How MSU's Offense Can Improve Against Boston College

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 8:53 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday night, 23-6, but it did not look pretty in the second half.

MSU struggled to move the ball on the ground or through the air against the Broncos, which was concerning, considering how well they moved the ball in the first half.

The Spartans take on the Boston College Golden Eagles next Saturday night, a team that only allowed 10 points against Fordham last night. MSU’s offense has no choice but to be better against its next opponent if it wants to defeat the Golden Eagles.

What must the Spartans do to defeat Boston College and be much better on the offensive side of the ball?

The Spartan offense

The first and foremost thing is improvement along the offensive line. The Spartans got a solid push against the Broncos in the first half, but several WMU defensive linemen dominated and won their individual matchups against Spartan linemen in the second half.

That cannot happen against Boston College, as the Golden Eagles will shut down the Spartan offense and force punts, which will lead to a better offense taking the field and capitalizing on its opportunities.

MSU ran the football fairly effectively against WMU, as Makhi Frazier had a big game and helped the Spartans win the game. That must continue against Boston College next week if the Spartans want to be 2-0.

The Spartans did not take many shots downfield against WMU on Friday, and they should do so against the Golden Eagles next week if they want to win the game.

MSU appeared afraid to throw the ball downfield, as we did not see much of Nick Marsh’s vertical game or Omari Kelly’s speed. Both players had good games, but many fans would have liked to see Aidan Chiles take more deep shots.

The Broncos may have prioritized taking that away from MSU on Friday. If BC wants to do that against the Spartans next week, they should try to take those shots anyway.

MSU did not look impressive on the offensive side of the ball in the second half, but it has a chance to change that against a tougher defense.

A lot must happen for that to be the case, but if the Spartans lean into their second-half success, they have a chance to be much more efficient and explosive.

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