2018 Michigan State Spartans football team

American college football season

2018 Spartan Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019  →

2018 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$		8	–	1					13	–	1
No. 14 Michigan x		8	–	1					10	–	3
No. 17 Penn State		6	–	3					9	–	4
Michigan State		5	–	4					7	–	6
Maryland		3	–	6					5	–	7
Indiana		2	–	7					5	–	7
Rutgers		0	–	9					1	–	11
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy		8	–	1					9	–	5
Wisconsin		5	–	4					8	–	5
No. 25 Iowa		5	–	4					9	–	4
Purdue		5	–	4					6	–	7
Minnesota		3	–	6					7	–	6
Nebraska		3	–	6					4	–	8
Illinois		2	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, and competed in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 12th-year head coach Mark Dantonio.

The Spartans returned 19 starters from their

AP Poll. In the second game of the year, the team was upset on the road by unranked Arizona State. The team fell out of the top 25 after falling to Northwestern on homecoming, but bounced back with a road win against then-No. 8 Penn State. The Spartan offense struggled mightily in the second half of the season, and the team failed to score more than 7 points in losses to Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska. They finished the regular season in fourth in the East Division with a conference record of 5–4. Michigan State was invited to the Redbox Bowl, where they lost to Oregon

by a score of 7–6, which matched their final record.

The team was characterized by a stark dichotomy in performance between offense and defense; the defense finished in the top ten nationally in six categories, while the offense finished in the bottom 20 nationally in six categories.[1] Junior quarterback Brian Lewerke led the team in passing, finishing the year with 2,040 passing yards, 8 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.^[2] He was replaced by redshirt freshman Rocky Lombardi in several games as Lewerke struggled with injuries and poor performance. Connor Heyward, replacing the injured LJ Scott, led the team in rushing. On defense, Kenny Willekes led the Big Ten in tackles for a loss (21), and was named the conference's Defensive Lineman of the Year.^[3] Linebacker Joe Bachie was also an impact player, being named first team all-conference by the coaches.^[3]

Offseason

2018 NFL Draft

MSU kept its streak of 78 years of having at least one player drafted in the NFL Draft alive when Brian Allen was drafted in the fourth round.^[4]

Round	Pick	Team	Player	Position
4	111	Los Angeles Rams	Brian Allen	Offensive lineman

Additionally, one player, Chris Frey Jr., was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.^[5]

Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Xavier Henderson DB	Pickerington, Ohio	Pickerington High School Central	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	Sep 9, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Trenton Gillison TE	Pickerington, Ohio	Pickerington High School Central	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Theo Day QB	Dearborn, Michigan	Divine Child High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	Feb 26, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Christian Jackson CB	Marietta, Georgia	Lassiter High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Mar 1, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Edward Warinner LB	Powell, Ohio	Olentangy Liberty High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	Apr 12, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Michael Dowell DB	North Ridgeville, Ohio	St. Edward High School (Lakewood)	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	May 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jeslord Boateng LB	Dublin, Ohio	Dublin Coffman High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jun 12, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Davion Williams CB	Belleville, Michigan	Belleville High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jun 17, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dimitri Douglas OT	Saline, Michigan	Saline High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	282 lb (128 kg)	Jun 19, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jacob Slade DE	Lewis Center, Ohio	Olentangy High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	Jun 25, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Zachary Slade DE	Lewis Center, Ohio	Olentangy High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Jun 25, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Javez Alexander WR	Sandusky, Ohio	Sandusky High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 28, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Parks Gissinger DE	West Hills, California	Chaminade College Preparatory School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	227 lb (103 kg)	Jul 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chase Kline LB	Chardon, Ohio	Chardon High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jul 25, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Julian Major WR	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Penn Hills High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
James Ohonba OT	Stockbridge, Georgia	Woodland High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	345 lb (156 kg)	Sep 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Elijah Collins RB	Detroit, Michigan	University of Detroit Jesuit High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Sep 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jacob Isaia OG	Las Vegas, Nevada	Bishop Gorman High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Oct 1, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kalon Gervin CB	Detroit, Michigan	Cass Technical High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Dec 2, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
La'Darius Jefferson QB	Muskegon, Michigan	Muskegon High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	Dec 9, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jalen Nailor WR	Las Vegas, Nevada	Bishop Gorman High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Feb 3, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 26, 2018.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Chuck Bednarik Award[6]	Joe Bachie	LB	JR
Maxwell Award[7]	Brian Lewerke	QB	JR
	LJ Scott	RB	SR
Davey O'Brien Award[8]	Brian Lewerke	QB	JR
Doak Walker Award[9]	LJ Scott	RB	SR
Butkus Award[10]	Joe Bachie	LB	JR
Jim Thorpe Award[11]	David Dowell	S	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[12]	Joe Bachle	LB	JR
Outland Trophy[13]	David Beedle	G	SR
Ray Guy Award[14]	Jake Hartbarger	P	SR
Wuerffel Trophy[15]	Khari Willis	DB	SR
Walter Camp Award[16]	Brian Lewerke	QB	JR
Ted Hendricks Award[17]	Kenny Willekes	DE	JR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[18]	Brian Lewerke	QB	JR
Manning Award[19]	Brian Lewerke	QB	JR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Utah State*	No. 11	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	BTN	W 38–31	73,114
September 8	10:45 p.m.	at ESPN	L 13–16	53,599
September 22	7:30 p.m.	at Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry )	BTN	W 35–21	45,445
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Central Michigan*	No. 21	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	W 31–20	73,752
October 6	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern	No. 20	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 19–29	72,850
October 13	3:30 p.m.	at No. 8 rivalry )	BTN	W 21–17	106,685
October 20	12:00 p.m.	No. 6 Michigan	No. 24	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	FOX	L 7–21	76,131
October 27	12:00 p.m.	Purdue		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN	W 23–13	72,657
November 3	12:00 p.m.	at Maryland Stadium College Park, MD	ESPN2	W 24–3	31,735
November 10	12:00 p.m.	No. 8 Ohio State	No. 24	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FOX	L 6–26	74,633
November 17	12:00 p.m.	at Nebraska		Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE	FOX	L 6–9	88,793
November 24	4:00 p.m.	Rutgers		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FOX	W 14–10	64,951
December 31	3:00 p.m.	vs. Oregon*		Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA (Redbox Bowl)	FOX	L 6–7	30,212
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Source^[20]

