Roushar the easy target for MSU's struggles

There is plenty of blame to go around at Michigan State this season for the Spartans’ current 5-6 record.

Of all of the blame that is getting passed out, it seems the most is going on second-year offensive coordinator, Dan Roushar.

It seems fair to say that the MSU defense has played better than the 5-6 record this year, which means that the offense is coming up short.

When you look at where the Spartans fit in the Big Ten picture, they currently rank 11^th in scoring (19.7 ppg), ninth in yards (365.7 ypg), fourth in passing (2,482 yards) and ninth in rushing (1,541 yards).

In the national aspect, MSU ranks 110^th in the nation in scoring, 70^th in passing and 89^th in rushing.

Another big stat working against Roushar this year is scoring in the red zone. The Spartans have scored at least a field goal in 32 of 39 red zone appearances this year, but have just 20 touchdowns in those 39 opportunities.

Settling for field goals instead of touchdowns has been a crucial reason for why Michigan State has come up short, especially when you consider its five Big Ten losses have come by a combined 13 points.

Roushar is just the play caller, and it takes the players to execute the plays that are called. But when the same issues come up week after week, someone has to shoulder the responsibility.

Against Northwestern, the Spartans fumbled in the red zone on a third and one, and later, were stopped on a fourth and goal from the 1-yard line as Le’Veon Bell was hit for a 3-yard loss as soon as he touched the ball.

The Spartans have had injury issues this year and have worked in a lot of new pieces at receiver, and certainly at quarterback with Andrew Maxwell replacing Kirk Cousins.

But the numbers have taken a dramatic dip from last year as MSU averaged 31 points per game.

So, should the blame be on Roushar, or should it be on the likes of Maxwell and the offensive players?

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio says the blame should be on him. He pointed that out during his weekly press conference on Tuesday saying:

“The responsibility for how we play, falls on me. That’s how it’s got to be. Everybody is soul searching, but it has to start at the top and trickle down, and that’s with me.”

Dantonio also said that evaluating his assistants is about a lot more than just what happens on the field.

Dantonio has always been a loyal guy and protective of his staff and players. Roushar has been with MSU since Dantonio has been head coach and the two were together for two years at Cincinnati. It would be surprising to see Dantonio fire Roushar after one bad season, but the pressure will be on Roushar next season to improve the offensive numbers and help improve the win total.

History says Maxwell won't be a problem

The big question coming into the 2012 College Football season for Michigan State is Andrew Maxwell.

The junior quarterback from Midland is coming into his first season as starting quarterback, and doing so with a team that is largely primed to contend for a Big Ten Championship.

If Maxwell is able to handle the pressure, the Spartans should continue their trend of being one of the top teams in the Big Ten. If he can’t handle it, they will likely take a step back.

Maxwell will be the third first-year starting quarterback Dantonio has had during his time as head coach of the Spartans. In both previous cases, things have went pretty well in regards to performance.

In 2007, Dantonio’s first year as coach, Brian Hoyer was the first-year starter for the Spartans. He posted solid numbers of 2,725 passing yards with 20 TD’s and 11 INT’s. He received Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors, but MSU went just 7-6 overall with a 3-5 conference record.

In 2009, Kirk Cousins overcame an in-season quarterback battle and was the starter throughout the year. He threw for 2,680 yards with 19 TD’s and 9 INT’s. Again, MSU didn’t have a great record, as they went just 6-7 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten.

With Maxwell being a junior, you have to expect that he won’t be as rattled to be the starter as a freshman would be. Learning from Cousins over the past few years should help with his composure and confidence.

One of the big challenges Maxwell has is the young receivers he will work with. MSU lost their top four receivers from a year ago, so this year’s receivers will be unproven as well. They do have Tennessee transfer DeAnthony Arnett in the mix, but he also has a lot to prove.

One thing going for Maxwell is that he has a much better overall team than Hoyer or Cousins had in their first year as a starter.

MSU returns four starters on the offensive line and has a reliable starting back in Le’Veon Bell. Add in some solid backup backs, and the running game should help take pressure off of Maxwell.

Also, the MSU defense shouldn’t be a group that allows a great deal of points. Maxwell will likely not be asked to take part in a number of shootouts, so as long as he plays a smart, conservative game, he can give the Spartans a chance to win each week.

While anyone’s initial reaction to a new starting quarterback is to expect a big drop off, I personally think that Maxwell is walking into a pretty good situation and could be an above average starting quarterback.