CSD MAG TEASER: After a 3-9 season, where will Michigan State go in 2017

If you don’t know what the CSD Mag is, check out this link –> crazysportsdude.com/announcement

After a disastrous 2016 campaign, where the Spartans missed out on bowl season for the first team in ten years, Mike D’Antonio and company look to rebound. The past three seasons before 2016 (2013-2015) Michigan State either made the college football playoff, or a New Year’s Six Bowl, when the Spartans seemingly fell off of a cliff last year, it was shocking. Michigan State will almost surely improve this year, but with the investigation into a possible Title IX sill ongoing, the full focus of the program might be on more important issues than football.

Last year, the Michigan State fall was orchestrated by two things, turnovers, and letting up big plays. The defensive issue is the bigger one, especially considering the Spartans lose their best defensive player in Malik McDowell, as well as three of their four starting players in the secondary. Last year Michigan State only sacked the quarterback eleven times, averaging less than once a game, that will need to change if the want to get back to the 8 or 9 win seasons they are used to. The schedule isn’t ideal for a team trying to rebound, the Spartans get both Michigan and Ohio State on the road, and they draw Minnesota (road), Northwestern (road), and Iowa (home) from the West division.

The offense will get the lions share of the attention this offseason. It wasn’t bad last year, in fact, the Spartans actually averaged more yards per game in 2016 than they did during their playoff run the year prior. The problem for Michigan State, is that they turned the ball over way too much. New quarterback Brian Lewerke will try and change that. Lewerke, a redshirt sophmore, played in four games last year, and showed signs of brilliance before breaking his leg. If Lewerke can get comfortable in the pocket and find a good solid target such as former cornerback-turned-receiver Donnie Corley, that will open the door for the run game. LJ Scott and Gerald Holmes is one of the best 1-2 combos at runningback in the country, and while the offensive line is young, the tandem should be able to rack out a bunch of yards as long as Lewerke can take some pressure off of them.