OFFENSE: 6

This and every MSU grade from Saturday could just as easily be an “incomplete”, because the level of competition doesn’t allow for proper analysis. Nonetheless, MSU’s offense did some good things — going 8-for-11 on third downs, reaching the end zone four times and not committing a turnover (though Aidan Chiles had an INT that was negated by offsetting penalties on the play). A lot of guys played, including backup QB Tommy Schuster, who completed 8 of 10 passes for 97 yards and ran in a touchdown and that experience means something. There were areas that weren’t as smooth, including the offensive line play in the running game and a few penalties that, a week from now, could be costly.

DEFENSE: 8

MSU’s defense mostly controlled their lower-level competition, outside of a couple drives. But even then the Spartans stiffened near the goal line, forcing one field goal attempt that missed and picking off a pass in the end zone, which Chuck Brantley then returned about 140 yards to the other end zone. Prairie View A&M didn’t score and only converted 4 of 11 third-down tries, tallying only 10 first downs for the entire game while amassing just 140 total yards. That’ll do the trick every week. Most weeks, however, Prairie View won’t be the opponent.

SPECIAL TEAMS: 7

Other than an uncharacteristic missed extra point by Jonathan Kim, MSU’s special teams were pretty solid. Even a Montorie Foster fair catch inside the 10-yard line was more a debatable choice than a bad one. That could have been downed even closer to the goal line. A penalty on the return ended up pinning MSU inside the 5, which made it seem worse. Kim made two field goals, from 33 and 23 yards out, respectively, and Ryan Eckley’s lone punt went 55 yards — his ninth straight game with a punt of 50 yards or longer. Prairie View A&M had only one kick return and it didn’t go very far.