Without a running game MSU is grounded offensively.

You want to know how to beat MSU?

Force them to run the football.

It’s that simple.

For the first two years of the Dantonio regime the running game was what carried this team offensively. It was a key, the bread and butter formula Dantonio instituted for playing winning football. If you could stop the MSU running game you more than likely had MSU beat.

Dantonio used the pieces and parts of an offensive line that was adequate in controling most opponents, and with two dependable running backs (Caulcrick and Ringer) to implement his plan it worked. Caulcrick left after the 2007 season, and MSU was unable to find a suitable replacement for him last year. Ringer had a successful 2008 season statistically, but his body took a pounding as he alone was the MSU rushing game.

This year MSU potentially has three, possibly four backs capable of putting up Ringer like numbers. Unfortunately for all these backs they are running behind an OL that hasn’t proven it can effectively run block. It is the most glaring weakness of the Spartan team this young season. To be fair the MSU passing game has looked good, but it is not going to take long for defensive coordinators to realize that MSU’s strength is passing and dropping seven men into coverage will shut down the offense. There is no longer a need to stack the box with 8 men, because an average four man defensive line is capable of thwarting MSU’s front five and neutralizing the run game.

Without a complementary running game it won’t matter who is under center because this offense is based on balance. Forget about the quarterback competition between Cousins and Nichol for a minute because the bigger issue is finding five linemen to stand in front of them and move defenders off the line of scrimmage and open holes. Don’t expect Dantonio to take the redshirts off of Barrent, Reynolds, Conway or Klatt. If they were anywhere near ready Dantonio would have them somewhere in the two-deeps. The same goes for Deyo, Hueter, and McDonald. If these three were ready there wouldn’t be the Deane/McGaha, Moss/Young merry-go-round.

I’m not saying that the Spartan OL is not able to improve, but the constant switching indicates that Roushar and Staten are not satisfied with the performances of the four vying for playing time on the right side. When you add the injury to Nitchman and the fact that Cironi is not 100%, the line has become the offenses weakest link. Hopefully Nitchman will be back soon and Ruhland can possibly throw his hat into the ring as a candidate for the right guard. Maybe that will help settle some of the issues before heading into conference play. The most troubling thing with all of this is that next year it might be even worse. Cironi, Moss, and Nitchman will all have graduated and there is a strong likelihood that MSU could be starting one junior, one sophomore, and three redshirt freshmen if Deane, Young and McGaha don’t improve. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, MSU has Notre Dame this Saturday.

Notre Dame typically runs alot of blitz packages, it is a Tenuta staple, however it wouldn’t surprise me if ND did less blitzing and have the Irish defense simply drop seven men into coverage. The longer it takes for for Cousins or Nichol to find an open receiver the more likelihood the ND front four will more than likely be able to get to either of them. One would hope that getting more helmets out of the box would increase the Spartans chances of having an effective running game, but so far that has not been the case.

If Notre Dame holds MSU to under 100 yards rushing they will win convincingly. If MSU’s OL miraculously finds an ability to run block and they rush for 150+ yards MSU has a decent opportunity at winning this game