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Michigan State offensive lineman Skyler Burkland is carted off the field after suffering a leg injury in the loss to Notre Dame Saturday in South Bend, Ind. / ERIC SEALS/DFP SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Michigan State left tackle Dan France ...
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Unfortunately for MSU, the problem is not that simple. The Spartans' young offensive line struggled, and if the unit doesn't improve, Michigan State's Big Ten title hopes will be in jeopardy. Coach Mark Dantonio said the offensive line is "a bit of a concern, because we're relatively young there."
Last year, Michigan State ran for 203 yards against Notre Dame. This year: 29. Running back Le'Veon Bell said, "They're one of those defenses you've got to wear down over a long period of time," and that when Notre Dame took the lead, "We had to get away from the run game and start passing a lot more."
In the first half, Michigan State ran the ball 14 times for 13 yards. If you subtract a 7-yard sack from those numbers, MSU ran 13 times for 20 yards.
So this was a two-half problem, and it didn't help that right tackle Skyler Burkland was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury. Burkland did not return. Dantonio said he expects to know more about Burkland's immediate future today. Dantonio said he thought junior Fou Fonoti did an admirable job replacing Burkland.
The inability to run may have affected the play-calling more than the score did. On a third-and-1, MSU called for a deep pass. Dantonio said the tight end was open but Cousins "did not have time, I don't feel, to look."
"It all plays together," he said. "And there's no one group of people that's saying, 'OK, they can't run the ball, so it's the offensive line.' That's not really how it works in the real world."
However it works in the real world, it needs to work better for Michigan State. The line's pass-blocking was not great either -- as Dantonio said, Notre Dame "got a push out of their defensive front. Cousins was on his back a lot after throwing the ball."
The coach also pointed out that if young players struggle, it is not as discouraging as if older players struggle. He expects his line to improve. After this game, that is a necessity.
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