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Michigan State football “plays fast…hard” in first scrimmage

EAST LANSING – As new defensive coordinator Joe Rossi explains Michigan State football's new plans and responsibilities, Jalen Thompson believes the full installation of the new system is only about an eighth complete.

The rest will be distributed over the final five training sessions, culminating in the Spartan “Spring Showcase” on April 20 and all preseason camp in August. But new coach Jonathan Smith's team took the first big step in that direction with the first duel of his tenure on Saturday.

“I feel like everyone is playing fast and hard,” Thompson, the second-year defensive end, said Tuesday after MSU’s 10th of 15 spring practices. “The defense did it. Yes, we had a nice day.”

No details about the first scrimmage were released other than a few select video highlights the program posted on social media. However, new defensive coach Legi Suiaunoa said the Spartans had played “over 80 games,” the most work they've had so far in the spring.

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“I really, really liked that we were able to compete,” Suiaunoa said with a laugh. “Obviously we had some bodies that we knocked down early in the fight that were a little messed up. Just going out there and just playing football and seeing what these guys can do, when it's live, when there's no coach, there's no script, when these guys are just playing – I really enjoyed that part.

“Our job is hopefully (to see) if their natural reactions, the way they play, is what we expect from them. So the scrimmage helps identify some of the things we need to continue working on or address.”

MSU will likely play at least one more closed scrimmage in the final two weeks. According to a team press release, the “Showcase” event at Spartan Stadium will be the final practice of the spring. That's why every scrimmage opportunity is important for guys trying to impress their new coaches.

“I think it puts a little bit more pressure on the players,” Rossi said. “You have practice and it goes from game to game – it’s first down, it’s second down, everything is predetermined, right? There's a scrimmage, it's more of a real feel of the game where you put the ball down and play. It's not a real game, but sometimes as a player you take it for granted, get into that situation and then maybe forget or overlook some of the basics that might have been there when it was in a more controlled environment. So the more we can put them in those situations, the better.”

Rossi took some early impressions of what he saw from his defense on Saturday, saying he felt the players were running to the ball and being physical. But he also reminded them that it was just the beginning of a long journey to the season opener Aug. 31 against Florida Atlantic.

“I saw some good individual games, but also plays that need to be improved and corrected,” said Rossi. “For us, our process is kind of like, 'Hey, let's look at this battle and what can I learn from it?' If I made a mistake, where can I improve? How can I get better?' Take all the information you can glean from this special scrimmage and apply it in practice today. We talked about this before we went out. What are the things you need to improve based on what you saw in the film?”

Thompson said he feels like the defense – and the team as a whole – have “a lot of little details” that need to be addressed before his coaches next get to a real battle.

“But we’re all working toward it,” Thompson said. “That was the first time we played that defense as a team. So there were definitely a lot of little things that we needed to fix. But everyone plays with great effort, so some problems have been fixed.”

Minimize risk

One of the other reasons scrimmages are crucial is because college football has moved away from constantly dealing with tackles during practice.

Thompson said everything was live on Saturday except for his inability to tackle quarterbacks. Most programs try to avoid injuries as much as possible during practice, whether it's guys being pulled down hard, players getting run over as a side effect, or other problems. This is often replaced by a technique called “Thud,” which involves touching the opponent and letting go after the first strike.

It becomes even more important if the teams take part in a game with tackles as close as possible. Especially in spring. And especially when there has been a change of coach and a lot of changes are being made.

“I think you can get a lot done with 'Thud' because it's all live up front. There's a good physical finish to the tackle, you just don't go down,” said Rossi, whom Smith hired from Big Ten opponent Minnesota. “It's about walking the fine line between physical activity and the ability to keep people healthy. The reality is, the more down you are, the more people get hurt. It's not just the guy making the tackle, but also the lineman standing there in the pile that ends up being tackled into.

“So (Smith) does a really good job when it comes to the physical live phases where we attack the floor and then there's also the 'thunder' phases where we do a good job and us Hopefully we can keep each other up to date.”

Details about the showcase

April 20th will be a busy Saturday on the MSU campus.

The Izzo Legacy 5k Run/Walk/Roll begins at 8:45 a.m., with the start line at Breslin Center and the finish line at Spartan Stadium. Proceeds will go to a number of MSU and Mid-Michigan organizations and charities. To register and for more information, visit https://www.izzolegacy.com.

The MSU women's tennis team will then take on Nebraska at 11 a.m. at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center. Admission is free.

The “Spring Showcase” begins at 2:00 p.m., with a delayed broadcast on BTN-Plus at 4:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

Gates to Spartan Stadium open at 12:15 p.m. Smith and the players take photos and sign autographs for fans on posters, which are also distributed free of charge to spectators (no other items are allowed).

Free parking spaces are available on lots 79, 63 and 126 as well as on ramp 7. Lot 62 is reserved for barrier-free parking.

The Spartans softball team hosts Illinois at 1 p.m. and the baseball team hosts Penn State at 3:35 p.m. Tickets are $3-5 each.

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. follow him @chrissolari.

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