of the Michigan State rushing offense last season, it was far from the only obstacle faced by the Spartan run-game operation. Depth and experience issues on the offensive line played a role in the inconsistency of the Spartan run game, as did mediocre run-blocking at the tight end position.
As Michigan State gets down to brass tacks in training camp with padded practice now underway, there is a conviction among players and coaches alike that the Spartan run game will be substantially improved this season. And at this point in training camp, there appears to be some merit in that belief.
Continue below for Five Reasons why Michigan State should have an improved rushing offense in 2023.
1. Greater accountability, less finger pointing
For the run game to work, everybody involved must be on the same page. That requires on-field chemistry and accountability at the player level, as well as execution. Running backs need to line up at the right depth, wait for blocking to develop, and hit the hole where the play is designed to go. Offensive linemen and tight ends must execute their blocking assignments. The same is true of wide receivers, given the truism that explosive runs almost always include at least one good downfield block by a receiver.
In instances where the Michigan State run-game operation failed last season, it was easy to point the finger at running backs for not being as talented as Kenneth Walker III, or the o-line for not being as good, deep, experienced, or physically mature their predecessors in 2021.
Improved chemistry both within and between various position groups involved in the run game at Michigan State has created an environment where players are holding each other accountable without the divisiveness created by blame shifting.
“They trust the offensive line,” running backs coach Effrem Reed said of the players in his meeting room. “This summer, they tried to do a lot of stuff together. Going out to eat, going bowling, trying to build that continuity and relationship. It has paid dividends. Right now, they are communicating more. They are talking more, calling each other out when they are wrong but doing it in a respectful manner. They are getting better, and they care about one another more than we did last year.”
2. Michigan State RB’s aren’t trying to be someone else
At this time last year, each of the tailbacks competing for carries felt the burden to fill the shoes of Kenneth Walker III. The pressure of trying to be the guy, that replaces the guy was immense, and the program’s running backs often found themselves trying to be something they weren’t. This season, Michigan State running backs are focused on being better versions of themselves.
“As a running back, you’ve got to take what the defense gives you,” UConn transfer Nathan Carter said. “If you are going for the big play, you are going to miss the little things, especially with the way that we run our offense. It’s one play at a time. We can’t be in a position where we are trying to score a touchdown each play … That’s just not realistic. That’s not the game of football.”
With padded practices underway, there is a long way to go before the depth chart at tailback is sorted out. The combination of returning players like Jalen Berger and Jordon Simmons, along with the addition of transfers like Carter and Jaren Mangham (South Florida), has been a source of optimism for the running back position.
“I am excited about the room,” offensive coordinator Jay Johnson said. “We’ve got some guys that have played, and we have an influx of some new guys in there. It is a good mix of backs.”
Along with Berger, Simmons, Carter, and Mangham, sophomore Davion Primm and freshman Jaelon Barbarin are also competing for rotation work during training camp. While no one player in the Michigan State running back room can give the team what Walker did two years ago, collectively the group features a solid mix of interchangeable pieces.
Carter is a good all-around tailback with some big-play potential and underappreciated physicality. Berger, who led the team in rushing a year ago is a quality receiving threat out of the backfield. He also showed improvement as a ball-carrier over the course of his first season at Michigan State. Mangham is a big-bodied tailback that could potentially provide much-needed physicality to the running back room. The veteran who began his college career at Colorado and played two seasons at South Florida is also a serious threat for one of the top two spots in the rotation at tailback. Simmons has improved as a pass protector to the point where he is a potential contender for a third-down role. Barbarin is the fastest player on the roster. Primm is also tracking in the right direction.
3. Michigan State backs are more detail oriented
In his analysis of running back performance in 2022, Reed determined that his players didn’t do enough of the little things right to run the football effectively on a consistent basis.
“I wanted to take notes on how detailed and disciplined we were,” said Reed. “There were times when we weren’t as detailed and disciplined as we should have been in certain situations. I understood where guys were coming from, but at the end of the day we have to be consistent with everything. If I tell you your toes have to be at seven and a half yards, that doesn’t mean seven, that doesn’t mean eight. Those little details are going to take us a long way.”
