Michigan State Spartans head coach Mel Tucker refuses to release depth charts to the public, so I will. Here we go (offensive statistics from last week’s performance against Youngstown State listed in parentheses next to each starter).
Quarterback
Starter: Payton Thorne (Passing: 15-for-21 280 yards, four touchdowns; three rushes for 19 yards)
Backup: Anthony Russo (Passing: five-for-seven for 43 yards; three rushes for 10 yards)
Last week, Thorne hit on some deep passes, which were missed in the season opener against Northwestern, resulting in four scores on just 21 passes. This was Thorne’s best outing of his young career to date, and the only questions that remain are can he do this on a more consistent basis and can he do this versus quality competition?