It’s clear that the running game is a key piece of Michigan State’s offense, whether it be wearing out the defense, creating more open looks for Thorne or simply sustaining momentum. However, the Spartans finished with just 38 yards on 14 attempts against Minnesota. The week before, MSU ran for just 42 yards on 29 carries at Washington.

Under Head Coach Mel Tucker, the Spartans are 1-8 when the team finishes with under 100 rushing yards.

“We pride ourselves on running the football and that’s what we need to do,” offensive coordinator Jay Johnson said.

Through the first two games of the season it seemed as though the running game had not regressed much after losing star running back Kenneth Walker III to the NFL in the offseason. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Berger and fifth-year senior Jarek Broussard looked like a classic one-two punch in the backfield, combining for 362 rushing yards against Akron and Western Michigan (Berger rushed for over 100 yards in both games).

However, against power five opponents, the running game has fallen apart completely. In the last two games, MSU has yet to have a carry from a running back go for more than nine yards and has failed to reach 50 total rushing yards in either game.

“We’ve been getting on the right guy, but it's about executing and actually finishing the blocks — trying to open some holes for the guys back there,” sixth-year senior tight end Tyler Hunt said.

Between the lack of a ground game and early defensive collapses, the weight of the offense has been placed almost entirely on Thorne and the passing game in the past couple of weeks. 

“We get down big early and it becomes a score situation; it becomes a race against time,” Tucker said. “There’s really limited options there because of the time in the game and the score differential.”

Thorne performed admirably under pressure against Washington, even as it became clear that the Spartans would air out the ball. However, he couldn't carry the offense to any sort of effectiveness against the Gophers. Without any solid gains on the ground, MSU's offense found itself in far too many third-and-long situations, causing Thorne to force plays further down the field. Unsurprisingly, Michigan State went 2-8 on third down attempts against Minnesota.

While some disgruntled fans are clamoring for a quarterback change (redshirt sophomore Noah Kim’s touchdown pass against the Gophers in the waning minutes didn’t help Thorne’s case), the best antidote for the sickly Spartan offense may simply be some help on the ground. 

That help may be on the way. Despite the recent struggles, Tucker and his players believe the running game is close to succeeding. 

“Looking at the film, there’s just little things we have to fix — one guy missing their blocker, one guy doing the wrong thing,” senior center Nick Samac said. “We’re right there and I know we’re gonna get right.”

Redshirt junior tackle Spencer Brown expressed a similar sentiment, saying the rushing attack is “inches” from breaking through.

This weekend, Michigan State is heading to the East Coast to play Maryland. The Terrapins’ rushing defense ranks 77th in the country, giving up an average of 149.5 yards per game. After a shaky couple of weeks, Michigan State’s offense has an opportunity to re-stabilize this weekend, though it will take proper execution from the entire offense — especially the rushing attack. 

“We’re trying to work our hardest to get to that point where we don’t say almost, almost, almost — we’re saying okay, we ran the ball well.” Thorne said.

Current weather reports are calling for a rainy weekend in College Park. If Saturday’s matchup ends up a wet slugfest, the rushing attack will become an even more important piece of the offense.