Here is how the Spartans graded out for the 2009 season:

Offense: B

Embroiled in a quarterback competition early in the season, sophomore Kirk Cousins emerged as the clear-cut starter over sophomore Keith Nichol.

Cousins completed 61.5 percent of his passes and only threw three interceptions in the final six games of the season against 11 touchdown passes. He finished the year with 2,460 yards passing with 18 touchdowns and seven picks.

Senior receiver Blair White emerged even more this season, earning All-Big Ten honors with 64 receptions for 876 yards and eight touchdowns.

Running back was by committee this season, with freshmen Larry Caper, Edwin Baker, redshirt freshman Caulton Ray and sophomores Glenn Winston and Ashton Leggett all seeing at least 20 carries, and it was tough for any consistency to grow.

The offensive line only allowed 13 sacks and helped lead the Big Ten’s top passing offense, but was up-and-down run blocking. All said, the offense put up 407.1 yards per game, second in the league to Penn State.

Defense: D

The defense seemed to right the ship after a slow start to the season, but this side of the ball finished the year worse than it started. The defense gave up more than 40 points in three of the last four games.

The Spartans were destroyed by teams that could throw the ball around and even teams that couldn’t throw were able to have success in the air against the Spartans. Only junior Greg Jones was the bright spot, racking up 141 tackles, good for second in the nation and earning him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, as awarded by the media. Jones’ fellow linebackers were forced to constantly be used in pass coverage against teams that spread the field with receivers.

The Spartans’ coaches rarely, if ever, used a nickel or dime package and opposing teams were able to use their speed advantage. The talk during the preseason was that the defense might need to carry the offense, but instead the offense carried the defense almost all season. The defense has given more yards per game in each of the past two seasons and that trend has to stop.

Special teams: B

Senior Brett Swenson had a stellar year, despite being snubbed as a finalist for the Lou Groza Award for the second straight season. He was named team MVP for his efforts, connecting on 18-of-20 field goals and 40-of-41 extra point attempts in becoming the program’s top kicker of all time and one of the Big Ten’s best.

What really stood out was the team’s kick return game. When sophomore Keshawn Martin took over, he made an immediate impact, returning a kick for a score to open the second half at Minnesota and returning another deep into Purdue territory to set up the winning field goal against the Boilermakers.

Coaching: C

Don Treadwell’s offensive playcalling was great this season and he was able to get the most out of his players. Whether on reverses or in the Wildcat, Martin was put in a spot in which he could succeed. For people who think the Spartans run too much, they still had the top passing attack in the conference.

While the Spartan offense was put in the right positions, the complete opposite can be said about the defense.

Linebackers were put in the unfair position of continually being asked to cover speed receivers. The defensive backs, who were considered the best and deepest part of the defense in the preseason, mostly saw the bench during the season.

Coaches did try to change things up by using a three-man front on third down but that just gave opposing quarterbacks more time to make plays. If a couple of breaks had gone the Spartans’ way, maybe the poor coaching would have been masked.