Position Battles Continue

September 24, 2011 (From Joe Rexrode, "Hey Joe!" BLOG at Greenandwhite.com)

Incredibly, Micajah Reynolds moves from defense to offense and looks like he should have been at left tackle all along, doesn't he?
    So can Reynolds really push Dan France at this point for that job?

    “Yes, absolutely he can," Dan Roushar said. "I think it’s difficult when you haven’t had a lot of
work, but I think he got enough work (Saturday) where we’re gonna be able to evaluate him.”

    Who knows what might happen at center when Blake Treadwell returns. But my guess, based on what I saw today and heard after the game, is that Travis Jackson has a good chance of keeping that job.

    “I do think he brings a real presence and leadership and enthusiasm," Roushar said of Jackson. "He identifies fronts and communicates very well. And I think the guys feed off of that.”

    “Travis is a great option for us, he really was our No. 1 before he got hurt in camp," Kirk Cousins said. "So we’re excited to have him back and we’ll go with him.”

    On the other side of the ball, did you notice Taiwan Jones getting early reps at the Star position in place of Chris Norman? That made me wonder from Pat Narduzzi whether Jones is actually giving Norman a push.

    “He is," Narduzzi said. "I mean Chris Norman has been very solid. I can’t say he’s been outstanding. And Taiwan Jones, we just want him to continue … he got in early. He’s athletic. You watch him run down and kickoff and you want to just throw him back in at backer. You wish he played fullback sometimes. But Taiwan, he just gets better every week.”

    Kurtis Drummond continues to make plays as the third safety. Tony Lippett shows his value on both sides of the ball -- and that could really come into play if Keshawn Martin is hurt. Martin told B.J. Cunningham he'll be ready for Ohio State, but we'll have to see. Bennie Fowler could be back next week, too, so the depth on this team is starting to be utilized.

    Kirk Cousins did not have his best day (but please don't bring up competition with Andrew Maxwell or Keith Nichol or anyone else, that's just ridiculous), and he will have to be better next week. And it won't be easy because I think the running game will have a tough time producing triple digits at OSU.

    Every time the kicking game has a breakdown like it had the past two weeks, the Spartans will lose to a quality opponent.

    But the defense does look good, perhaps good enough to give MSU a solid chance every time out in the Big Ten.

    “I mean as a defensive backfield and as a defense as a whole, our plan when we go into a game is to dominate," said Trenton Robinson, whose pick was the first of four for the Spartans and really started an avalanche in MSU's favor. "So we’re gonna go into (the Ohio State) game with the same mindset we’ve had all year, and that’s to dominate.”

    * Injuries. Joel Foreman said he's fine and will play next week, though it looked like he was limping a bit in the second quarter and he obviously didn't play in the second half. Anthony Rashad White had a thigh contusion, Narduzzi said, so MSU rested him and he should be 100 percent next week. Trenton Robinson said he hurt a rib but he returned. Martin would be the question heading into OSU.