The yards have been given away, little by little.
A mistake for a touchdown here, an open receiver there.
And like a brush fire waiting to get out of hand, the MSU defensive backfield is edging toward disaster.
Head coach John L. Smith has stepped in, doing his best Smokey the Bear impersonation, attempting to extinguish the flames by persuading his team to communicate better. But the secondary has yet to change its ways before the fire erupts.
With the Louisiana Tech aerial assault waiting to take advantage, the Spartans need to change their ways. They can either get their coverage assignments straight or fall flat on their faces.
"La. Tech is coming in here throwing about 60 times a game," junior free safety Jason Harmon said. "We've got our work cut out for us this week, with a lot of the mistakes we've been making.
"A couple times, on the big plays that have been made on us, people have been playing different coverages than others."
The team has played hit-or-miss, and hasn't missed quite enough to lose a game yet. But at some points, the Spartans seemed as weak as a paper plate.
The defense has allowed six touchdowns in a combined eight minutes and 21 seconds, covering an average of 66 yards on each. That's less than a two-minute drill each time an opposing offense scores.
"Three crucial mistakes in the first half gave (Rutgers) 21 points," Smith said. "Give them credit, but we made three stupid mistakes and can't afford to do that. We have to correct those things.
"We can't afford to let our eyes wander when we've got a back coming out of the backfield looking for a pass. We have to be much more disciplined than we are right now to run what we're doing."
The defensive backfield is one of the most inexperienced areas of the MSU team this season. Harmon has played the most, with nine career starts.
He is joined by sophomore Eric Smith as strong safety along with sophomore Ashton Watson and junior Roderick Maples at the cornerback positions.
The lack of experience, plus the changing defensive philosophy, might account for many of the coverage mistakes.
But those excuses won't help the Spartans when they line up against a high-powered passing offense such as Louisiana Tech's.
"We're going to have our head on a swivel all game because they're going to go deep a lot," Harmon said. "They like to throw to the guy when the corner's on one-on-one."
The Spartans have taken a much more aggressive approach this season, attacking the opposing passer with a reckless abandon that has opened up receivers. By sending linebackers on the blitz more and more, the defensive backs are forced to play more man-to-man coverage.
"The front seven has been doing it," Watson said. "We just have to get it right in the backfield."
The Spartans already have 11 sacks this season, along with four interceptions. So, they are reaching the quarterback, but they are also leaving wide receivers open. Either way, some players on the defensive front are excited about the changes.
"I think this is a lot more fun," senior bandit Monquiz Wedlow said. "I'm walking up to the line and playing a zone, I'm walking up to the line and rushing in. We're not going to sit back and let teams make plays. I think we've got the quarterback more these two games than we did in the last two seasons."
Two interceptions have come from the linebackers, with Mike Labinjo picking one off in the first game while Wedlow had an interception for a 29-yard touchdown against Rutgers.
The only defensive back with an interception is sophomore Darren Barnett, who is pushing Watson for his starting position.
Teams are teeing off on Watson in coverage, but Barnett has been solid when he fills in.
"Yeah, they have (thrown at Watson)," cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes said. "It seems like every time I take him out and I put Barnett in, then he'll be the one that goes over there and picks it off."
But the coaches know that Barnett is not fully prepared to be an effective cornerback.
"The thing he has to do is to get more physical and more consistent," Haynes said. "He can make a big play but has also given up big plays. He's got to be a lot more consistent."
The inconsistencies will have to be worked out if the Spartans expect to win as their schedule strengthens. And, as teams try to attack the inexperienced secondary, MSU will have to make sure its whole defense is on the same page.
"(Coach) just sends in a coverage, and based on a formation, we check to something else," Eric Smith said. "Not everybody has been getting those checks."
During the second half of both games, the Spartans have moved from man-to-man coverage to some zone attacks. This has been more successful, with the team allowing only 14 second-half points in both games.
But that might partially be a result of the fact that the Spartans have led at halftime in both games, allowing the defense to become more conservative.
The true test will be when the Spartans are behind near the final quarter of a game.
If MSU stays aggressive, it could be difficult to hold off opponents' end-of-game passing attacks. But, for that answer, Spartan fans will just have to wait and see.
Deputy sports editor Joe Guillen contributed to this report.
