Michigan State football's Joe Bachie remains anchor for linebackers, defense
Chris Solari(Note: This is part five of a series previewing Michigan State’s 2019 position groups)
EAST LANSING – Joe Bachie did not take long to make up his mind.
The captain’s choice to return to Michigan State football for his senior year was a matter of unfinished business. And Bachie for the third straight year will be the nerve center at middle linebacker for one of the nation’s best defenses.
No. 1 against the run nationally, No. 10 overall and first-downs allowed. No. 8 in points allowed, as well as third- and fourth-down conversions.
More on MSU football:What we learned in spring game, what to watch this fall
The Spartans must replace the veteran leadership of Andrew Dowell on the weak side, but Antjuan Simmons and Brandon Bouyer-Randle have experience. They always have possessed plenty of depth at the position under Mark Dantonio, but losing Byron Bullough, Grayson Miller and Jon Reschke as well to graduation puts an emphasis on younger linebackers to become game-ready quickly.
What worked: Bachie continued to anchor run defense, crashing down into gaps to finish with a team-high 102 tackles and helping the Spartans finish No. 1 in the nation against the run. It earned the 6-foot-2, 238-pounder first-team All-Big Ten honors by the league’s coaches and puts him as a preseason first-team All-America hopefuly per ESPN.com. Tyriq Thompson emerged at strong-side Sam linebacker and produced a solid junior season with 31 tackles and a sack while sharing time with Jon Reschke. Simmons made his case to replace Dowell by flashing speed at the Star position with 32 tackles, while Bouyer-Randle played along the line in the Delta third-down package as a rush end and equaled Dowell with 3.5 sacks.
More:Michigan State football MSU stock watch: Darrell Stewart Jr. looks ready to break out
What didn’t work: Like the rest of the front seven, MSU’s linebackers have an offseason goal of generating more backfield pressure on quarterbacks. Take away Bouyer-Randle’s total, and the rest of the group combined for just six sacks. They also combined for just six of the 14 forced fumbles the Spartans’ defense had. The Spartans also need to show better closing speed in the flat while in coverage, particularly on screen passes that have challenged the linebackers in recent years. And MSU struggled late in games, getting outscored 104-49 in the final period of their 13 games, including 60-3 in the fourth quarter of their six losses.
More MSU position previews:QBs | RBs | WR | OL | DL
Who’s back: Joe Bachie, sr. (starter); Tyriq Thompson, sr. (starter), Brandon Bouyer-Randle, jr.; Antjuan Simmons, jr., Dante Razzano, jr.; Peter Fisk, jr.; Noah Harvey, so.; Tanner Hallock, so.; Jeslord Boateng, rs-fr.; Chase Kline, rs-fr.; Edward Warriner, rs-fr.; David Kruse, rs-fr.; Terry O’Connor, rs-fr.
Who’s gone: Andrew Dowell, Byron Bullough, Grayson Miller, Jon Reschke, Mitchell Sokol.
Who’s coming in: Luke Fulton (Poland, Ohio), Marcel Lewis (Eastpointe).
2019 outlook: Bachie and Thompson are set with starting jobs, and Simmons – who sat out the spring game – appears prepared to join them if healthy. Bouyer-Randle needs to continue to be a versatile force and show more play-making ability when standing up at LB. Thompson enters the season with the ability to spell Bachie in the middle if needed, and youngsters Harvey, Boateng and Kline flashed in the spring game (though Boateng left with a knee injury that Dantonio did not deem serious enough for him to miss preseason camp). Warriner is another player who has the talent to make an impact if he can stay healthy, and coaches like Fulton’s potential to eventually replace Bachie and Lewis’ speed and thumping ability to play one of the outside spots in the future.
Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.