State News football reporters Matt Bishop and Chris Vannini discuss head coach Mark Dantonio’s press conference and the changes he is making for the next game.
After consecutive losses, the Spartans football depth chart had some significant changes on both sides of the ball.
The MSU secondary has been picked apart the last two weeks by strong quarterbacks; as a result, senior Kendell Davis-Clark will start at cornerback over junior Chris L. Rucker, who has struggled to defend the deep ball the past two games.
This, along with the rest of the changes, was announced Tuesday at head coach Mark Dantonio’s weekly press conference.
“He’s a good blitzer,” Dantonio said of Davis-Clark. “He’s physical, so I think he deserves an opportunity to go back out and play.”
Dantonio said Davis-Clark entered fall camp as a starter at safety but injuries hampered his ability to play early on.
“Chris L. Rucker (is) obviously an outstanding football player, but he’s got to make plays,” Dantonio said.
At a different defensive position, true freshman linebacker Chris Norman will start at strong-side linebacker while junior Eric Gordon will move over to the weak side.
Norman saw some playing time against Notre Dame and has had three tackles this year.
“I think that Chris, the more he plays, the better he will become,” Dantonio said. “He is an instinctive player when he turns it loose. When he’s thinking, he’s a little slower, just like most of us.”
Offensive changes
Although the Spartans’ offense had success last week against Notre Dame, Dantonio decided to go ahead and make some changes to the depth chart.
True freshman running back Larry Caper is listed as the starter, along with redshirt freshman Caulton Ray.
Ray only had three carries against Notre Dame, but gained 23 yards. Previously, Ray had been listed ahead of Caper, who was in the second spot with true freshman Edwin Baker.
In the second quarter of Saturday’s game, Ray caught a screen pass and ran for 14 yards, but fumbled the ball, turned it over to Notre Dame and didn’t touch the ball for the rest of the game. Ray only saw the field a few more times, each time as a pass blocker.
Caper, meanwhile, had a team-high 12 carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Baker has not played in the last two games because of a sore knee. He no longer is listed on the depth chart — sophomore Glenn Winston is listed as No. 3 — leaving the possibility of him being redshirted this season and saving a year of eligibility.
On the offensive line, senior John Stipek is listed with senior Joel Nitchman at center. Nitchman sprained his knee against Montana State and hasn’t played since.
Elsewhere on the line, redshirt freshman Ethan Ruhland and sophomore Joel Foreman both are listed as the starter at left guard. Foreman was injured in the second quarter against Notre Dame and didn’t return.
“(Ruhland) did a couple things wrong … but for a guy coming off the bench, I thought he performed well,” Dantonio said Sunday.
Dantonio only would say Foreman’s status for this weekend’s game against Wisconsin was “TBA.”
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Without Nitchman and Foreman however, the Spartans didn’t give up a sack against a Notre Dame defense that blitzed almost every play.
