Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State football's 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic (2024)

1. Aidan Chiles debut a reminder that big-time QBs are usually experienced QBs

EAST LANSING – Aidan Chiles’ debut for Michigan State on Friday night went about as I expected. He had some moments where you could see his talent. And a lot more where you see that he’s not ready to carry an offense yet. As very few true sophom*ores making their first career start are.

And this is an offense that, right now, needs some carrying.

Chiles finished 10-for-24 passing for 114 yards with one rushing touchdown and two interceptions, one that was his fault. He didn’t seem to have the ground game or playmakers around him to do more. Not without more time and reps. He’ll get those. Just don’t “take the over” if you’re betting the game until then, as he advised last week. Players are usually the last to know their true capabilities.

MSU’s 16-10 win Friday night against Florida Atlantic left the Spartans room to grow offensively. A lot of it. Chiles is part of that. Nothing that transpired suggests he’s lacking the knack for this. He’s just young. And youth at the quarterback position doesn’t often translate to winning. Not on a team that doesn't have enough other advantages.

MORE: Couch: Friday's offensive struggles show there's no magic bullet for this MSU football team

2. A strong, but somewhat undisciplined showing by MSU’s defense

As a defense, you can only play against the quarterback in front of you. For most of Friday night, that was the one-dimensional Cam Fancher, whose passing (or lack thereof) made it difficult to entirely judge coordinator Joe Rossi’s crew.

What danger Fancher and the Owls did present — mostly with Fancher’s feet and a couple late, penalty-inducing slides — the Spartans handled deftly, other than a few aggressive penalties that prolonged FAU possessions (and one late one that somehow didn’t) and a blown coverage in the end zone late in the third quarter.

The best news for MSU’s defense in Week 1: There were no red flags. Just yellow ones. And outside of several undisciplined personal fouls, the Spartans were largely disciplined in containment and gaps and in how well they tackled in space. And they appeared to be decent in coverage, other than on Fancher’s lone touchdown pass and one late fourth-down, though it’s hard to be sure.

I was impressed with the Spartans up front. Guys like Khris Bogle and D’Quan Douse were disruptive. Bogle was constantly in the backfield. Ken Talley had a couple big moments, too. Anthony Jones made a huge play on Fancher on fourth-and-2 in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Jordan Hall seemed to be around every play and effective on the line in third-down packages. Linebacker Jordan Turner, who had one undisciplined moment that turned out not to be targeting, came up with a critical stop on the final drive. They allowed the Owls to reach the red zone three times and twice turned them away — once with an interception and then, at the beginning of the second half, by putting a ton of pressure on Fancher.

MSU’s defense created the first points of the Jonathan Smith era, a safety by Douse in the first quarter and finished with seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two INTs and a forced fumble.

As MSU’s offense struggled to find any sort of consistency, MSU’s defense made sure the finish, while a little dicey, wasn’t deflating. It was a strong start on that side. They understood the assignment and got it done.

3. MSU’s ground game a work in progress, but Kay’ron Lynch-Adams impresses

One of these years, MSU’s offensive line is going to knock its opening-game opponent off the ball. Just not this year.

Too often MSU’s running backs were met in the backfield. And when the Spartans really needed a yard — or a field goal (ahem) — facing fourth-and-1 at the FAU 9-yard line, leading 16-10, Kay’ron Lynch-Adams was stopped before he could barely take a step.

Lynch-Adams was the Spartans’ best rusher Friday. Not just his well-blocked up-the-middle 63-yard touchdown run, which was the line’s best moment. Lynch Adams got away from more defenders than Nathan Carter did, though Carter didn’t have much room to run.

This was a red-flag performance for MSU’s offensive line. Not that, as a unit, they can’t grow into this season. But it’s not going to get easier next week at Maryland or in two weeks at Boston College and, for sure, not after that. And this passing game is going to need the help.

I don’t know what the answer is — other than development over time and figuring out if more carries for Lynch-Adams gives them the best chance.

But outside of that 63-yard score —a masterclass in blocking by center Tanner Miller and a great hit-the-hole run by Lynch-Adams — MSU’s two running backs rushed 28 times for 86 yards and it felt like more of a slog than that.

MORE: Couch's grades for MSU's performance against Florida Atlantic

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.