After racking up 292 total yards and accounting for six touchdowns on the road against Texas, Notre Dame quarterback Deshone Kizer cemented himself as one of the Fighting Irish’s heaviest weapons.
Capable of winning games on the strength of his talents, Kizer will present an interesting challenge for the Spartan defense as it heads to South Bend to take on the Irish for the first time since 2013.
Outside of Kizer’s arm, he’s agile on his feet. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 230 pounds, he’s difficult to bring down on a solo tackle when he gets a full head of steam.
The leg speed and power of Kizer will be the concern for the linebackers, something junior linebacker Chris Frey said MSU will be keyed in on.
“We just have to be smart in what we do, we can’t be too aggressive because he can get out of the pocket and he’s a very good runner,” Frey said. “We have to be in our gaps and not try and be too aggressive.”
MSU, however, has seen multiple teams through the years with a dual-threat quarterback, including Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Vernon Adams in 2014 and Ohio State University’s Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones in 2015.
“A little bit like Mariota,” Frey said of Kizer’s ability and style. “He passes the ball very well and he can stretch the pocket and make a good run. (Kizer) might not be to that level yet, but I’ve grown around him through my recruiting process so I’ve watched him at camps we were at and he’s a very good player.”
MSU’s starting linebackers amassed 25 of the team’s 66 tackles against Furman and with the inexperienced defensive line still a question mark, the linebackers and secondary will be tasked again with stopping the attack.
Though respectful of Kizer’s talents, fifth-year senior safety Demetrious Cox and the secondary will be more focused on their own game than worrying about being burned by Kizer’s throws.
“We’re going to play our game, game plan him up,” Cox said. “Really just come out, be physical and be really sound at what we do.”
Leading the charge in the 50-47 double-overtime loss to Texas, Kizer followed up the near-heroic performance by tossing a mundane by comparison 156-yard-two-touchdown game against Nevada. He also added 35 rushing yards on 10 carries including a two-yard touchdown run.
Though the numbers lacked in zest against Nevada, they came effortlessly as he completed 15-of-18 passes. With a potent group of receivers and a stout quarterback, MSU’s defensive backs and secondary will have to be sound if MSU is to win at Notre Dame.
Incurring two pass interference calls against Furman, fifth-year senior Darian Hicks will more than likely be a testable target for Kizer and the Fighting Irish receiving corps. Cox, however, isn’t concerned with the penalties saying he felt could have gone either way.
“A lot of that stuff was in the referee’s hands, it was kind of like 50/50 calls of do I call or do I not call it,” Cox said. “I feel like if they would look at the replay they might second guess their calls.”
MSU heads to Notre Dame for the first time since 2013 on Saturday. The last time the Spartans and the Fightin Irish met, Notre Dame came out with a 17-13 victory.
