Kendell Brooks stepping up

One of the most concerning results of Michigan State’s win against Western Michigan was the injury to senior safety Xavier Henderson. With not much depth in the position, it was unclear who would step up to fill such a key role in the secondary. 

In his absence, junior Angelo Grose and senior Kendell Brooks have been more than competent against Akron, especially the latter. Brooks forced a fumble (and was involved, but not credited with another forced fumble), notched a pass breakup and earned a couple of tackles in the first half. While MSU’s secondary wasn’t stellar through the first two quarters, the Spartans looked surprisingly strong at safety. 

Another wrinkle was added to the position depth at the end of the half. After a hit forced Grose to limp off the field, freshman Jaden Mangham took the field for a couple of snaps. Grose's injury status is unclear at this time. 

Turnovers aplenty

Michigan State’s defense pitched a shutout in the first half, thanks in large part to three fumbles from the visitors. 21 of the Spartans points were scored following Akron turnovers.

While the defense impressed with a first-half shutout and three turnovers, there were certainly some weak spots. 

After an extremely impressive showing against Western Michigan, MSU’s front seven has looked lackluster against the Zips. With no sacks and only one tackle for loss, Akron's quarterback, D.J. Irons, looked far too comfortable in the backfield but left the game with an injury. Michigan State’s secondary also looked inconsistent at times, letting up 142 yards through the air. 

One-two punch at running back

With a combined three touchdowns and 100 yards, graduate student Jarek Broussard and redshirt sophomore Jalen Berger each had a great first half. 

While Berger finished with a majority of the carries against Western Michigan, the two running backs seemed much more like a duo against Akron. In the Spartans two scoring drives, the running backs both contributed to the march of the offense. 

In the first touchdown drive, Berger was the workhouse, tiring the defense with a few chunk plays and some heavy running. When Michigan State reached the goal line, they relied on the fresh legs of Broussard to punch in the touchdown. In MSU’s next scoring drive, the running backs reversed roles -- Broussard was the workhorse, and Berger put an exclamation point on the drive.

With a few more attempts and more yards than Broussard, Berger still looks like Michigan State’s go-to running back. However, Broussard seems intent to prove that he deserves a fair share of the carries as well. In short, Michigan State may have a one-two punch at running back this season.