Michigan State tailbacks appear to have gotten the message. During interviews earlier this week both Mangham and Carter made multiple references to the importance of getting the details right this season.
“Coach Tucker and Coach Reed have really helped me out with just the little things in my game,” Carter said, “especially with being more efficient in the passing game and getting out and being able to read defenses faster. All these things that we were working on in the spring and now following into fall camp. Hopefully I will be able to take that into the game.”
It is hard to do the little things right, however, without real game experience to draw upon. Except for Barbarin and Primm, each scholarship tailback in the Spartan program right now has a strong foundation of in-game experience. (More on that later).
4. Improved depth, better experience on o-line
Talent level at running back isn’t always the determining factor when it comes to a successful rushing attack. It certainly helps, but the entire operation is set up to fail without adequate blocking.
While it remains to be seen whether Michigan State can get better than functional run blocking at the tight end position, the Spartan offensive line is likely to be much improved. Program running backs like what they are seeing from their counterparts on the o-line to this point in training camp.
“It has been really great working with those guys and seeing from spring until now how much they’ve improved,” Carter said. “Not just in the run game, but also in the pass game. For us as running backs, it is very critical that us and the o-line are on the same page. From the spring all the way until now, it’s just been working on those things as far as communication. It’s working on the little things that is going to help us each and every day and help us when we get to game time.”
Run game coordinator and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic faced a depth chart crisis at this time last year. Lack of depth on the o-line during spring football in 2022 put the Spartans behind schedule going into fall camp. Depth issues, inexperience, and injuries at key positions lowered the ceiling for the rushing offense last season.
A lot has changed in the past 12 months.
Michigan State returns five offensive linemen with starting experience in 2023 including center Nick Samac, left guard JD Duplain, and right guard Geno Vandemark. Brandon Baldwin started five games at left tackle last and Spencer Brown started 12 games at right tackle last season. Many of those starters are being pushed by rising underclassmen like Ethan Boyd, a third-year offensive tackle. Newcomers like junior college All-American Keyshawn Blackstock have also added to the level of competition and depth up front. Then there is also a strong group of second-year offensive linemen that have the size that Spartans covet for the o-line.
“I look at the tackle and interior position guys and Kap is moving those guys around all of the time,” Johnson said. “I am excited, because if you go back to ’21 for the greater part of the year, until we got a little bit dinged, we were playing 10 guys a lot. I think we can be in that world. I don’t know if we will be quite that extreme, but we are approaching that. You look at some second-year guys that have been in the program now and have grown by leaps and bounds. You look at some of the third-year guys. You look at Keyshawn coming into the program. As we progress, I hope we can get to that because it’s going to help us all.”
5. Michigan State has good experience at RB
At this time last year, Elijah Collins was the returning running back with the most experience in the Michigan State program. Collins transferred out of the program last winter, but the addition Carter (UConn) and Mangham (South Florida) has given the Spartans more maturity at tailback than has typically been the case at the position during the Tucker era.
The fact that both Carter and Mangham joined the Michigan State program in January and participated in winter conditioning and spring football has enabled them to gel with their teammates to the extent that both occupy leadership roles. That is not typically the case with summer-arriving transfers like Jarek Broussard (Colorado) last season. Mangham’s experience in Jay Johnson’s offense from his time at Colorado has also made him a resource for younger players like Barbarin and Primm. Even returning players like Berger, Primm, and Simmons can learn something from the experience of Mangham and Carter, who have combined to play in 48 college games with 17 starting assignments between them.
“We all attack practice to make each other better,” Carter said. “We are trying to make sure that we are all improving on our craft. It is very competitive but at the end of the day we are all helping each other because we are going to need everybody.”
Relatively inexperienced entering his first season at Michigan State in 2022, Berger has started more college football games than either Carter or Mangham. As a sophomore for the Spartans, Berger logged 11 starts in 12 games for Michigan State while leading the team in yards per carry, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.
Although he has started fewer college games than Mangham, Carter, or Berger, Simmons is another experienced tailback with 30 games under his belt as a Spartan, including a pair of starts. One of those starts was in a New Year’s Six win over ACC Champion Pittsburgh in the 2021 Peach Bowl.
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