Michigan State has spent years searching for something sturdier than buzzwords and recruiting hype, something that actually holds up when the game gets messy. Through two weeks under Pat Fitzgerald, there are signs the Spartans are starting to build that kind of backbone.
The results are simple enough: wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan, both MAC opponents, and a 2-0 start that was expected. But the way MSU handled the ugly stretches in those games tells a bigger story. This team has already shown it can get punched, regroup, and answer.
That mattered most against Toledo. The Spartans had control, then let the Rockets hang around after missing chances on offense and watching a 13-point lead disappear.
The next drive became a season-shaping moment, and Michigan State delivered. The offense marched 70 yards in seven plays, capped by a fourth-and-one touchdown after offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan trusted a rollout pass.
Rodney Bullard Jr. found space in the back of the end zone, then made a strong catch on the two-point conversion that stretched the lead from five to seven.
The Eastern Michigan game told a similar story, just in a less dramatic way. MSU led only 14-7 at halftime after the Eagles’ lone touchdown drive came just before the break, and that score did not leave anyone feeling comfortable. But the Spartans came out with purpose in the third quarter, exactly where the staff had spent so much practice time focusing.
“Our big thing was responding in the third quarter,” defensive tackle Eli Coenen, who already has 3.0 sacks this year, said on Saturday after the EMU win. “Which I thought we did, you know, coming out and smacking them in the face. That's what we needed to do, and I think that's what we did.”
That response was decisive. Michigan State outgained Eastern Michigan 137-46 in the third quarter and then rolled to a 329-57 edge over the final 30 minutes.
Against Toledo, the third quarter was the Spartans’ roughest stretch. Against Eastern Michigan, it may have been their best.
There’s a difference between spotting a problem and fixing it immediately. Michigan State has at least done that much.
The other encouraging sign is that Fitzgerald seems willing to let performance decide who plays. There’s no sense of a frozen depth chart here, no guarantee that a player who starts one week keeps his role if he doesn’t earn it again. Wide receiver Charles Taplin is the clearest example.
Taplin did not play in the opener against Toledo, then got only eight offensive snaps against Eastern Michigan. Still, he made the most of them. He caught three passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, which led the team in receiving production on the day.
That touchdown was the first of his college career, a 38-yard strike that also stood out as the first time MSU’s passing game really challenged the top of a defense this season. Taplin also came through on a fourth-and-11 conversion that helped set up another touchdown drive.
“Tap had a great week of practice,” Fitzgerald said when asked why the Spartans went to him on Saturday. “He's been coming on, and you guys heard me say last week when I got up here: I want to play more guys.”
“That was stressed to the players -- 'I want to play you. I want to get you out there.'
You've got to earn that trust in practice. He's been grinding, and a lot of guys have, but his number was called, and he stepped up big time in two situations.
Really happy for him, really proud of him. Just a young player that's continuing to grow, and we've just got to continue to feed in and pour into him and develop him fundamentally, technically, and in his confidence.”
Taplin’s role is worth noting because it was such a surprise to see him absent in the opener after he appeared to get starting reps in the spring and fall camp. Instead of fading into the background, he turned his opportunity into proof that production can still crack the lineup.
Michigan State is still a long way from the kind of program it had under Mark Dantonio in the early-to-mid 2010s. Next week’s opponent, Notre Dame, probably brings more talent than the Spartans can match right now, and patience is going to be part of this process. But after two games, there is at least a visible shape to what Fitzgerald wants this team to be.
In Other News...
Michigan States Blowout Already Revealed A New Battle To Watch
Michigan States 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan did more than move the Spartans to 2-0 in 2026. It also gave the coaching staff a long look at a roster that was deep enough to keep rotating bodies on both sides of the ball, especially up front, where the offensive line shuffle continued to be part of the story.
Charles Taplin added his first collegiate touchdown to the mix, while several freshmen got their first non-special teams snaps in game action. The bigger long-term takeaway, though, may have come at nickelback, where a new competition is beginning to take shape and could become one of the more interesting depth-chart battles to follow as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Have A New Offensive Debate After Saturdays Surge
Michigan States 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan gave first-year coach Pat Fitzgerald another clean step forward, but it also added a new layer to the conversation around the offense. The Spartans are 2-0, and while Alessio Milivojevic steadied himself after a slow start, the unit looked far more dynamic once the game opened up in the second half. Cam Edwards kept the ground game moving with a big day, showing how much easier things can look when the run game is setting the tone.
Cam Fancher also gave the offense a different rhythm as the backup quarterback, and that change of pace may be the part fans keep circling back to after a comfortable win. Fitzgerald has reasons to feel good about where the team is headed, but the way the quarterback rotation unfolded, paired with Edwards impact and Milivojevics uneven start, left just enough to wonder how this offense will look when the competition gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Finally Gave Fans A Reason For Real Optimism
Michigan State finally had a performance that gave its fan base something sturdier than hope to grab onto, even if it came against Eastern Michigan. The Spartans got more from their key playmakers on offense, with Charles Taplin emerging as a useful young target and Cam Edwards helping energize the ground game. After a stretch of uneven play, the broader point was hard to miss: the pieces looked more connected, and the offense showed signs it could carry some real weight.
The defense still left room for concern after giving up plenty of yardage in the first half, but it did respond better after intermission and added a forced fumble to the mix. That kind of uneven outing is hardly a finished product, yet it was enough to nudge the mood from frustration toward cautious optimism. For a fan base that has been waiting for a reason to believe, this was at least a small but meaningful step in that direction. [Read more 🡒]