The MSU football team has plenty of question marks going into its second full season under the direction of head coach Bobby Williams.
Who will start at quarterback - sophomore Jeff Smoker or senior Ryan Van Dyke?
Will sophomore wide receiver Charles Rogers bring big-play abilities to the MSU program, thereby reducing pressure on junior tailback T.J. Duckett and making the MSU offense less predictable?
The Spartans’ defense is always strong, but will the conversion of senior captain Ivory McCoy from tight end to linebacker add Julian Peterson-type speed and playmaking to the defense?
Although many of these questions won’t be answered until MSU’s first game - Sept. 8 against Central Michigan at Spartan Stadium - training camp began Saturday for first-year players and the veterans reported for physicals Tuesday. The first combined practice with the entire team is Thursday.
“There’s nothing I see being a change,” said senior linebacker and tri-captain Josh Thornhill.
“The coaches all came in with a winning attitude and things like that. (Coach Williams) knows what he wants to get done and what he wants to get done is going to help us win.”
For Williams, having a full year as head coach under his belt has given him a better feeling for what type of team he has in 2001.
He took over after Nick Saban departed following the 1999 regular season.
“I think I know this team a little bit better than I did a year ago,” Williams said. “Last year, we had very, very high expectations, but we lost some pretty good players and we really had some holes to fill. But I think that the team made a lot of progress.”
So what’s changed?
Perhaps the adjustment period is over, Williams said.
“This year, I think we got a pretty good grasp on this team and we’ve done some things to really try and improve from a personnel standpoint,” he said. “We’re trying to look at our system and improve in that area. I have a pretty good feel about this team. They’ve adjusted to me and the coaching staff.”
However, Williams’ feel for his quarterback situation is still in question.
He said he won’t know who the starter will be until the team concludes fall camp. And a plan to use two quarterbacks is still a strong possibility, he said.
Smoker and Van Dyke split playing time a year ago.
“I think you have to have a plan if you go with a two-quarterback system,” Williams said. “And you go with that plan. Hopefully what will happen is, if you use that two-quarterback system, it can work to your advantage if you utilize them in the proper way.”
Last season, Smoker completed 52.3 percent of his passes for 1,365 yards, including six touchdowns with seven interceptions in nine games.
Van Dyke, in turn, completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 796 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions in seven games.
Williams realizes he needs a confident passer.
With conference rivals such as Northwestern, Purdue and Indiana succeeding with a spread offense in the traditionally rush-heavy Big Ten conference, Williams has hinted his team could go in the direction of multiple-receiver sets.
“I think we have the potential to have a very strong passing game,” Williams said. “Last year, we didn’t really have the numbers, the production in our passing game with the big plays we had two years ago with (Plaxico) Burress and (Gari) Scott.
“Now I think we have the potential and ability to stretch the field a little bit more.”
That, meanwhile, would alleviate a lot of the burden on workhorse Duckett, Williams said.
“We went to Duckett a lot early in the season last year and he got an injury and he got really banged up the rest of the season,” he said. “I really think the passing game is going to be a little different.”
Duckett, already being talked about as a Heisman candidate, rushed for 1,353 yards last season, averaging 123 yards per game - a statistic that ranked him 11th in the nation.
For Duckett, he said he’s uncertain whether a newly developed passing game will reduce his carries, but he’s prepared to carry whatever load will equal wins.
“(My role) probably depends on the game,” Duckett said. “I can see myself having a bigger role, I can see myself having a lesser role. Whatever is going to help us win, I’m all for that, and if it means having a lesser role, I’m fine with that.”
He is familiar with his defensive unit and he’s excited McCoy is switching to his side of the ball. Thornhill said McCoy is a lot like one of his defensive buddies from the 1999 season.
“He’s like a Julian Peterson body type,” Thornhill said. “He’s probably just as fast as Julian was, so I think he could possibly make the plays Julian made.”
Last year, the defense led the Big Ten in overall defense and ranked seventh nationally in passing defense, allowing only 164.1 yards per game.