Personnel

Roster

2018 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 3 LJ Scott Sr WR 4 C. J. Hayes  Fr QB 6 Theo Day Fr WR 7 Cody White So WR 9 Jalen Nailor Fr RB 11 Connor Heyward So WR 12 Nick Krumm  Jr QB 12 Rocky Lombardi  Fr QB 13 Mickey Macius  Sr WR 13 Laress Nelson So WR 14 Emmanuel Flowers  Fr QB 14 Brian Lewerke (C)  Jr RB 15 La'Darius Jefferson Fr RB 16 Austin Andrews  So WR 16 Brandon Sowards  Sr WR 18 Felton Davis III Sr WR 19 Julian Major Fr WR 20 David Lewandowski  Jr WR 21 Cam Chambers  So RB 24 Elijah Collins Fr WR 25 Darrell Stewart Jr.  Jr RB 27 Weston Bridges  Fr RB 36 Noah Sargent  So RB 39 Alante Thomas  So FB 40 Collin Lucas  Sr FB 41 Reid Burton  So FB 44 Max Rosenthal  Fr FB 45 Ben Line  Sr OT 55 Jordan Reid So G 56 Matt Carrick  Fr G 59 David Beedle  Sr OT 61 Cole Chewins  Jr OT 62 Luke Campbell  So OT 63 Noah Listermann  Jr OL 64 Matt Allen  So OL 66 Blake Bueter  Fr OL 67 Bryce Wilker  Jr OT 68 Dan Vanopstall Fr OL 69 Tommy Liesveld  So OL 70 Tyler Higby  Jr OL 71 James Ohonba Fr OL 73 Jacob Isaia Fr OL 74 Jack Henrichs  Fr G 75 Kevin Jarvis So OT 76 A. J. Arcuri  So OL 77 Dimitri Douglas Fr OT 79 Mustafa Khaleefah  Fr TE 80 Matt Seybert  Jr TE 81 Matt Sokol  Sr WR 82 Javez Alexander Fr TE 84 Noah Davis  So WR 85 Khylin Barton  So TE 86 Jonathan Brys (I)  So WR 87 Jahz Watts  Fr TE 88 Trenton Gillison Fr WR 88 Andre Welch So TE 89 Matt Dotson So TE 94 Chase Gianacakos  Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 2 Justin Layne Jr S 3 Xavier Henderson Fr LB 5 Andrew Dowell Sr S 6 David Dowell  Jr S 7 Michael Dowell Fr CB 8 Chris Jackson Fr S 9 Dominique Long So S 10 Matt Morrissey  Sr CB 11 Davion Williams Fr LB 17 Tyriq Thompson  Jr CB 18 Kalon Gervin Fr CB 19 Josh Butler  Jr LB 21 Chase Kline Fr CB 22 Josiah Scott So S 24 Tre Person So LB 26 Brandon Bouyer-Randle  So S 27 Khari Willis (C) Sr LB 28 Jon Reschke  Sr DB 29 Shakur Brown  Fr LB 30 Tanner Hallock  Fr LB 31 Edward Warinner Fr DB 32 Corey Pryor  So LB 33 Jesslord Boateng Fr LB 34 Antjuan Simmons So LB 35 Joe Bachie (C) Jr CB 36 Jiah Norman  Fr LB 37 Dante Razzano  So LB 38 Byron Bullough  Sr DL 41 Gerald Owens  Sr DE 42 Brent Mossburg  Fr S 43 Jack Mandryk  Fr LB 44 Grayson Miller Sr LB 47 Noah Harvey  Fr DE 48 Kenny Willekes  Jr S 49 David Kruse Fr DE 52 Dillon Alexander  Sr LB 53 Peter Fisk  So LB 54 Mitchell Sokol  Fr DE 55 Zach Slade Fr LB 58 Terry O'Connor Fr DT 64 Jacob Slade Fr DT 72 Mike Panasiuk Jr DT 83 Mufi Hill-Hunt  So DL 86 Drew Beesley  So DE 91 Jack Camper  Fr DE 92 DeAri Todd  Fr DT 93 Naquan Jones  So DT 94 Dashaun Mallory Fr DE 96 Jacub Panasiuk So DE 97 Justice Alexander  Jr DE 98 Parks Gissinger Fr DT 99 Raequan Williams  Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 