Sophomore defensive end Shilique Calhoun and sophomore linebacker Darien Harris discuss their next game after Tuesday night practice. The Spartans take on Iowa on the road Oct. 5 after a bye week.
The biggest beneficiary of MSU football’s bye week might have been junior wide receiver Tony Lippett.
Lippett used the week off to reevaluate himself and refocus after talking with coaches, and it paid off with his ascension into the starting line at the X receiver spot with sophomore Aaron Burbridge.
“I have been doing a lot of things well, I have been doing a lot of things OK,” Lippett said. “But it’s just the point of the things I haven’t been doing well I want to make sure I address them.”
Used sparingly in the first third of the season, Lippett should get more opportunities this week with five other wideouts in a playing group head coach Mark Dantonio views as co-starters. Dantontio said he has been especially impressed with Lippett in recent practices.
Senior Bennie Fowler and junior Keith Mumphery are co-starters at Z receiver while sophomore Macgarrett Kings Jr. stands alone in the slot.
“I don’t care who plays,” Dantonio said. “Because a guy runs out to be the starter on play No. 1, doesn’t mean he’s going to play the most. It’s just roll them in, factor them in, give them opportunities to make plays. I have confidence in them that they can make plays, I see it over and over in practice.”
Lippett has 41 receiving yards and his four catches put him in a tie with redshirt freshman Josiah Price for the sixth-most receptions.
Sophomore quarterback Connor Cook said, along with accuracy and footwork, red-zone offense was a point of emphasis since the Notre Dame game in which the Spartans managed one touchdown in four chances. At 6-foot-3, Lippett is MSU’s tallest receiver and could be utilized in jump ball situations near the goal line.
“He’s got long arms, he’ll go up and get it,” Cook said of Lippett. “And I feel like he really has a lot of detail in everything his does, his routes, releases, his blocking and he’s a really good blocker too.”
Macgarrett Kings Jr., MSU’s leading receiver with 13 grabs for 136 yards, is expanding his role this week in the Big Ten opener against Iowa. The sophomore is slated to return kicks and punts for the first time in his career against the Hawkeyes, and he’s anticipating a big play.
“It’s just an opportunity,” Kings said. “I just want to go out and make the most of it. And I’m pretty sure this week might be the week. I’ve got a feeling this week might be the week.”
The Spartans begin their Big Ten schedule as the only team in the country without a play of 40 yards or more. MSU is ranked No. 103 nationally in total offense, averaging 340.8 yards per game.
“Whether it’s Tony or Fowler or Burbridge or Macgarrett Kings or whoever it is, I do think that they have the ability and I think they can factor into us winning football games,” Dantonio said.
“But I sort of see them all as starters. They have an opportunity to be in there and make big plays. So any one of them can make one.”
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