Instead, redshirt freshman Shilique Calhoun started at defensive end opposite sophomore Marcus Rush and played during the first half.

The opportunity to start was the first of Calhoun’s career at MSU, and he said stepping out onto the field for the first play was an exhilarating experience.

“I just wanted to see how hard they hit to get the feeling of ‘OK, this is how they’re going to play,’” Calhoun said. “I had a couple butterflies, but I got them out pretty fast.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end recorded two tackles and half a tackle for loss in his starting debut.

Calhoun also came within inches of his first career sack, but came up empty when Eastern Michigan quarterback Tyler Benz released the ball just prior to the Middletown, N.J.,-native pulling him down.

“Next time, I just have to be faster,” Calhoun laughed.

Gholston returned to play most of the second half, recording two tackles of his own, as the defense went on to hold the Eagles scoreless the rest of the afternoon.

After the game, head coach Mark Dantonio said Gholston was benched because he had missed too much practice the week before, and declined to answer whether he had been banged up.

“He was in and out of practice this week, so we made that decision,” Dantonio said.

Defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi added he was pleased with the way Calhoun performed in the absence of one of the team’s defensive leaders.

“I tell you what, (Calhoun’s) pretty good,” he said. “I think he had a good first half, and we’ve got depth at that position, so we’re not going to throw guys out there who don’t practice every practice.”

Although Gholston almost certainly will get the starting nod against No. 14 Ohio State this Saturday, Calhoun said he felt good about his performance in Saturday’s game, and he hopes the coaches were impressed as well.

“I feel like I played very hard today,” he said. “There’s a lot of plays where I could improve, but I feel I played very hard.”

He added while he can’t say for sure whether he earned himself more playing time, the fact he was given the opportunity to start so early in his career is a positive sign moving forward.

“It tells me the coaches have trust in me and (that) they have faith in me that I can get it done,” he said. “So it’s just going to keep me working hard, striving for excellence and being the best I can be
to keep them happy.”