First Half Analysis: Michigan State leads by a touchdown vs. Indiana

After one half of football, Michigan State holds a 14-

Here's what we've seen so far through two quarters...

Michigan State's Offense

•  Quarterback Katin Houser got off to a great start on MSU's opening drive, completing his first four passes for 50 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown toss to tight end Maliq Carr to give the Spartans an early lead. Offensive coordinator Jay Johnson clearly wanted to get Carr involved early, even dialing up a screen to the tight end on the drive. Carr had three receptions for 28 yards on the first drive, and added three more catches to close the half.
• While Michigan State's opening drive resulted in a touchdown, it also resulted in the loss of starting center Nick Samac. On the play before the touchdown, Houser scrambled and was tackled into the back of Samac's lower right leg. The center went down in pain, and trainers were tending to his right ankle area. Samac was taken to the injury tent, and was eventually taken off the field on an injury cart. It would be unfortunate for another MSU lost another to injury, particularly a senior, but that's kind of how this season has gone.
• Houser's looked as good as we've ever seen him early in today's game, but he made a big mistake on Michigan State's third drive. The quarterback had wide receiver Montorie Foster open on a 3rd and 17, but threw the ball towards the middle of the field instead of to the sideline, resulting in easy interception for the Hoosiers. That poor throw by Houser probably took points off the board for MSU, and in a low-scoring game like this that's especially costly. All-in-all, it was a sound half of football for the young quarterback however. He's completed 19-of-28 pass attempts for 161 yards, and threw a second touchdown pass to end the half to Foster.
• Michigan State's run game remains discombobulated and, frankly, horrible. You can say the same thing about Jay Johnson's short-yardage play-calling, and the Spartans' execution on those plays. MSU was limited to 36 rushing yards on 1.9 yards per carry in the first half, and that was even with Nathan Carter breaking off a pair of big runs. Michigan State was also stuffed on a 4th-and-1 sneak attempt for Houser, which feels like the millionth time MSU has been stopped on a 4th-and-short with Johnson as the play-caller. One of the top priorities for whoever the next head coach is here is to improve Michigan State's run game and short-yardage execution.

Michigan State's Defense

• The Spartan defense got off to a strong start as well, forcing three punts and allowing only two first downs on Indiana's opening three drives. The Hoosiers found success on their fourth possession however, and it was designed quarterback runs that gave MSU trouble. Indiana used read-option concepts to get QB Brendan Sorsby into open space and he torched the Spartans for a long run to get the Hoosiers rolling. That run seemed to settle Sorsby in, and he was much more accurate with the football on subsequent pass plays. Indiana capped an 88-yard drive with a four-yard plunge from tailback Trent Howland.
• Outside of that lone drive, Michigan State's defense has been strong through two quarters. Indiana's success with the quarterback run has the Hoosiers up to 75 rushing yards, but the Spartans have defended the traditional ground game well — the Hoosiers' tailbacks have averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Through the air, Indiana has been limited to 86 passing yards, with Sorsby completing just 10-of-19 attempts. Nice half of football for MSU's defense.

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