4 Matt Coghlin  So P 25 Jake Hartbarger  Sr LS 47 Ryan Armour Jr LS 57 Collin Caflisch  Jr P 92 William Przystup Fr P 94 Jack McKenna  Fr K 97 Tyler Hunt  Fr K 98 Cole Hahn  Fr	Head coach Mark Dantonio Coordinators/assistant coaches Mark Staten (Assistant head coach / Offensive Line) Mike Tressel (Co-Defensive coordinator / Linebackers) Dave Warner (Co-Offensive Coordinator / Running Backs) Jim Bollman (Co-Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends) Chuck Bullough (Defensive Ends) Ron Burton (Defensive Tackles) Brad Salem (Quarterbacks) Paul Haynes (Secondary / Special Teams) Terrence Samuel (Wide Receivers) Don Treadwell (Asst. Defensive Backs) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 29, 2018

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Coaching staff

On January 2, 2018, Harlon Barnett was hired as defensive coordinator for Florida State, leaving the Spartans after spending the previous 14 years with head coach Mark Dantonio.^[21] On January 19, the school announced that co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel was promoted to defensive coordinator with the departure of Barnett.^[22]

Also on January 19, former Kent State head coach Paul Haynes was hired as the secondary coach.^[22][23] Haynes, who was fired from Kent State after five seasons as head coach,^[24] returned to the Spartans after serving as defensive backs coach from 2003 to 2004. On January 22, the school announced the hiring of former Kent State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell, who had coached with the Spartans on two prior occasions, as a defensive backs and special teams coach.^[25] On February 1, the school hired Chuck Bullough as defensive ends coach.^[26]

Name	Position	Joined staff
Mark Dantonio	Head coach	2007
Mark Staten	Assistant head coach/ offensive line	2007
Dave Warner	Running Backs	2007
Jim Bollman	Tight Ends	2013
Mike Tressel	linebackers	2007
Brad Salem	Quarterbacks	2010
Terrence Samuel	Wide receivers	2011
Ron Burton	Defensive Tackles	2013
Chuck Bullough	Defensive Ends	2018
Don Treadwell	Assistant Defensive Backs/Special Teams, Freshmen	2018
Paul Haynes	Secondary	2018

Game summaries

Utah State

See also: 2018 Utah State Aggies football team

Series Record	Previous meeting	Result
First meeting

Week One: Utah State at Michigan State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Utah State	7	7	10	7	31
No. 11 Michigan State	6	14	7	11	38

at

East Lansing, MI

• Date: August 31, 2018
• Game time: 7:01 pm
  EDT
• Game weather: 80°F, Wind: 11 mph SSE, Sunny
• Game attendance: 73,114
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (Play-by-play), Glen Mason (analyst), Elise Menaker (sideline)
• Sources:^[27]

