MSU’s Duffy Daugherty Football Building is operating more like an infirmary these days.
With at least 10 players injured - six of them out for at least three weeks or more - the prognosis is shaky for a strong second half of the season.
The Spartans’ latest spell of doom came Saturday in a 28-19 loss at Minnesota.
And nobody was hit harder than MSU’s quarterbacks.
Sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker sprained his left ankle in the second quarter, but he returned to action in the second half of Saturday’s game.
Smoker, who didn’t practice Monday, finished with a career-high 248 yards passing and two touchdowns.
Despite the injury, MSU head coach Bobby Williams said Smoker will start against Wisconsin on Saturday.
“My ankle is a little sore, but I’ll be OK,” Smoker said. “In the game I had a hard time moving around, but things feel better. I’ll be practicing Tuesday to see how it feels.”
Senior Ryan Van Dyke’s condition is a different story.
While relieving the injured Smoker, Van Dyke got a concussion and a fractured jaw in the third quarter after getting smashed simultaneously by Minnesota defensive linemen Dan Kwapinski and Tony Dupree.
Van Dyke has his jaw wired shut and will be sidelined for at least three weeks, Williams said.
“This is a very frustrating situation for me,” said Van Dyke, who may lobby the NCAA for a medical redshirt. “I can’t say I’m really that upset about it because I played hard on the field. Things just didn’t work out.”
Because a fractured jaw is a very delicate injury to have, Van Dyke - who will get the wires off in about three weeks - said it could take even longer for him to fully recover.
But regardless of the duration of his injury, Van Dyke plans on doing everything he can to play again.
“Realistically, it could be up to six weeks before the muscles in my mouth are mended and my jaw is OK,” Van Dyke said. “But that wasn’t the last snap I’m going to take. It doesn’t sit well with me.”
Williams has reviewed the tape of the hit on Van Dyke and is concerned about the play’s legality.
“It was a blow to the head,” said Williams of the play, which took Van Dyke out of the game. “I’m sure that the conference is going to review the hit. It happened so fast, so I don’t think any officials saw exactly what happened. But when you look at the film, it was a direct blow to the head.”
The loss of Van Dyke shakes up MSU’s quarterback situation, promoting redshirt freshman Damon Dowdell to second string and freshman Aaron Alexander to third string.
Dowdell has seen action in only three plays this season, in all three instances he was inserted into the lineup for rushing purposes.
“I just really have to be ready for anything right now,” Dowdell said. “I knew that at some point I would have an opportunity to play, I just didn’t think it would happen this soon. I just hope to grow up real fast.”
Alexander, who has only played on the scout team this season, has yet to travel with the team this year.
“I’m just used to watching our games on TV, and they’re exciting,” Alexander said. “But it will be a whole different kind of experience for me once I’m dressed, at the game and in front of the crowd. It’s an unfortunate situation with Ryan though, because he’s a guy that has took me under his wing.”
Eric Lacy can be reached at lacyeric@msu.edu.
