It hasn’t been easy though, as the Spartans have fought through plenty of adversity to reach their unblemished record. The biggest hurdle came when head coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack Sept. 19, following MSU’s 34-31overtime win against Notre Dame.

After missing two games, Dantonio returned and coached from the press box last Saturday as the Spartans beat Denard Robinson and rival U-M, 34-17. And now at the halfway point of the season, Dantonio said he can’t help but be happy with the performance of his players.

“When you look at us as a football team, we’re 6-0, so you have to give yourself an A, A- grade,” Dantonio said. “As a football team collectively, we’ve handled adversity and we’ve come to play every week.”

Six games into the season with another six regular-season games to go, here is a look at the position-by-position grading breakdown of the MSU football team at the halfway point.

Quarterbacks: B

After splitting time with fellow junior Keith Nichol last season, Kirk Cousins has been the man at quarterback for MSU in 2010. But surprisingly, Cousins came out shaky in his first couple starts of the season. In the first two games, Cousins averaged 164 yards per contest with a completion percentage less than 60 percent. But beginning with the Spartans’ overtime win against Notre Dame, Cousins has been one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, completing nearly 72 percent of his passes for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns.
Trend: Up

Running backs: A

Coming into 2010 as a major question mark, the Spartans’ rushing attack amassed 297 yards in its first game against Western Michigan and hasn’t laid off the gas pedal since. Le’Veon Bell arguably has been the best freshman in the conference with 549 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, but the Spartans have been paced by sophomore Edwin Baker. Through six games, Baker already has more rushing yards (683) than any MSU back all of last season. And with sophomore Larry Caper back after a hand injury kept him out in the early season, the Spartans’ ground game officially became one of the best in the country.
Trend: Same

Wide receivers: B

As expected, the MSU receivers have been one of the deepest units on the team. Three receivers — juniors Keshawn Martin and B.J. Cunningham and senior Mark Dell — have between 19 and 22 catches on the year with Dell being the big-play threat. Senior Charlie Gantt and junior Brian Linthicum have been valuable targets at tight end as well, catching a total of 17 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. The drops that plagued the Spartans in 2009also have not been as prevalent as the season has progressed. Although replacing last year’s top receiver Blair White seemed difficult, MSU collectively has been able to do just that to this point.
Trend: Up

Offensive line: B

Probably the biggest surprise of the first half of the season has been the play of the offensive line. Paving the way for MSU’s stable of running backs, the unit has opened up big holes all season on the way to the Spartans’ 1,350 rushing yards. The performance of the group is being noticed nationally, too, as junior guard Joel Foreman has been named to the Rivals.com midseason All-America first team. One thing the guys up front have struggled with especially as of late is protecting Cousins, who has been sacked 13 times — just one fewer than all of last season.
Trend: Down

Defensive line: B

It’s been unexpected the way the Spartans have stopped the run this year. MSU’s last two opponents, Wisconsin and Michigan, totaled just 165 and 162 yards on the ground, respectively. Sophomore Jerel Worthy and senior Colin Neely lead the unit, but the Spartans’ depth can be seen in the way they rotate players. The pass rush has been big when needed, but MSU has not recorded more than two sacks in a game this year. Generating pressure will be key in the second half of the season. With several freshmen and sophomores in starting roles, expect the unit to get better as the season progresses.
Trend: Up

Linebackers: A

This was expected to be the best unit of the defense, and it’s lived up to its billing. Senior Greg Jones, last season’s conference Defensive Player of the Year, leads MSU in tackles with 46. The unit was effective against Wisconsin’spower-running attack, holding running back John Clay in check, and neutralized U-M’s spread the following week. In early-season wins against Florida Atlantic and Notre Dame, the defense gave up a lot of short passes and third-down conversions, but rebounded well in following weeks. Senior Jon Misch and sophomore Chris Norman form an effective 1-2 punch at the star linebacker position, with Norman’s pass-covering ability proving valuable. Senior Eric Gordon has been solid at the other linebacker position.
Trend: Same

Secondary: B-

Coming off a tough campaign in 2009, the MSU secondary was expected to be the team’s most vulnerable unit. While they’ve given up a lot of short plays, the secondary has looked much better in 2010. It’s faced a variety of different passing offenses, but hasn’t once come unglued.

Junior safety Trenton Robinson and senior safety Marcus Hyde have helped set the tone that the Spartans are a turnover-causing defense, and MSU’s nine interceptions this year are three more than they had all of last season.

The suspension of senior cornerback Chris L. Rucker, who was charged with an OWI this week, will significantly hamper the Spartans as the unit is inexperienced behind the starters. True freshman Darqueze Dennard leads a group of young players looking to step up.
Trend: Down

Special teams: A

MSU’s special teams might be the key to its 6-0 start. Big special teams plays lifted the Spartans to wins against Notre Dame and Wisconsin, as few teams can match MSU’s special teams ability.

Junior Keshawn Martin is the most exciting return-er in the Big Ten, averaging nearly 150 all-purpose yards. His punt return touchdown against Wisconsin gave the Spartans a huge lift. Senior punter Aaron Bates is averaging close to 45 yards per punt, near the top in the Big Ten, and is as smooth as can be for MSU. Sophomore kicker Dan Conroy has been the biggest surprise, starting the season nine-for-nine and hitting field goals of 50 yards and 44 yards.
Trend: Up

Coaching: A

After head coach Mark Dantonio’s heart attack Sept. 19, coordinators Don Treadwell and Pat Narduzzi stepped up well. Treadwell’s two fourth-down conversions in MSU’s win against Wisconsin helped MSU to two touchdowns, and Narduzzi’s schemes limited the Badgers and U-M. The two were named National Coordinators of the Week by Rivals.com for their playcalling against Wisconsin and the Wolverines, respectively. Dantonio made the call of the year by faking a field goal in overtime to defeat Notre Dame, and his system is working well.
Trend: Up

Overall: A

As one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten this season, it’s impossible to give the 6-0 Spartans a bad grade. It was obvious before the season MSU had the talent to be good, but few expected the Spartans to consistently put that talent on display week-in and week-out. MSU has handled the teams it was supposed to, and outperformed two Big Ten opponents in the last two weeks. The road doesn’t get any easier for the Spartans, with away games against Northwestern, No. 15 Iowa and Penn State. But the way MSU is playing, Spartans should expect to be competitive in every game on their quest for a Big Ten championship.
Trend: Up