Michigan State's Aisea Moa, left, celebrates with Alessio Anelu Lafaele, right, after a tackle for a loss against Western Michigan's during the fourth quarter on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How MSU's Defense Can Keep it Going vs. Boston College

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday evening, 23-6.

Behind that performance was a dominant outing from the Spartan defense. The Broncos got nothing going on the offensive side of the ball, and it was because of how MSU’s defense played at all three levels.

While the Broncos could have a solid offense this season, this game was not a good enough litmus test for how good this Spartan defense really is. We will have a better understanding of MSU’s talent level on that side of the ball when they take on the Boston College Golden Eagles next Saturday.

So, what must MSU do to keep its elite defensive performance going into the next game?

Michigan State's defense

To start, the Spartans’ pass rush must play at a high level again. MSU’s rush-ends and blitzing linebackers made the Broncos’ night difficult for the entire game, and that must continue.

The Spartans recorded four sacks against Brady Jones and Broc Lowry, but Dylan Lonergan comes into Spartan Stadium playing better ball than either of those quarterbacks.

The Boston College QB threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns against Fordham yesterday, and he poses a tough challenge for MSU’s defensive unit.

Jonathan Smith and Joe Rossi must come up with a plan to shut Lonergan down and disrupt his rhythm if the Spartans want to pull off the win at home.

MSU’s secondary played a great game against the Broncos as well, as it did not allow a touchdown through the air and only allowed 188 passing yards between the two WMU quarterbacks.

Lonergan poses a bigger threat to the Spartans’ defensive backs, so they must be sharp against the Golden Eagles if they want to be 2-0 after Saturday night.

One of the most important elements of this Spartan defense is its cohesiveness. All three units must play together to keep their impressive performance going against a much more talented passing attack.

The Spartans face a much tougher test against a Golden Eagles team that gave them problems last season. They can keep it going on that side of the ball, but it will be much tougher next Saturday night.

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