Coaching, Secondary Must Improve to Beat Irish

MSU has won on Irish land for six straight years. In order for that to continue, the Spartans will need to greatly surpass their performance against Central Michigan. In a game in which the Spartans must win in order to avoid what could be a deadly slide, both MSU’s coaches and the defensive secondary must be much, much better.

 

Central Michigan exposed many holes in the MSU secondary last week. When MSU went Cover 2, Central found the holes beyond the cornerbacks. When MSU covered Man, Central found easy passes in the flats. All of which allowed the Chips to march down the field with little effort. Yes, Central had a great quarterback. But, so does Notre Dame. Not only that, but Notre Dame also has outstanding wide receivers. If the coaches don’t find some way to prevent Jimmy Clausen from exposing the secondary, the Spartans could be in for a long afternoon.

 

As far as personnel are concerned, the Spartans have made a move in the secondary. According to the depth chart, Mark Dantonio has pushed the sophomore free safety, Trenton Robinson, to the front of the pack. Robinson will get his first career start as a Spartan.

 

In related news, it’s time Mark Dantonio and his staff settles on a quarterback, and stop making an issue out of who the starter will be. It was obvious to most that Kirk Cousins was the better passer against Central, thus he seems to deserve the start. Nichol is certainly going to see some field time this year; but, announcing the starter is turning into a circus in East Lansing, and may be becoming a distraction.