“We’re so disappointed for Ed Davis, and his presence in the lineup will be missed,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “Ed is a tremendous playmaker and a solid leader. He will still have an important role on this team, and he might have the opportunity to qualify for a sixth year of eligibility.

“Our program has faced adversity before, so now it’s time to adopt the ‘next man up’ mentality. Ed’s season-ending injury provides others with an opportunity to have a positive impact on this team.”

So, some of you may be asking what happens now? As Dantonio mentioned during media day the Spartans are deep at linebacker so there is no need to panic.

"We'll see how they go, but they're good football players. We have some depth, and that's what's exciting, we have some depth at those positions, so that's a positive," said Dantonio about his linebackers.

Sophomore SAM linebacker Chris Frey is Davis' backup right now and he will likely get the first crack at the position. 

Frey played in all thirteen games as a freshman on special teams while also getting limited experience as a backup linebacker.

The team could move junior MIKE linebacker Riley Bullough back to Sam, but that option seems unlikely as the team likes Bullough at the MIKE.

Moving senior STAR linebacker Darien Harris could also be an option, but again unlikely. However, one of Harris' backups, JUCO transfer and sophomore linebacker Drake Martinez could make the move. 

Martinez has the speed and blitzing ability to perform well at the position, but whether or not he has a full grasp of the defensive schemes remains to be seen.

This is a huge loss for MSU, but it is not a loss that should taper expectations. The Spartans are still playoff contenders and they will have to move forward. 

Dantonio spoke at media day about how problems would come and the team would have to react, now it is time to live by those words.

"Problems are going to come. It's how we're going to handle those problems that are going to make the difference," Dantonio said. "We've got some maturity here. We've gone through some tough times. We've got to handle the things that are going to come our way, and they will come, I promise you, they will come."