Flash forward a week and the offense has gone from stumbling to startling, with eight receivers totaling more than 14 yards receiving in the No. 10 MSU football team’s (2-0) 41-7 victory over Central Michigan.

Juniors Bennie Fowler and Dion Sims led the way, each tallying touchdowns, with Fowler adding eight catches and 99 receiving yards.

But the numerous receivers making plays have led to a surplus of options for head coach Mark Dantonio, who elected to play freshmen Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings Jr. on Saturday.

Both finished with two catches in the first game of their collegiate careers and by playing, they now risk losing their ability to redshirt.

“It’s a tough (decision) because you want to make sure if you play your freshmen, they’re going to continue to play,” Dantonio said. “They have great skills. I think there’s no question when they get the ball in their hands they can make things happen, but they just have to get in the rhythm of the whole offense.”

Fowler has become the veteran of the receiving corps and appears to be junior quarterback Andrew Maxwell’s No. 1 target.

He said it was exciting to see the extra work spent improving timing between the receivers and Maxwell pay off this past weekend.

“I think we got better, a lot better,” Fowler said. “We were a lot more poised in the huddle, our timing was a lot better with Maxwell and our offense looked a lot better passingwise. … We had been working on timing all week in practice and after practice, and it showed up in the game.”

Although there were some issues with timing between Maxwell and Keith Mumphery, the sophomore receiver had his best game as a Spartan against CMU, with four catches for 52 yards, and said the success of all eight receivers isn’t a source of conflict among the group.

“We played like we were more comfortable, we were more relaxed and we believed in each other more,” Mumphery said. “It really (doesn’t) matter who plays. We’re all brothers; we’ve all got each
other’s back.”

Although the receivers are supportive of each other, Fowler said that by competing against each other, it helps them all improve.

“Everybody can play, every receiver caught a pass (and) we’ve got a lot talent, so it’s not a bad thing,” Fowler said.

But the decision could become a negative if it limits Kings Jr.’s and Burbridge’s years at MSU as starting and productive players.

Dantonio said he spoke with the duo about the decision on the sideline against Central Michigan and said both understood the situation and wanted to play.

Despite admitting he might wish to have the duo with him an extra year, Dantonio said it was most important to get a look at all of the Spartans’ options before determining which receivers would make up the regular rotation.

“They wanted to play, they knew the situation (and) we played them,” he said. “Now we’ll use them; we’ll get them a little more involved possibly.

“You can see they can make plays, and it’s going to be a positive for us. I may not like it five years from now, but I like it right now.”