Because his knee sprain wasn’t too severe — not requiring surgery — Dantonio said Maxwell physically might be able to play on Saturday, but it would be too much of a risk.

Redshirt freshman Connor Cook has been filling in for Maxwell at practice and will play for both the Green and the White teams on Saturday.

“I think what he needs is game experience, and I think the Spring Game will really help him a lot,” Dantonio said. “It’ll be on TV, a little bit more exposure, little bit more pressure, the public being there (adds) a little more pressure, (and he’s) having to do it on a so-called game environment.”

With Cook getting a decent number of reps in practice with Maxwell on the sidelines, Dantonio said he likes what he’s seen from the redshirt freshman and was impressed with his performance in MSU’s team scrimmage on Thursday. In the scrimmage, Cook took the majority of the snaps and complete 15-of-34 attempts for 144 yards and one touchdown.

“He’s got a great arm, he’s got good poise in the pocket, (and) he’s learning the offense as we go,” Dantonio said. “He’s right on time, I think, with his progression in terms of how he’s getting ready.”

Free safety fight
Among the several position battles within the Spartans, Dantonio said one with an apparent leader is at free safety.

Replacing Trenton Robinson, sophomore Kurtis Drummond and redshirt freshman R.J. Williamson have been fighting for the starting spot. Dantonio said if he had to pick a starter on Tuesday, it would be Drummond, and junior strong safety Isaiah Lewis — who has worked a lot with the pair — agreed.

However, Dantonio said both players need to improve, and part of that involves consistency.

“It’s not that they’ve played bad, but they need to be consistent,” he said. “If we’re going to play at this level of football, our secondary’s got to be squared away and sound so that they don’t give up big plays, particularly in the run.

“It’s not their pass coverage, but they’ve got to make the tackle in space. But we’ve got some good running backs, and it’s difficult to tackle Le’Veon Bell.”

Sadler stepping up
One player who has improved his consistency since his first game in the 2011 season is sophomore punter Mike Sadler, who averaged 41.1 yards per punt and had 41 percent of his punts land inside the 20-yard line.

In his second season starting for MSU, the left-footed kicker is harnessing his experience to remain poised and confident.

“Mike’s just consistent,” Dantonio said. “He’s developing his confidence, whereas last year, he was a redshirt freshman, and it was his first time going through this and being the (starting) guy.

“But now, he’ll be a second year player, and he’s even more consistent, and I think he’s got a great leg and a great future.”