Spartans Offensive Positional Group Report Card: Week One

Michigan State opened the Pat Fitzgerald era with a 30-20 victory over Toledo, but it was far from a perfect performance.

The Spartans showed plenty of poise and grit, especially when they needed it most. After trailing late, Michigan State found a way to take control in the fourth quarter and pull away for a 10-point victory.

With Week 1 officially in the books, it’s time to hand out grades for each offensive positional group and take a closer look at how they performed.

Alessio Milivojevic continues to impress with his poise in the pocket.

The redshirt sophomore consistently scanned the field and worked through multiple progressions before finding the right option to move the ball. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, Milivojevic looked comfortable running the offense and showed why Michigan State has so much confidence in him.

His numbers could have been even better if a couple of passes hadn’t been dropped by his receivers.

Milivojevic wasn’t perfect, but he looked like the real deal in his first start of the season.

The running backs kicked butt coming out of the gate.

Cam Edwards showed exactly why the hype surrounding him this offseason was legitimate. Michigan State was more than happy to showcase its new workhorse, and Edwards made an immediate impact.

However, after a heavy workload and a few early injuries, Edwards began to slow down, and the running game followed.

Jaziun Patterson averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, while Edwards finished at 3.6 yards per carry. Those numbers need to improve if this group is going to become one of the best in the Big Ten.

This was another group that outperformed expectations.

Normally, that would be enough for an A. However, considering how low the expectations were coming into the season, I’m not ready to hand out that grade just yet.

Rodney Bullard III truly shined and made a strong case to be the Spartans’ WR1. Still, a touchdown drop and another drop on third down kept his grade — and the group’s — from going higher.

Nick McCray also looked primed to become a legitimate weapon, while Fred Moore hauled in three passes. Overall, the receivers looked much better than expected, but there is still another level they can reach.

Jayden Savoury stood above the rest of this group.

Savoury caught four passes for 36 yards, which ranked third on the team in receiving yards. Brennan Parachek also recorded a reception, while Carson Gulker caught a pass but lost a fumble.

This was the position group I was most concerned about entering the season, so I want to see more consistency and production from the entire unit moving forward.

To me, this was a tale of two halves.

The offensive line came out battling, which was perfectly captured by Robert Wright Jr.’s viral video of throwing up while still lined up for the snap.

Michigan State’s offensive line had its way with the Toledo defense early, especially in the run game. Unfortunately, that success tapered off in the second half.

The Spartans allowed three sacks and need to become more consistent from start to finish. The talent is there, but this group will need to clean things up if Michigan State wants to compete at a high level in the Big Ten.