Ask Otis Wiley his philosophy on playing defense, and there's a 99 percent chance you'll get the following response:
"Just flying to the ball."
"Just flying to the ball."
Then once more, like an automated football assassin:
"Just flying to the ball."
Watching the sophomore safety roam the secondary for the MSU football team, the explanation of his playing style holds true. He'll glide from the deep third of the defense, up to the line of scrimmage and into the offensive backfield on any given play. He scans the field and flashes to the ball, looking to make a big hit or break up a pass, swinging a game's momentum in favor of the Green and White.
He's the defense's playmaker, an X-factor, a wild card — something MSU has been sorely lacking for the past few seasons. MSU's opponents scored nearly 29 points per game in 2005 as the Spartans gave up 165 yards per contest on the ground and 245 through the air. The blame for the defense's deficiencies fell on the entire team, but many fingers were pointed at the suspect secondary. Fortunately for MSU, Wiley appears to excel at stopping both attacks.
"Otis is a good football player, I keep telling you that," MSU head coach John L. Smith said. "He's going to be a great football player. He's going to be special."
In MSU's first two games, Wiley compiled 20 total tackles, including 3.5 for a loss. He also has one sack, one forced fumble and three pass break-ups. But his presence extends beyond his statistics. Smith said Wiley has seized a leadership role, as well.
"The first thing you look for when you miss Smitty (departed safety Eric Smith) is, 'Who is going to communicate all of the things that we do back there?' Otis has gotten placed into that."
Wiley realizes he is a key defensive player and has taken it upon himself to make sure the team never loses its intensity on his side of the ball.
"Sometimes, you feel like stuff is going down, and people are putting their heads down," Wiley said. "You've got to lift them up, because the game ain't over yet."
Senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan, a team captain, said he saw "big play ability" written all over Wiley ever since last year's 44-41 overtime victory against Notre Dame. The then-freshman Wiley, playing as a fifth defensive back in passing situations, registered four tackles in the game, including a sack of quarterback Brady Quinn on a third-down play that pushed the Fighting Irish out of field-goal range.
"Down there — with that rich tradition — for him to come in there and have that type of impact on the game, I knew right then that he was going to be a playmaker," Ryan said.
Wiley has already done some bulking up since arriving in East Lansing. He was a lean 185-pounder as a freshman, but has gained about 25 pounds since.
"I just need to be stronger, so I can come up and make hits without getting hurt," he said.
Wiley has shown no hesitation to put his shoulder pads on opposing players in MSU's first two games. The Spartans' defense calls for Wiley to be actively involved in run support, rather than sitting back and being the team's last line of defense.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't defend against the air attack. Several times already this season, Wiley has laid a hit just as a pass arrives, causing the ball to carom off a receiver's fingertips before a catch can be made.
Ryan said Wiley's presence gives the defensive front seven a higher comfort level.
"You know that if you make a mistake, he'll be back there to make up for it," Ryan said. "You know Otis is always going to be fundamentally sound, his technique is always going to be good."
On occasion, Wiley's aggressive play can work against him. He (and the rest of the MSU defensive backfield) were burned twice by Eastern Michigan on trick plays, as the safeties and cornerbacks mistakenly committed to the run only to have passes sail over their heads. The plays were inconsequential to the game's outcome (a 52-20 MSU win), but Wiley said it's something to learn from.
"We've got to do it right next time," Wiley said. "Be right with our eyes, and adjust to it instead of coming up, knowing that they can go for the trick plays."
Learning from on-field errors is wahat Ryan has come to expect from Wiley.
"He's accountable," Ryan said. "The kid is accountable off the field and on the field, so I just love having the kid around."
Ryan said the improvements Wiley has made since his freshman year are obvious — an example he said other young MSU football players would be wise to take notice of.
"He's much more vocal," Ryan said. "He knows his calls. He played very well last year as our nickelback. He made a big adjustment and he matured — that's the biggest thing."
"He matured, and with that maturity came taking pride in what he does. He wants to be the best. If you watch him, he always has a fire going. He's always celebrating. I wish we had 20 more Otis Wileys."
It won't be easy for Wiley to continue the level of production he displayed against Idaho and Eastern Michigan. MSU's remaining opponents are at an unquestionably higher level than those teams, with games against No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 11 Michigan all on the schedule in a four-week span. So how does he plan to continue this break-neck pace, putting up linebacker numbers from a safety position?
"Just flying to the ball."
Ethan Conley can be reached at conleyet@msu.edu.
