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Michigan State depth chart, injury report: Uncertainty in key spots vs. No. 6 Oregon

Although coach Jonathan Smith said Michigan State suffered no long-term injuries in last week’s loss to Ohio State, there are still plenty of health concerns.

The Spartans (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten), who have dropped back-to-back games, will play with uncertainty at No. 6 Oregon (4-0, 1-0) on Friday (9 p.m. ET, FOX) . in multiple positions.

Michigan State already lost its top two right guards, Kristian Phillips and Gavin Broscious, to season-ending injuries and that led to starting left tackle Brandon Baldwin switching spots. Redshirt freshman Stanton Ramil replaced him on the edge, but didn’t play last week after going through warmups. The Spartans turned to a pair of true freshmen at left tackle as Rakeem Johnson made his first career start and Rustin Young also got snaps. Smith said Monday that Ramil practiced earlier in the day, but his status remains unclear.

True freshman receiver Nick Marsh returned last week after missing one game and “looked good the last few days, so hopefully he’ll feel 100 percent by Friday,” Smith said of Marsh during his radio show on Tuesday.

Michigan State’s in-game injuries against Ohio State include defensive tackle Maverick Hansen and safety Malik Spencer and Smith said Hansen “should be good to go.” Michael Masunas, receiver Antonio Gates Jr. and starting tight end cornerback Ade Willie are among those questionable after being out last week when Smith described his team as “healthy at midseason.”

Here’s a projection of Michigan State’s depth chart heading into Friday’s game at Oregon:

Quarterback

Starter: Aidan Chiles

Backup: Tommy Schuster

Others of interest: Alessio Milivojevic, Ryland Jessee

Chiles had a strong first half against the Buckeyes, but needs to cut back on turnovers. The sophomore has thrown eight interceptions, which is tied for the second-highest total in the country.

Run back

Starter: Nathan Carter

Backup: Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams

Others of interest: Brandon Tullis, Makhi Frazier

Carter opened last week’s rout with a 19-yard run and Lynch-Adams finished with a team-high 35 yards on nine carries. As they approach the midseason mark, the veterans have totaled just 540 yards and two touchdowns as the run game continues to lag.

Fullback

Starter: Jay Coyne

Backup: Tyneil Hopper

Coyne and Hopper combined for eight offensive snaps against the Buckeyes.

Wide receiver

Starters: Montorie Foster, Jaron Glover, Nick Marsh

Backups: Aziah Johnson, Antonio Gates Jr., Jaelen Smith

Others of interest: Jack Yanachik, Zach Gillespie

Glover returned from a two-game absence by posting four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Marsh was also back in the lineup with two grabs for 30.

Tight end

Starters: Jack Velling, Michael Masunas OR Brennan Parachek

Backups: Ademola Faleye, Tyneil Hopper

Others of interest: Jaxson Wilson

Velling had a 26-yard catch in the second quarter last week, but fumbled inside the red zone. Parachek had a solid performance with two receptions for 27 yards and played 27 offensive snaps on the season with Masunas out.

Offensive line

Starters: LT Stanton Ramil, LG Luke Newman, C Tanner Miller, RG Brandon Baldwin, RT Ashton Lepo

Backups: Rakeem Johnson, Rustin Young, Dallas Fincher, Cooper Terpstra

Others of interest: Andrew Dennis, Charlton Luniewski, Jacob Merritt

The left-wing youth movement against Ohio State was an interesting development, with Johnson and Young challenged by a veteran front. There could be a repeat on Friday, but the guess is Ramil returns to the lineup. The Spartans will see a familiar face on the other end of the line in defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, a former starter in East Lansing who transferred to Oregon after spring training and is on a strong fall.

Defensive tackle

Starters: D’Quan Douse, Alex Van Sumeren

Backups: Maverick Hansen, Jalen Satchell, Ben Roberts, Ru’Quan Buckley

Others of interest: Mikeshun Beeler, Ben Nelson

The rotation remains deep on a weekly basis, with Roberts, VanSumeren and Douse all having two tackles last week.

Defensive end

Starters: Khris Bogle, Jalen Thompson

Backups: Anthony Jones, Ken Talley, Quindarius Dunnigan

Others of interest: Avery Dunn, James Schott, Kekai Burnett

After posting fifteen sacks in the first four games combined, the Spartans had zero against the Buckeyes. The defensive game plan was to keep Ohio State’s explosive receivers in front of them and that meant sacrificing pressure.

Linebacker

Starters: Cal Haladay, Jordan Turner

Backups: Jordan Hall, Wayne Matthews, Darius Snow

Others of interest: Marcellius Pulliam, Brady Pretzlaff, Sam Edwards, Aaron Alexander

Turner had one of the best games of his five-year career as the Wisconsin transfer tallied a team-high nine tackles, two hurries and an interception. He returned 36 yards to set up the Spartans’ only score. He also had a forced fumble and fumble that was overturned after review and set up a hit on Will Howard that caused the quarterback to leave the game late in the first half.

Cornerback

Starters: Charles Brantley, Ed Woods

Backups: Jeremiah Hughes, Ade Willie, Andrew Brinson,

Others of interest: Caleb Coley

With Willie out, Brinson logged fourth-quarter snaps as a first-year player. It was a tough game for the group against Ohio State’s playmakers, including true freshman Jeremiah Smith who continues to make ridiculous plays, including a pair of one-handed catches on the same drive last week.

Safety/nickel back

Starters: Malik Spencer, Nikai Martinez, Angelo Grose

Backups: Armorion Smith, Aveon Grose

Others of interest: Justin Denson, Jaylen Thompson, Brandon Lewis

Smith played a season-high 26 snaps, while true freshmen Denson and Thompson played in the second half and both had three tackles.

Special teams

PK/KO: Jonathan Kim

P: Ryan Eckley

LS: Kaden Schickel

PR: Montorie Foster

KR: Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams

Special teams didn’t play a big role last week, although Eckley’s uncharacteristic 27 yards out of bounds late in the second quarter helped set up an Ohio State touchdown.

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