Opposing wide receivers might want to keep some breath mints handy. MSU's defensive backs plan on getting very up-close and personal next season.

The secondary, one of the most maligned units on the MSU football team during the last few seasons, is revamping its philosophy and relying more heavily on press coverage, in which defensive backs make contact with receivers at the line of scrimmage in order to disrupt their routes.

"It messes up timing more than anything," secondary coach Harlon Barnett said Friday after spring practice. "If I've got a guy playing me off, that's just like in practice. But if I've got a guy up harassing me, re-routing me, jamming me up, then that throws timing off."

The Spartans ranked ninth in the Big Ten last season in pass defense at 230.9 yards per game, and opponents often had little problem carving out holes in the 5- or 10-yard cushion MSU gave them.

The Spartans lost starting cornerbacks Demond Williams and Greg Cooper from that unit, so the burden of fixing the system will fall on a young corps that got some experience last season because of injuries. Junior Kendell Davis-Clark, sophomore Ashton Henderson and senior Travis Key all saw more time than expected last season, and redshirt freshman Enrique Shaw and sophomore transfer Jeremy Ware have been getting extended reps in spring practice.

"Nobody seems to be backing down from the competition, and that's great," Barnett said. "Competition's supposed to make you better."

They'll all have to embrace the switch to press coverage, which is more aggressive but requires some time to adapt to.

"I'm all right with it," Davis-Clark said. "I know I have the speed. I have the strength. I just have to get the technique down."

The downside to press coverage is that it can be harder to keep the play in front of you.

"You don't have as many eyes on the ball," Barnett said. "If a receiver runs you off down the field, you've got four less eyes on the ball. If the ball busts out for a long run and they're getting ran down the field, they don't see it until late. Whereas, if you're playing off, you may have more chance to see the ball."

But that's a risk the Spartans are willing to take. Barnett said a similar switch was made when he was on head coach Mark Dantonio's staff at Cincinnati.

"By the time we left down there, we'd ask at key points in the game, 'What do you want to play?'" Barnett said.

The players' response?

"We want to press 'em, Coach. We want to press 'em."