{"id":13980,"date":"2023-08-18T11:33:43","date_gmt":"2023-08-18T16:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=13980"},"modified":"2023-08-18T11:33:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T16:33:43","slug":"michigan-state-coaches-determined-to-have-more-success-in-run-game-this-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/michigan-state-coaches-determined-to-have-more-success-in-run-game-this-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan State coaches determined to have more success in run game this fall"},"content":{"rendered":"

East Lansing, Mich.<\/em> \u2013 One of many themes that has emerged from Michigan State\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> fall camp has been the Spartans\u2019 emphasis on running the football effectively. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be able to run the ball better on a more consistent basis,\u201d Michigan State<\/a><\/strong> head coach Mel Tucker<\/a> <\/strong>said after practice Monday.<\/p>\n

Offensive coordinator Jay Johnson<\/a><\/strong> and running backs coach Effrem Reed<\/a><\/strong> also spoke on the importance of the run game prior to the Aug. 12 scrimmage. Johnson feels Michigan State\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> depth at the running back position will help the Spartans\u2019 rushing attack overall. <\/p>\n

Michigan State<\/a><\/strong> added transfer running back Nathan Carter<\/a><\/strong> this offseason. The former UConn<\/strong> product has impressed with his athleticism and burst this fall. South Florida<\/strong> transfer Jaren Mangham<\/a><\/strong> and last year\u2019s starter Jalen Berger<\/a><\/strong> are also competing in the running back room. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of guys in the running back room who have played a ton of college football and guys that can do some different things, which will help us find some consistency,\u201d Johnson said. <\/p>\n

Reed said that a lot of Michigan State\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> running backs tried to emulate Kenneth Walker III<\/a><\/strong> last season. While it\u2019s good to have a guy like Walker to look up to, Reed wants his current players to focus on the basics first.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is K-9,\u201d Reed said. \u201cWe just need to find consistency and do the right things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walker had many highlight-reel runs in 2021, but his attention to detail in pass protection and ability to make the correct reads are what set him up for that success. Michigan State\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> running backs have worked to follow that mindset this fall. <\/p>\n

Michigan State prioritzing positional blocking<\/h2>\n

Tucker said Carter had some explosive runs in Monday\u2019s practice and in the Spartans\u2019 scrimmage on Aug. 12, which came as no surprise to Reed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNate has homerun, 75-yard touchdown potential on any given play,\u201d Reed said.<\/p>\n

Tucker pointed out that Carter\u2019s big run in practice might not have happened without the help of redshirt freshman wide receiver Antonio Gates, Jr.<\/a><\/strong>, however. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for Antonio Gates making a huge block, he wouldn\u2019t have scored on that play,\u201d Tucker said.<\/p>\n

For Michigan State<\/a><\/strong> to succeed in the run game, tight end and wide receiver blocking will have to be a priority. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have 10 guys doing their job, but if one guy\u2019s not doing his job, like missing a block, you have a broken play,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get everybody on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson mentioned that starting tight end Maliq Carr<\/a><\/strong> continues to improve his run-blocking ability after struggling in that area at times last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always known he can run and catch the ball, but what he\u2019s been able to do in the run game (as a blocker) has made him a complete player,\u201d Johnson said of Carr. <\/p>\n

The current state of college football, with NIL and the transfer portal, makes it harder for teams to gel quickly. Michigan State<\/a><\/strong>, however, prioritized team chemistry this offseason \u2013 a key component to the harmonious mindset needed for an effective rushing attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team chemistry is better and it\u2019s obvious,\u201d Tucker said. \u201cEveryone is selfless and you see a different example of that everyday in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Michigan State coaches determined to have more success in run game this fall<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

East Lansing, Mich. \u2013 One of many themes that has emerged from Michigan State\u2019s fall…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13980\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}