MSU head coach Mark Dantonio and Texas Tech interim head coach Ruffin McNeill share a laugh during a press conference Friday morning at the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. The two teams will face off on Saturday evening in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Josh Radtke/The State News
San Antonio — Usually tight to the vest, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio surprised many people Friday by giving away a piece of his game plan for Saturday’s Valero Alamo Bowl against Texas Tech.
Dantonio told the media, and Texas Tech interim head coach Ruffin McNeill, that sophomore quarterback Keith Nichol will see time not only at quarterback, but wide receiver and punt returner as well.
“He’ll be on the field quite often,” Dantonio said. “He’s proven to be a quick study based on knowing the offense at quarterback. … I think it should be noted how great of a job Keith has done. He’s a tremendous athlete.”
With much of the Spartans’ receiving corps suspended prior to the bowl game because of an on-campus fight, an opportunity opened up for the Lowell native to step in and make good use of his athleticism.
Dantonio went so far as to call Nichol a “bigger, stronger, fast Blair White,” referencing MSU’s leading receiver.
“He’s 220 pounds with a 38-inch vertical and a 10-6 long jump and he can catch,” Dantonio said. “It’ll be interesting to see how he plays tomorrow. I know he’s looking forward to it.”
Nichol came into the season neck-and-neck with sophomore Kirk Cousins for the starting quarterback job. While Cousins started the first five games of the season, Nichol came in against Michigan and led the team to victory when Cousins had to come out due to an ankle injury. He then started the next game against Illinois, helping the team to a 24-14 win.
But Nichol suffered an elbow injury that game, and from that point, his playing time kept decreasing. With snaps dwindling at quarterback as Cousins emerged, Nichol was left in the backup role.
This season, Nichol has passed for 538 yards and seven touchdowns, completing 51-of-98 passes with three interceptions in his first season as a Spartan.
Dantonio said Cousins and Nichol have been working together to gain timing with each other and Cousins has faith in Nichol as a wideout.
As for what’s next, Dantonio said Nichol’s long-term role will be determined in the future.
“The situation we became involved in and the necessity of the numbers kind of predicated that we moved Keith,” Dantonio said. “Because he knows the offense as a quarterback, knows what people are doing, knows the formations and motion, it was an easy transition for him. … We knew when we recruited him that he would be a viable part of the football team and that he would make plays for us.”
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