Michigan State football stock watch: Keon Coleman breaks out vs. Michigan
Free Press sports writer Chris Solari breaks down the Michigan State football players who helped or hurt their stock in the Spartans’ 29-7 loss on Saturday at No. 4 Michigan.
Three up
WR Keon Coleman: The sophomore put together a highlight reel early, with four of his five catches and 104 of his career-high 155 yards coming in the first half. That included his sixth touchdown catch of the season, a leaping 26-yard grab between two defenders two plays after the 6-foot-4 Coleman beat U-M’s Gemon Green for a 29-yard catch by using his leaping ability and quick hands over the 6-2 cornerback. Coleman also had grabs of 27 and 22 yards on consecutive plays on MSU’s next possession, then in the fourth quarter raced away from Wolverines for a 51-yarder on his only second-half catch after drawing double teams.
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CB Ronald Williams Jr.: Williams replaced Ameer Speed at the outset of the second half and put together a strong showing opposite Charles Brantley, finishing with two tackles and providing sticky coverage. The former Alabama transfer made a leaping pass breakup on a deep pass that got negated by an MSU penalty up front. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy threw for just 57 second-half yards on 6 of 12 passing after Williams took over.
S Kendell Brooks: After missing the Wisconsin win due to an undisclosed injury, the senior returned to start next to Xavier Henderson and flew all over the field. Brooks had a team-high three tackles for a loss, two of those while spying on McCarthy, while also aiding in run support to finish with 11 tackles. It was the former Division II player’s third game in his last four with double-digit stops.
Three down
Suspended players: A postgame fight in the tunnel leading to the locker rooms led MSU coach Mel Tucker to suspend four players for their roles. Junior safety Angelo Grose has started all eight games this season, while freshman defensive end Zion Young started the past two and had a career-high seven tackles Saturday. That leaves the Spartans shorthanded at two key positions with four games left, needing three wins for a bowl berth. Reserve defensive end Itayvion Brown and backup defensive back Khary Crump also are out indefinitely as the Big Ten and the two schools investigate, and Tucker in a statement Sunday night said more players could face punishment.
More:Mel Tucker suspends 4 Michigan State football players for altercation at U-M
Offensive line: It started with left tackle Jarrett Horst’s third unsportsmanlike conduct flag and a false start on right guard Matt Carrick. Though the Spartans gave Payton Thorne enough time to throw deep to Coleman early in the game, they wore down up front as the Wolverines’ defensive line pounded on them. MSU was stuffed twice on fourth-and-1 in the opening half. Thorne got sacked on the final play before halftime and again early in the fourth quarter. The Spartans finished with just 37 rushing yards on 23 carries, including 3 yards on five second-half attempts (not including 21 lost yards on a bad punt snap).
Linebackers: While Cal Haladay and Jacoby Windmon led the Spartans with 13 and 12 tackles, respectively, both looked lost and slow in pass defense over the middle against the Wolverines in the first half as McCarthy hit 9 of 11 passes to start the game, including a 28-yarder to running back Donovan Edwards and an 18-yarder to tight end Luke Schoonmaker with Windmon in coverage and another 24-yarder to Schoonmaker against Haladay. MSU also struggled to spy on McCarthy, who ran for 50 yards on seven attempts.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: Keon Coleman breaks out vs. Michigan
