The offense has looked quite interesting for the Michigan State Football team so far this season through five games. The first two weeks have been a completely different tale than the last three matchups.
Against Central Michigan and Richmond in the first two contests of the year, the Spartans put up 76 points combined. A big reason for the success early on stemmed from under center at the hands of redshirt junior quarterback Noah Kim.
Coming into the season, there was a bit of uncertainty as to who would be named the starting quarterback for week one. Kim saw a bit of action in 2022 as the backup to Payton Thorne, including throwing for three touchdown passes. There was a sense Kim would win the job, but two guys were ready to challenge for the title.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser was the other name who gained lots of traction throughout camp. Houser was a former four star recruit, so there was an immediate sense of hype surrounding his name before even coming to Michigan State. Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt also generated buzz in spring and summer workouts. Kim ultimately won the job to begin the season, but the added controversy in the offseason may have been a distraction.
The decision to start Kim seemed to be the right one in weeks one and two. Against the Chippewas in the first matchup of the year, Kim completed 18 passes on 31 attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns. In the next game versus Richmond, Kim had the best start of his career, as he completed 82% of his passes for 292 yards and three touchdown passes to go along with Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Just as things started to click for Kim and the offense, the rhythm was destroyed just as easily.
MSU hosted No. 8 ranked Washington in the third game of the season, where they suffered a blowout loss, 41-7. Despite a rough day for the entire offense, Kim struggled to be efficient enough to move the ball downfield. Kim completed just 12 passes on 31 attempts, resulting in a 38.7 completion percentage in addition to throwing his first interception of the year. Week four against Maryland was not much of improvement as Kim only threw for 190 yards and a touchdown to go with two more interceptions.
Interim head coach Harlon Barnett decided to give Houser reps in the fourth quarter against the Terrapins after little momentum was generated throughout the game. Following the game, Barnett explained that the decision to put Houser was not performance based, but more an attempt to create a spark. Barnett made the statement that Kim was their guy and will start moving forward.
The Spartans’ week five matchup against Iowa was the most competitive scoreline they have had to date this season, as they fell to the Hawkeyes 26-16.
Kim showed his ability to move the ball downfield in the first three quarters, and made nice throws in the pocket. As Iowa started to crawl back and get their crowd involved, Kim let the defense get the best of him however as Iowa forced him to scramble. The fourth quarter became a form of a collapse for MSU, and Kim finished the game completing 25 passes on 44 attempts for 193 yards and three interceptions.
“We have to watch the film very closely,” Barnett said in regards to the quarterback position following the loss to Iowa. “We got two weeks, so that’s a good thing. Jay (Johnson) and I and the offensive staff will all talk it through and you know see if there’s something that needs to be done or not and evaluate it being very very realistic in the evaluation and being fair at the same time.”
Houser saw extended action against Washington as Kim was pulled for the final two drives of the game. Two incompletions resulted in a punt by the Spartans on Housers’ first drive, but he started to move the ball in his second chance. Multiple first down runs by redshirt sophomore running back Nate Carter pushed the ball past midfield to create a chance for Houser to continue to drive. A big pass in double coverage to redshirt junior wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick resulted in a gain of 61 yards. Another completion on second down to sixth year senior tight end Tyneil Hopper put MSU in the red zone.
Houser got the call on second and goal for the quarterback keeper and rushed into the end zone for his first career touchdown as a Spartan. The drive may not have been perfect, but Houser showed how he could move the ball on an efficient 11 play, 99 yard drive.
This past Thursday in his radio show, Barnett said the quarterback position is wide open and always will be for the remainder of the season. It has been evident that as the year has progressed, Barnett has provided more information about an actual position battle taking place based on what he has seen from Houser and Kim.
Neither Kim or Houser have looked complete at quarterback so far this season, but both have shown their potential. Kim has more experience at the position, but the lack of rhythm in the past few games has not been promising.
With the obvious struggles from Kim and the comments from Barnett, it may not be a bad idea to explore different options at quarterback for the sake of the offense and team momentum overall. It is no secret that changes need to be made for the Spartans as they have lost three straight games to sit at a 2-3 record overall. The road only gets harder beyond the bye week, so it will be important to watch how the position develops over the next few weeks. It will be interesting to note how much Houser and Kim see the field as the two are likely to be fighting for the starting title for each game the rest of the season.
