OFFENSE: 7

Relative to last week, this score could be a 10. Quarterback Aidan Chiles bounced back from a shaky debut and showed his immense talent and some moxie — and also some inexperience — with a 363-yard, three-touchdown, three-interception performance. Freshman receiver Nick Marsh burst onto the scene with eight catches for 194 yards, including a 57-yard grab and 76-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Senior Montorie Foster and Jaron Glover had six catches apiece and Jack Velling had three impactful receptions. The running game and offensive line remain inconsistent, but there were more flashes of productively this week than last. Overall, an offense that mustered just 16 points at home against Florida Atlantic, put up 27 on the road at Maryland and made some big plays when it really mattered.

DEFENSE: 7

This was a decent measuring stick. Maryland’s offense might not be the greatest show on turf, but the Terrapins are a capable group, with a gifted top receiver. MSU’s defense won its share of battles at key moments and continued to show many of the attributes they did in the opener — tackling well in space, not letting one or two bad plays spiral, a knack for pressure in big moments. They had seven tackles for loss and one critical interception — a Darius Snow-tipped pass caught by Chuck Brantley — and held Maryland to 339 total yards. This is a good defense. There will be a few tougher tests. But if this group stays relatively healthy, it’s hard to imagine them not being a worthy matchup for most, if not all of their opponents. 

SPECIAL TEAMS: 6

That MSU won the game on a 37-yard Jonathan Kim field goal helps this grade. That was a pressure kick and it capped a program win. There were also some less auspicious moments — including the kickoff after MSU tied the game, when the Spartans only had 10 men on the field and then Kim kicked the ball out of bounds. MSU also had personal-foul and delay-of-game penalties on two different punts. It wasn’t a clean effort. But there were other positives. Kim made a 50-yarder after a Maryland offsides penalty gave him another shot after he was wide left from 55 yards out. Ryan Eckley was great on two of his three punts and averaged 51.3 yards per kick. And the coverage of Maryland’s only attempted return pinned the Terrapins deep.