To junior cornerback Chris L. Rucker, LeFevour makes good decisions and knows how to use the athletes around him. Junior linebacker Greg Jones says MSU will have to do its best to contain him.

But the understated consensus on LeFevour is this: He’s a very good quarterback.

LeFevour, in his fourth season as the Chippewas’ starting quarterback, is the main reason why Saturday’s game against Central Michigan has upset potential.

“He can get north and south in a hurry,” Dantonio said. “You can have everything boxed up and he can scramble with it.”

LeFevour ranks 13th all time in the Football Bowl Subdivision in career total offense, was the 2007 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and has been All-MAC all three years. In 2007, he became the second player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000.

“Anytime you have an experienced quarterback that has done the things he’s done, he’s seen every defense, he’s seen every front, he’s seen every blitz and he’s very proficient at what he does,” Dantonio said.

In Central Michigan’s Week 1 loss at Arizona, the Wildcats contained LeFevour, allowing him only 126 yards of total offense. He scored the Chippewas’ lone touchdown of the game on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter.

But the game came under difficult conditions for Central Michigan. It didn’t start until 10:50 p.m. ET because of a lightning delay.

This week will be different.

“He’s a very creative guy,” Jones said. “He likes to make plays with his feet and he can throw it, too. We’re going to have a lot on our hands. We’re going to stay together and try to make it happen.”

The last time the Spartans faced such a mobile quarterback, Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor passed for 118 yards and rushed for 72 with two total touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 45-7 rout of the Spartans last season.

But Jones pointed to sophomore quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol in helping the defense get used to dual-threat quarterbacks in practice throughout the spring and fall.

“Thank God we have Kirk and Keith on our team,” Jones said. “We got a little used to it. Those guys can run and throw, too. We’ll be ready for it.”

Dantonio said the Spartans are going to have to be sound fundamentally against LeFevour, who has two large weapons in receivers Antonio Brown (junior, 13 career touchdown receptions) and Bryan Anderson (senior, 21 career touchdown receptions).

“You have to tackle well, you have to keep the quarterback off-base a little bit and do different things at times, give them different looks,” Dantonio said, “but I think he’s seen every look imaginable.”

Senior Trevor Anderson will be one of many chasing LeFevour on Saturday. MSU’s speed rusher has admired LeFevour from afar and finally will get the chance to play against him.

“He’s a good quarterback,” Anderson said. “I’ve been watching him since his freshman year and to see him get better year after year, consistently, shows you the type of player he is and the approach he has to the game. It adds a little bit more of a respect factor.”