Game information

First Quarter (12:58) USU TD: Love 1 yard rush, Eberle kick Utah State 7–0; 8 plays, 70 yards, 2:02 (9:34) MSU FG: Coghlin 49 yard field goal Utah State 7–3; 5 plays, 43 yards, 3:21 (2:58) MSU FG: Coghlin 32 yard field goal Utah State 7–6; 9 plays, 34 yards, 5:03 Second Quarter (10:49) MSU TD: White 7 yard pass from Lewerke, Coghlin kick Michigan State 13–7; 4 plays, 42 yards, 1:16 (6:55) USU TD: Thompson 2 yard rush, Eberle kick good Utah State 14–13; 10 plays, 72 yards, 3:48 (0:28) MSU TD: Davis 10 yard pass from Lewerke, Coghlin kick Michigan State 20–14; 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:27 Third Quarter (9:06) MSU TD: Heyward 17 yard rush, Coghlin kick Michigan State 27–14; 11 plays, 81 yards, 5:43 (2:00) USU FG: Eberle 40 yard field goal Michigan State 27–17; 8 plays, 28 yards, 3:17 (1:50) USU TD: Ferguson 40 yard interception return, Eberle kick Michigan State 27–24 Fourth Quarter (10:27) MSU FG: Coghlin 24 yard field goal Michigan State 30–24; 14 plays, 38 yards, 1:27 (5:05) USU TD: Thompson 1 yard rush, Eberle kick Utah State 31–30; 17 plays, 63 yards, 5:18 (2:00) MSU TD: Heyward 13 yard rush, 2-point pass good Michigan State 38–31; 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:05 Passing USU – Jordan Love: 29/44, 319 yards, 2 INT MSU – Brian Lewerke: 23/33, 287 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing USU – Darwin Thompson: 10 carries, 28 yards, 2 TD MSU – LJ Scott: 23 carries, 84 yards Receiving USU – Dax Raymond: 7 receptions, 76 yards MSU – Darrell Stewart Jr.: 7 receptions, 55 yards

The Spartans opened the 2018 season under the lights at home against Mountain West opponent Utah State.

Utah State received the opening kickoff and took little time scoring on their opening drive, taking only just over two minutes to score on a Jordan Love one-yard run. The MSU offense stalled at midfield on their first drive, but Matt Coghlin made a 49-yard field goal to put the Spartans on the board, 7–3. After a turnover on downs on the following Utah State possession, Michigan State added another field goal, bringing them within a point. The second quarter featured sloppy play from both teams. As Michigan State was driving into Utah State territory, Brian Lewerke was sacked and attempted to throw the ball away. After review, the officials determined that Lewerke had not completed a forward throwing motion, that he had fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Utah State. However, the Aggies did not score off of the turnover. Several possessions later, the Aggies committed a turnover of their own when Jordan Love threw an interception that resulted in Michigan State points when Brian Lewerke connected with Cody White on a seven-yard pass for a touchdown. The score gave the Spartans their first lead of the game, 13–7. Utah State answered with a touchdown of their own on the following possession, retaking the lead 14–13. The Spartan offense drove deep into Utah State territory and Felton Davis scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brian Lewerke with 28 seconds left in the half to give MSU a 20–14 lead at halftime.

The Spartans extended their lead after in the second half when a 17-yard Connor Heyward touchdown run increased their lead to 27–14. Late in the third quarter, Utah State added a field goal to narrow the lead to 27–17. The following Michigan State possession ended in disaster when a Brian Lewerke pass intended for Jalen Nailor was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Gage Ferguson to bring Utah State within three, 27–24. Michigan State increase their lead with a field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Utah State retook the lead with five minutes remaining in the game on a Darwin Thompson one-yard touchdown run. Brian Lewerke led the offense down the field the following possession, completing five straight passes before Connor Heyward scored the go-ahead touchdown on an option pitch from Lewerke to give Michigan State a 36–31 lead with two minutes remaining. Lewerke then connected with Davis on the two-point conversion pass to give MSU a 38–31 lead. With less than two minutes remaining, Utah State drove the ball to the MSU 46-yard line. However, MSU linebacker Joe Bachie leapt to deflect a pass and secured the interception to seal the win for the Spartans, avoiding a major upset. Michigan State extended its home opening winning streak to 20 games with the victory.

At Arizona State

Central Michigan