Michigan State RB Nate Carter eager to see how team grows after productive spring

Nate Carter showed on Saturday why many considered him one of Michigan State’s biggest returners from last season. The redshirt junior running back combined for 74 yards and two touchdowns during the scrimmaging portion of the Spartans’ Spring Showcase, which resulted in a 31-24 win for the offense.

Carter’s performance served as a reminder of his talent and skill after he led Michigan State’s rushing attack last season, totaling 185 carries for 798 yards and four touchdowns. He accumulated 66 percent of the carries among Michigan State’s running backs last year.

But Michigan State still finished the season with a forgettable 4-8 record. This fall, Carter hopes to lead the Spartans to greater team success while building on his individual accomplishments.

“The fact that coach (Jonathan) Smith brought an offense in here that’s a pro-style offense helps me improve my game, which I think will not only let me, but also this offense in general, continue to be strong,” Carter said after the showcase. “So I love the offense, I’m excited about it. We’re going to make a lot of great plays, explosive plays as you saw today.”

Though Michigan State’s offense won the scrimmage, the attention to detail on both sides of the ball impressed Carter. He hopes that will carry over into the summer.

“That was one of the main things we wanted to focus on this spring, is doing simple things right,” Carter said. “I think that we did that, offensively and defensively. It was a great competitive game and it was a great atmosphere. Shout out to the crowd, the fans, everyone who showed up. It was just great to see everybody out there cheering on the Spartans in Spartan Stadium. It was a good day for us.”

Michigan State’s offensive line was perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the scrimmage due to a lack of available bodies. After the scrimmage, however, Smith said that the offensive line had one of its best days of the spring.

Carter echoed those sentiments. He thought that the offensive line moved well as a unit, especially considering their personnel shortcomings. Their attention to detail impressed Carter as well.

“It all goes back to the details, and that’s what we’ve focused on,” Carter said. “Really this week of practice was focusing on the little details. As we were progressing throughout the spring and learning the offense, as things started to pick up, the details started to simmer. So we just had to take a step back and make sure that we focus on those little details.”

With Smith’s first spring ball in the books, Michigan State will now take some time off before getting into summer workouts. Carter expects his teammates to attack the summer with the same energy and enthusiasm they had this spring.

“From the moment spring ball started to now, the energy’s been high,” Carter said. “Guys are excited. They want to come into the building. Guys have a smile on their face, coaches have a smile on their face. We’re connecting more with the coaches on a personal level, not just on a football level. Those guys want to get to know us as men and help us grow as men.

“I think that’s what was missing last year. That’s what’s important for this staff, is helping us grow not just as football players, but as men. You can see how we’re all having fun with the defense. Even when we’re competing out there, we’re having fun. We love each other and we’re going to continue to keep building. As we continue to go through the summer and go through the fall and continue to grow in that aspect of building that team chemistry with one another. It really is a family, and that’s what we treat as: A family.”

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