Michigan State’s 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan came with a clear dividing line: a much better second half. The Spartans pulled away after halftime, and the game also gave plenty of players a chance to make their case one way or the other.
Defensive tackle Eli Coenen was the loudest winner of the bunch. Pat Fitzgerald already labeled him Michigan State’s top defensive player against Toledo, and Coenen backed that up again against EMU.
The Illinois transfer racked up two sacks in his second game as a Spartan, pushing his season total to 3.0 through two games. That’s a strong start for a 3-tech, and it stands out even more because nobody on MSU last season finished with more than 2.5 sacks.
Charles Taplin also used the opportunity to make noise. The second-year receiver didn’t play at all in Week 1 against Toledo, but he was much more involved Saturday and looked like a player who had been waiting for his turn.
It was the first time in his career that he logged a significant share of the snaps, and he made it count with three catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came on a 38-yard deep ball, the team’s first real successful shot downfield this season.
Taplin also added a catch on a fourth-and-11 conversion after spending much of spring and fall camp getting starting reps.
Corner Charles Brantley joined the win column as well after a rough Week 1. He didn’t draw much attention against Eastern Michigan, which is exactly what a corner wants.
When he did show up, it was on a third-quarter forced fumble that flipped EMU from a first down in Spartan territory into a turnover. It felt like a step in the right direction for the sixth-year senior, even if he probably won’t be the same star corner he was for Michigan State in 2024.
Not everything looked sharp, though. The offensive line still hasn’t shown the kind of progress Michigan State wanted to see. The run game never found consistent lanes early, and the protection in front of starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was shaky, especially in the first half.
The defense had its own issues against the run. Eastern Michigan was getting too much out of its ground game, particularly before halftime, when the Eagles were averaging 6.8 yards per carry excluding sacks.
The interior defensive line had a hand in that, but so did missed tackles from the second level. The absence of linebacker Jordan Hall was a big part of that picture, and the loss of a player like that was tough for the Spartans to absorb.
Milivojevic had a decent stat line, but Saturday wasn’t one of his better outings. He missed a few open receivers downfield, even with the nice deep throw to Taplin, and he also absorbed a couple of sacks that looked avoidable.
The challenge doesn’t get any lighter now, with No. 3 Notre Dame waiting on the road next Saturday.
In Other News...
Eli Coenen Is About To Face Michigan States First Real Test
Eli Coenen has wasted no time making his presence felt in East Lansing. After arriving as a transfer addition, he has already piled up three sacks in Michigan States first two games of the 2026 season, a total that tops any individual mark from last years Spartan defense and has helped set the tone for a unit that has been one of the early bright spots of the season.
Now comes the part that should tell everyone a lot more about just how real this start is. Coenen and Michigan State are about to run into a stiffer challenge against Notre Dames offensive line, a matchup that will demand the same disruption he has brought so far while offering a much better measuring stick for where the Spartans defense truly stands. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Has A Bigger Jordan Hall Concern
Jordan Halls status has become a little more important than Michigan State probably wanted this early in the season. The linebacker sat out the Week 2 win over Eastern Michigan after hurting his right arm against Toledo, and head coach Pat Fitzgerald said Hall was close to being available but still had not been cleared by the medical staff.
Michigan State handled the gap just fine in a 35-7 victory, with other linebackers picking up the slack, but Halls absence still leaves a question going forward. For a defense trying to settle in, the bigger issue now is whether one of its key linebackers can get back on the field quickly without the injury lingering into the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Have Found A Passing Weapon Defenses Must Respect
Through the first two games, Jayden Savoury has given Michigan State something every offense wants from the tight end spot: a player defenses cannot simply ignore. The Spartans have leaned on him as their leading tight end, and his early production has already put him near the top of the Big Ten at the position in receiving yards.
Savourys 46-yard catch-and-run against Eastern Michigan offered a glimpse of why the Spartans keep looking his way. Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is beginning to trust him as a real target in the passing game, and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan has shown plenty of confidence in making Savoury a primary option as the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]