Michigan State's defense won its second straight scrimmage of preseason camp, to the joy of defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and his players, but QB Brian Lewerke likes the direction of the Spartans' offense. (Chris Solari/DFP)
EAST LANSING — It took Shakur Brown until late July last year before he finally arrived at Michigan State.
A few months later, Josh Butler suffered a tough loss. His father died hours before the Spartans played Penn State.
Each dealt with differing levels of difficulty in 2017. Both now find themselves in a three-man battle for a starting job on one of the nation’s top defenses.