Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Michigan State beat writer Matt Charboneau


brian-lewerke
Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke carries the ball against Michigan on Oct. 7 at Michigan Stadium.

Central Michigan Life's Evan Petzold spoke with Michigan State beat writer Matt Charboneau from The Detroit News to preview Central Michigan's noon game on Sept. 29 against the Spartans in East Lansing. 

Michigan State is 2-1 to start the 2018 season. Head coach Mark Dantonio's group has defeated Utah State and Indiana and lost to Arizona State on the road. The Spartans are a 28.5-point favorite against the Chippewas. 

Charboneau discussed Michigan State's stellar defense, star running back LJ Scott's status and if the Spartans are overlooking CMU in this exclusive Q&A.

Central Michigan Life: Are the Michigan State coaches and players taking the Chippewas lightly?

"I don't think these guys take anyone lightly. Most of them were around for the 3-9 season in 2016, so they know how quickly things can go the wrong direction. We always see Michigan and Michigan State play Eastern, Western or Central Michigan, and all those guys played with the opponent in high school or played against them. A lot of guys on that Central Michigan roster probably want to beat them to say, 'Hey, you should've been recruiting me.'

"They see the 1-3 record for CMU and realize they are young and rebuilding. They are also reminded that Central has a history of coming in and winning these games. When it's Central Michigan in particular, MSU would be foolish to overlook them. I didn't hear anything from them that sounded like anything other than business as usual." 

What makes Michigan State's defense special?

"Stopping the run has been a Mark Dantonio philosophy that was accentuated by Pat Narduzzi when he was there. It's been the backbone of the defense. They go into every game saying, 'Stop the run first, make a team one dimensional offensively.' In some years, they've had great corners. Other years, not as much. Right now, it's still kind of evolving. 

"MSU's two tackles – Raequan Williams and Mike Panasiuk –are about as good as they get in terms of clogging the middle and making it difficult for teams to run. It's good to have those guys, but when you have a guy like Joe Batchie in the middle at linebacker, team's aren't going to run very often. 

"There's example after example. Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott was freaking out because he couldn't run the ball in 2015. Saquan Barkley (from Penn State) could not run the ball on Michigan State in 2017. It's the core of MSU's defense going on 12 years now."

Does Michigan State plan to play starting running back LJ Scott against Central Michigan?

"LJ Scott didn't do much in the first game and got hurt against Arizona State. He didn't play last week. I would say he's up in the air this week. I would be a little surprised if he plays this week because they will be back in the Big Ten Conference in the next week, so I think they may be a little cautious. That being said, MSU needs a spark in that run game. The offensive line hasn't played well. Connor Heyward and true freshman La'Darius Jefferson have both got playing time (at running back). They have a few guys banged up on the offensive line, and you haven't seen that group gel yet. Until that offensive line starts to play like they expect to, it'll be a struggle regardless of the opponent." 

Has failing to cover the spread and put teams away been a key concern in the eyes of Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio? 

"It is. If you look at that Arizona State game, they had a 10-point lead which easily could have been 17 or 20 points. They made mistakes. You give credit to the other team, but you see where Michigan State makes their own mistakes to let teams hang around. They did it in the opener against Utah State. They started to do it last week against Indiana. 

They are getting to a point where they can't put teams away and most of it has been self-inflicted. They aren't panicking because it's things they can fix. It's easier said than done." 

How does Michigan State beat Central Michigan this weekend?

"They win this game if they don't turn the ball over, and that's been a problem this year. When you do it against a good team, it comes back to bite them. If you do it against Central Michigan, and MSU makes some mistakes in the second half, you start giving life to a team that maybe doesn't believe they had it. The first thing is to take care of the ball. The second is to run the ball. MSU hasn't done either of those things well. There's no guarantee at this point." 

Score Prediction?

Michigan State 38, Central Michigan 17

Share: