DotComp: Michigan State is 3-0, but 'internal standards' remain elusive

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State is 3-0 for the first time since 2021 and only the second time since 2015. But no one was in the mood to plant a flag after the Spartans' inconsistent 41-24 victory over Youngstown State, Saturday at Spartan Stadium.  Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith was pleased about the progress of players like quarterback Aidan Chiles, tight end Jack Velling, tight end Michael Masunas, the kicking game, the punt return game, and Omari Kelly as an all-purpose threat. Nick Marsh was dominant in the first half. But the list didn’t get much longer than that. Michigan State’s tailback ground game was largely a no-show. Other than a couple Chiles scrambles in the first half and three designed keepers in the fourth quarter, Michigan State didn’t generate enough on the ground.  Michigan State did a good job of punching the ball into the end zone with its tailback run game when the Spartans got inside the 10-yard line. But consistency was lacking in other areas of the field, despite the stats showing 174 yards rushing for the Spartans by the end of the game. Forty-five yards rushing in the final five minutes of mop-up time fluffed those numbers. The fact that Chiles was still on the field in the fourth quarter against an FCS opponent in an era when Power Four teams had been blowing out FCS opponents by an average of 52-7 prior to this weekend, was a failure in and of itself. Out of respect for the opponent, a good-hearted coach isn't going to come out and say that. But that's the way I saw it. (MORE inside SpartanMag. Join SpartanMag now - $1 for the first week - and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.)