Michigan State Special Teams Recap vs. Minnesota

Unfortunately, though, the one area in which there was a lack of improvement was the Special Teams; in fact, they are responsible for much of MSU's loss, some parts of the unit more than others.

Punting: Relatively No Change

• It was business as usual for punter Ryan Eckley against the Golden Gophers, and his play reflected that.

• His poise and experience have made him one of the top punters in the nation, if not the number one, so there is no blame to be directed towards him.

Return Team: A Small Step Backwards

• MSU's return squad, normally consisting of Elijah Tau-Tolliver, Chrishon McCray, and Omari Kelly, has been afraid to return the ball, and it stayed that way this week.

• The unit only returned once in the entire game, and it was for negative progress, gaining -2 yards on the play.

• Maybe the fear to return is justified if play like that will continue, but the return team needs to ramp up the pace before the end of the season going into next.

Kicking: A Huge Fall

• MSU has been working with freshman kicker Martin Connington all year, and he has generally produced some very good results, but it was not the same today.

• He missed two crucial field goals that could have saved the Spartans from their three-point loss.

• Not only that, but one of his kickoffs late in the game went out of bounds, giving Minnesota better field position that greatly helped them to come back and eventually win.

• Connington is only a freshman, and he should be given some grace because of his inexperience, but his play this week was not beneficial to the team.

The Special Teams were generally the same as normal this week, but one part greatly damaged the outlook of the whole, and they still need to change for the better by next season.