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    • Michigan State football wins 27-24 at Maryland: 3 quick takes
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    Michigan State football wins 27-24 at Maryland: 3 quick takes

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    1. MSU’s performance at Maryland changes the possibilities for this season

    COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Well, maybe this Michigan State football season is more than we thought.

    Consider Saturday’s 27-24 MSU win at Maryland the actual debut of quarterback Aidan Chiles and this MSU offense. Consider the possibilities for this season changed. The team we saw beat the Terrapins on a late field goal is a team worth keeping an eye on, a team that might be ready to contend for the majority of its schedule.

    This was one of the most promising games I’ve covered at MSU because of the contrast with last week’s offensive performance against Florida Atlantic.

    MSU’s offense came to life — Chiles and Nick Marsh came to life, MSU’s 18-year-old QB and 17-year-old receiver stole the show in the fourth quarter. MSU’s defense won its share of battles against a more complete opponent. And so 2-0 feels a lot different than 1-0.

    Come to Prairie View A&M.

    And then the rest of the schedule, some of which looks a little less scary. Let’s see where this goes.

    That Chiles version. That eye-opening performance by Marsh. That Jack Velling and Montorie Foster version. You can win with that.

    This game will be remembered for the Chiles-Marsh connection — two fourth-quarter plays, one a game-tying 76-yard touchdown. They were needed. And reasons for hope. But there was so much more.

    From the start, MSU’s offense looked more capable. The play-calling helped get the offense into a rhythm and get guys going that had struggled in the opener — starting with a swing pass from Chiles to Foster on the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage. They let Velling play after not having him in the week before. Marsh was right there with them. Running back Nate Carter had a 30-yard run on the game’s first drive. This was a unit that made it clear they weren’t who we saw last week.

    That bodes well for the season, which still has a lot of games at stake that will be decided in the fourth quarter.

    2. Chiles’ second start looks a lot more promising

    That was more like the Aidan Chiles I expected. More than I expected, actually. The sophomore quarterback from MSU played like a guy whose first start the week before was a really bad game at Maryland, a guy who was trying to be a star before finding a rhythm. He found it Saturday. MSU’s coaches helped. Chiles settled down and made some big third-down throws and worked the sideline well on early downs. He consistently evaded pressure with his legs, which will be a huge help for MSU this season. He had two long touchdown passes on point — one to Montorie Foster, the other a 76-yard bomb to Nick Marsh late in the fourth quarter — and another 57-yard throw in stride to Marsh when he was hit.

    Chiles also had a couple of other throws that fell short — two for interceptions, one that led to a touchdown for Maryland, the other that kept the Spartans from scoring. Later, after that 57-yard completion to Marsh, Chiles lost the ball on his throwing motion and a Maryland player caught it.

    That’s the next step for Chiles: realizing that more games are lost than won. Those mistakes cancel out the big plays. But that’s always been a problem for this young QB who sees himself as a playmaker and has all the attributes of a playmaker.

    This was a huge step, though — 363 yards passing, three touchdowns. Proof that Chiles is more than what we saw in his debut. He’s a tantalizing talent, a gamer. He’s just inexperienced.

    3. So MSU’s defense isn’t the Bears’ from ’85, but they still look good

    We knew Maryland would be a different challenge for MSU’s defense than what Florida Atlantic presented, and that the Spartans probably wouldn’t come out on top in the same way.

    The Game 2 returns of the Joe Rossi era were still pretty good, after Maryland’s opening touchdown drive. The Spartans allowed a modest 339 yards to a team that had scored over 600 yards a week earlier.

    They made some good plays: big third-down tackles by Chuck Brantley and Ed Woods, a drive-changing sack by Khris Bogle, all in the first half; Ken Talley blowing up a Maryland run just as the Terrapins were threatening in the third quarter, a swarming tackle on the next play, and then solid coverage to force a field goal try a play later; an interception by Brantley in the fourth quarter, when MSU was fighting for its life; big pressure on the QB a drive later, and then a stop on third-and-1 to give the Spartans the ball back with just over 2 minutes left in a tied game.

    They continued to tackle well in space and cover the width of the field well. There were mistakes — a costly and unnecessary pass interference in the third quarter, a missed coverage on a wheel route to start the fourth that resulted in a touchdown, poor coverage on third-and-13 when they needed a stop late. But nothing too flashy.

    This is not a defense you can rely on, but it seems like it can win. A defense that can hold up against most attacks and give you a chance.

    MORE: Couch’s grades for Michigan State’s performance in MSU’s win over Maryland

    Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at Graham_Couch.

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