Flipping the Script: MSU Football's 2017 Turnaround

The 2016 season for the Michigan State Spartans football team could not have gone any worse than anticipated following the 2015 season which featured a B1G championship and College Football Playoff appearance. The off season following the 3-9 2016 season was clouded by suspensions of four players for alleged criminal conduct which resulted them being kicked off the team during the summer (three in one case, one in the other). All four were highly touted recruits from the 2016 class. There were also other departures from players as result of locker room disputes.

It's safe to say the expectations were not high for the Spartans going into the 2017 season, especially for a team that was one of the youngest in the country. One of the problems for the 2016 team was on defense and a lack of any kind of pass rush. Despite the departures of both Joshua King and Auston Robertson - two top prospects from the 2016 class dismissed - the defensive line, led by former walk-on defensive end Kenny Willekes and sophomore Raequan Williams, turned the ship around in 2017. They defense amassed nearly triple the number of sacks (28 from 11) from the previous year, with Willekes leading the team with 7.


One of the perceived strengths for the team was it's running game, led by junior tailback L.J. Scott with senior Gerald Holmes and junior Madre London making for a three-man rotation. It was believed these three would split carries and create havoc like a three-headed monster, yet the threat of sophomore QB Brian Lewerke running the ball that made the running game so effective. "White Lightning," as he became nicknamed, ended up totaling the second highest number of carries after Scott and helped lead their rushing game by keeping defenses guessing who would take off with the ball. 

To look at the season in a big picture sense, the AP poll rankings for MSU when the 2016 season started vs the 2017 season really show the turnaround. After starting the year 2-0 and reaching #8 in the AP poll in 2016, they quickly plummeted and only won one more game afterwards. The 2017 saw success out of the gate, and after a 4-1 start featuring back-to-back wins over Iowa and #7 Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Spartans debuted in the AP poll at #21. They never left it since, and actually were ranked higher in the CFP rankings when those were unveiled later in the season. The Spartans peaked at #13 following an upset win over Penn State at home and are now poised for a top non-New Years Six bowl game in January.



Sources: http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2017-2018/teamcume.html
http://www.espn.com/college-football/rankings/_/week/7/year/2017/seasontype/2

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