MSU Football: Video analysis of MSU’s 23-19 loss to Boston College
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and MSU sportswriter Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press analyze the Spartans’ 23-19 loss at Boston College.
This story has been updated to add a video.
1. MSU should have won this game
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — That should hurt the Spartans a little. Because they’re good enough to be 4-0. And they could have been 4-0 — despite missing two starting receivers — if two disastrous plays early in the third quarter hadn’t turned the game around by 10 points and killed MSU’s first-half momentum.
Those two plays – a fumble by Kay’Ron Lynch on the opening kickoff of the second half and an interception by Aidan Chiles the next time MSU touched the ball – are the reason for MSU’s 23-19 loss at Boston College on Saturday night.
In this game, Chiles experienced his sophomore year in college to the fullest — the excitement, the missed shots, the new wrinkles in his legs, the breathtaking fearlessness that MSU fans are slowly but surely learning to respect and fear.
At some point, MSU will need the full experience of Chiles to get one less turnover and a few more connections with open receivers. When that happens, this offense could be dangerous with him at the helm.
Chiles showed things we haven’t seen before in this game – and he did so without dynamic freshman Nick Marsh and fellow starter Jaron Glover, both of whom were out with injuries. MSU will need them to be competitive against Ohio State and at Oregon over the next two weeks.
But Chiles, Lynch-Adams, Jack Velling, Montorie Foster and Co. were dynamic enough to win the game on Saturday – if it hadn’t been for Chiles’ three interceptions and several missed connections to Foster.
The game turned in the Spartans’ favor when Chiles ran for 11 yards on a 3rd-and-10 from MSU’s 25-yard line early in the second quarter. It was the kind of run full of athleticism and competitive spirit that makes Chiles such a weapon. MSU’s offense wasn’t making any headway at that point, and this play extended the drive, and then Chiles and Foster found each other. The offense got moving.
MSU made big plays on offense. Bold calls and runs – mostly by Chiles and Lynch-Adams, including third and fourth down runs by Lynch-Adams on a late drive that gave the Spartans a 19-16 lead.
This team has plenty of guts. It has enough playmakers to beat the second-division teams on its schedule. And a defense that has the offense’s back for the most part. Chiles just needs to improve some of his shots and avoid the fatal mistake, whether it’s his or someone else’s.
MSU probably would have signed up for a 3-1 start after four games before the season began. Now that we’ve seen it, the Spartans could – and should – be 4-0.
2. MSU’s defense played well enough to win
I think we can trust this MSU defense to a certain extent — that they’ll give the Spartans a chance to win the game against most of MSU’s opponents. This is two straight road games, three games in total this season, where they’ve come through in crucial moments and won their share of tackles throughout the game — and the second time they’ve kept a mobile quarterback relatively in check. And Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos is the most agile and complete QB they’ve seen to date.
MSU held BC to 292 yards of offense, going 5 of 12 on third downs. The Spartans sacked Castellanos four times and did a pretty good job of containing him all night. And twice when BC was close to the end zone, they made game-winning plays: Cal Haladay knocked the ball off Eagles running back Treshaun Ward inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter; and Malik Spencer forced a fumble at the goal line, forcing a fourth down early in the fourth quarter when Jordan Hall hit Castellanos at the 2-yard line and stopped him, giving MSU the ball back. That set the stage for MSU’s eight-plus minute drive that took the lead.
The Spartans botched a coverage on what turned out to be BC’s game-winning touchdown throw and catch. But that shouldn’t have been the deciding one. This defense isn’t overwhelming, but it’s aggressive, pretty solid, plays with confidence, and holds up enough in the crucial moments to win a lot of games. What they did on Saturday should have been enough.
3. We have seen what a difference a strong kicking game can make
At halftime, the difference was all in MSU’s kicking game. Both teams had an impressive touchdown drive and a turnover that ended a potential scoring drive. But the Spartans also got two field goals from Jonathan Kim in the pouring rain – a 41-yard attempt that would have been good from much further away and a 26-yard attempt just before halftime – while Boston College missed its only extra point attempt, which bounced left after a high snap. That was the difference of seven points.
In the end, Kim’s difference was even greater. His 51-yard kick in wind and rain in the third quarter tied the game, the kind of kicks college kickers don’t usually make. And many teams don’t even try. His 27-yard kick gave the Spartans a 19-16 lead with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the kicking game can’t make up for MSU’s two turnovers on two plays to start the second half. But imagine if Boston College had the edge in the kicking game.
A competent kicking game – field goals and punts – is a real boon for an MSU team that can take advantage of any advantage it can get. In the NIL era, there’s honestly no excuse for not being strong at those two positions all the time. It’s not just about the points and field position, but the confidence in those two areas and how that can affect decisions – BC punted instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal shortly after Kim made his 51-yard field goal. Mostly, though, it’s about the points and field position.
We knew from the start that Boston College kicker Luca Lombardo was unproven and that his punters were shaky. Lombardo managed a 39-yard punt early in the second half. Eagles punter Ivan Zivenko didn’t have much leg on his first two punts, but his third, a 33-yard punt, put MSU in trouble at the 2-yard line.
MSU punter Ryan Eckley punted twice. No surprise, they went 50 and 48 yards respectively. That’s about his average. The 48-yard punt was the most impressive and important – against the wind, with the rush almost reaching him and him punting from his own goal line.
This will be an advantage for MSU all season long, one that will improve the Spartans’ record. They’ve done it once before on the road this season, and it almost happened again on Saturday night.
Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch.
