Michigan State vs. Oregon: Game Grades, Analysis for Spartans, Ducks

After being down 27-18 early in the third quarter, the Oregon Ducks scored 28 unanswered points en route to a 46-27 victory over the visiting Michigan State Spartans.

Although the score was 24-18 in favor of MSU at halftime, the Spartans outplayed the Ducks thoroughly in the first half. Michigan State's defensive line shut down the vaunted Oregon rush attack, allowing only 13 yards on the ground in the first half. 

Quarterback Connor Cook also looked sharp, hitting receivers with little difficulty. However, Oregon's defense stiffened and forced Cook into some nervy situations. The Michigan State signal-caller did throw for 343 yards, but he also threw two interceptions—with one occurring in the red zone. 

Oregon signal-caller Marcus Mariota led the charge in the second half. He finished 17-of-28 for 318 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 42 yards on nine carries. 

Check out first-half and final grades for both the Spartans and the Ducks. Additional analysis for different position units will also be addressed.

Final stats from the game can be found here at NCAA.com.

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	B+	B+
Rushing Offense	B	B-
Pass Defense	C	C-
Run Defense	A+	B+
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	A	B

Michigan State Spartans Game Grades

Pass Offense: Cook was very good early, and for the duration of the first half. He was afforded the time to sit back and hit open receivers on crossing routes. Cook was also clinical on out routes, exploiting the perimeter of the field. 

In the second half, Oregon brought considerable pressure. As a result, his eyes dropped and was not able to look down the field for his targets. He threw two ill-advised passes into coverage, which both resulted in interceptions. 

On the night, the Michigan State quarterback finished a respectable 29-of-47 for 343 yards and two touchdowns.

Run Offense: MSU had moderate success in the first half with Jeremy Langford. The productivity in the passing game allowed for the Spartans to take advantage of Oregon's nickel package on the ground. Langford had a 16-yard touchdown scamper early in the second quarter.

In the second half, MSU virtually abandoned the running game in order to keep up with the Oregon offensive onslaught. Oregon's defense began to blitz with much frequency, and thus the running lanes dried up.  

On the night, Michigan State ran for 123 yards on 36 carries. This averages out to a paltry 3.4 yards per carry. 

Pass Defense: This was the worst unit on the night for the Spartans. If there was a problem area in the first half, it was the secondary. Blown coverages led to a 70-yard touchdown by Devon Allen, and a 64-yard reception by Darren Carrington. 

The second half was no different. Long touchdown throws to Allen and Keanon Lowe really got Oregon's offense rolling. Surprisingly, stud safety Kurtis Drummond had a poor game. At times, he was confused by the Ducks motion on offense. 

Run Defense: The Spartans played lights out in the first half. Oregon was only able to accrue 13 yards on 13 carries. The defensive line also sacked Mariota three times in the first half, and rendered the zone-read element to Oregon's offense useless. Not only did the defensive line get consistent pressure, but the linebackers did an excellent job of clogging the running lanes. 

In the second half, Oregon's offense got into a rhythm. The pace of the game picked up considerably. As a result, the MSU defense wore down a bit. Oregon finished the evening with 173 yards on 40 carries for a 4.3 yards-per-carry average. 

All in all, it was a valiant effort by the Michigan State front seven. 

Special Teams: A solid grade across the board for this unit. R.J. Shelton had a 59-yard kickoff return in the second half. Kicker Michael Geiger connected on both of his field goal attempts. 

Perhaps most importantly, the Spartans kept Oregon's explosive return game at bay. 

Coaching: Dantonio completely outschemed Mark Helfrich and the Oregon staff in the first half. Outside of two big passing plays, the Ducks offense was completely stagnant. Cook had full command of the offense, and the play-calling had a nice mix of the run and pass. 

In the second half, it felt as if MSU abandoned the run game a bit too easily. Cook was throwing more on first and second down, enabling Oregon to bring pressure. Traditionally speaking, Michigan State uses the running game to set up the passing attack. This scenario didn't play itself out this evening. 

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	A	A
Rushing Offense	F	B
Pass Defense	C	B-
Run Defense	B	A-
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	C	B

Oregon Ducks Game Grades

Pass Offense: Oregon's offense was jump-started by two big passing plays in the first half—a 70-yard touchdown to Devon Allen and a 64-yard reception by Darren Carrington. Outside of these two plays, the passing attack wasn't overly impressive. The pressure by Michigan State's defensive line didn't allow for Mariota to get into any sort of rhythm. 

In the second half, Mariota used his legs to buy time in the pocket. This allowed him to keep his eyes downfield. He found Allen for another touchdown in the second half, and also found a streaking Keanon Lowe for a 37-yard touchdown strike. As the pressure lessened, Mariota's effectiveness in the passing game grew. 

Run Offense: Oregon's offensive line was getting blasted off of the ball in the first half by Michigan State's defensive line. The running backs had little in the way of running room. It was shocking to see Oregon rush for only 13 yards on 13 carries in the first half. 

Royce Freeman was the catalyst in the second half. The freshman back rushed the ball 13 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He was easily the most productive back on the night. MSU then had to account for Mariota's success in the air. As a result, Oregon was able to run the ball with more effectiveness. The unit as a whole finished with 173 yards on 40 carries.

Pass Defense: Michigan State had a lot of success early in the contest on throws over the middle. Cook was surgical at times in finding soft spots in the Oregon zone. Not to pick on anyone, but Dior Mathis did not have a great day. MSU wide receiver Tony Lippett beat him multiple times on moves after the catch. 

In the second half, the pressure up front aided greatly in clamping down on the Spartans passing game. Two bright spots came in the form of Erick Dargan's interception in the first half, and the incredibly athletic interception made by Ifo Ekpre-Olomu in the second half. 

Run Defense: Give credit to Oregon for containing Michigan State's rushing attack. A point of emphasis during the offseason was to get stronger and bigger up front on both sides of the ball. A noticeably bigger-looking Oregon defensive line played with an impressive physicality.

Arik Armstead and Joe Walker in particular excelled. Armstead was practically living in MSU's backfield during the second half. Walker attacked the line of scrimmage impressively, and had multiple tackles for loss on Langford. The Ducks held Michigan State to 123 yards on 36 carries (3.4 yards per carry).

Special Teams: Matt Wogan nailed his lone field-goal attempt. The wrinkle on the extra-point attempt proved to work, as holder (and backup quarterback) Taylor Alie threw a pass to starting defensive end DeForest Buckner for a two-point conversion following the first touchdown of the game.  

Both Allen and Ekpre-Olomu were solid in the return game.

Coaching: Adjustments needed to be made after a poor first half. Helfrich and his staff was considerably outcoached on both sides of the ball during the first 30 minutes. Oregon wasn't pressuring Cook, and the offense looked surprisingly vanilla. 

The play-calling in the second half became much more diversified. Oregon began attacking the heart of the field with its passing game. Helfrich was able to push the tempo to Oregon's high-octane level, and it began to wear out the Michigan State defense. 

Defensively, new coordinator Don Pellum dialed up exotic looks. Pressures came from different parts of the formation, and it confused the Michigan State signal-caller.

Unlike in the first half, Cook was unable to stand comfortably in the pocket and deliver throws down the field. The Oregon defense allowed only three points in the second half. It was a huge reason as to why Oregon's offense got into a rhythm.