With the MSU rush defense garnering all the hype, the secondary has been searching for the answers.
Despite the fact that it's ranked last in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed, at 269.1 yards per game, it is showing improvement.
One of its sources for redemption came when the Sidelines section of The State News featured a Western-style "Wanted" poster with the likeness of defensive backs Ashton Watson, Roderick Maples, Jason Harmon and Eric Smith on the front page before the Spartans' game on Sept. 13 against Louisiana Tech.
The secondary players immediately placed the poster in all of their lockers, where it has remained the whole season.
"They were kind of upset at their peers, because they just plain-out said they were suspect," senior defensive end Greg Taplin said. "Since then, they've been making a constant effort to make things better."
The main headline on the section read, "Suspect: secondary," which struck a chord with the defenders. But Taplin did admit, "back then, they were (suspect)."
One of the major improvements has come from strong safety Eric Smith, who came into the season not knowing where he stood but has become the team's leading tackler, with 69 and five tackles for a loss.
"I surprised myself," Eric Smith said. "Nobody really expected me to do a whole lot. In the spring, me and Derron (Ware) were rotating who was going to be starters. I don't know what happened; I just started playing well."
The roles might again be reversed after Smith missed most of last Saturday's game with an A-C injury in his shoulder, and Ware was forced to step in at the safety position. Ware did miss a step in the hand-signal communication, but his teammates have said they're confident he can fill in fine.
Considering the defense's tendency to send many players at the quarterback, the secondary has been pivotal in helping the Spartans to a Big Ten-leading mark of 34 sacks, including three sacks for Smith. The main improvement for the unit, however, has come from using hand signals to communicate.
"At the beginning of the year, the front seven was doing a great job stopping the run," Smith said. "In the secondary, we couldn't stop the pass, and we weren't communicating. But now, around Notre Dame, we started using hand signals and getting better at stopping the pass."
The team was forced to change its plans when Michigan came into town last weekend, featuring receivers Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston. The Spartans were forced to double cover receivers, allowing U-M running back Chris Perry to run wild.
But against a more one-dimensional team such as Ohio State, the Spartans will get back to their attacking defense, leaving more of their defensive backs on an island.
"Derron Ware stepped it up big today," Harmon said after the U-M game. "The only setback was when he first came in, the communication wasn't there."
With Eric Smith likely to miss significant time, head coach John L. Smith has a decision to make: Whether to keep Ware at the strong safety position or move Harmon in to take his place. Harmon intercepted a pass against the Wolverines and has accounted for two interceptions, four forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered this season, scoring one defensive touchdown.
As the season goes on and injuries persist, Harmon will need help in the defensive backfield. And that is where players such as sophomore defensive back Carlos Alexander and junior bandit Robert Flagg will come into play. Flagg likely will unseat Monquiz Wedlow as the starting bandit this weekend.
"He's one of those guys that will hit anybody; he'll run into a brick wall," Harmon said.
