Nothing has come easy for Michigan State this season. Even before Saturday’s 28-10 loss to No. 9 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Spartans faced another unexpected setback.
After last week’s hard-fought loss to Northwestern, Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald expected to prepare for UCLA with players returning to health. Instead, he received unwelcome news.
Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic had sustained an injury against Northwestern and was doubtful for the UCLA game.
“I came in to see you guys last Saturday after the game and it was the first game I got a clean bill of health,” Fitzgerald said. “I got a phone call Sunday morning, and that changed things. So yeah, I found out Sunday, and then we just operated the plan the whole week.”
That plan called for true freshman Kayd Coffman to start at UCLA. Fitzgerald said Coffman had earned the third-string job through his work in spring practice and fall camp. With the first- and second-string quarterbacks injured, Coffman was next in line.
No. 10 Kayd Coffman warms up prior to the game in the Rose Bowl with UCLA (Photo Paul Fanson/Spartans Illustrated)
“We had great confidence in him,” Fitzgerald said. “There's ebb and flow of each practice and each day, but he really works his tail off. He's one of the first guys in the building, one of the last guys to leave, even though he's not necessarily the starter going into the season.”
Fitzgerald also said the quarterbacks started “on a fairly level playing field” with the arrival of the new staff. All had to learn a new system under Fitzgerald and first-year offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan.
As an early enrollee, Coffman spent the spring learning the system alongside his older teammates.
Fitzgerald was pleased with how the freshman quarterback handled his first week of practice as the expected starter.
“I thought he was confident,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought that he was communicating at a high level with Johnny Mac (quarterbacks coach John McNulty) and Nick (Sheridan) about what he liked, what he didn't like. (He is) a little bit more mature than his years, and he's a very level-headed and even keeled young man.
“So, I didn't see a big, ‘oh my gosh, I'm a starter here. I got to go do something else,’” Fitzgerald continued. “It was Kayd like we’ve seen since day one, and that’s a credit to him.”
Coffman started well, leading the Spartans 47 yards in 10 plays on their opening possession before the drive stalled at the UCLA 38-yard line.
On his second drive, Coffman threw his first career touchdown pass to running back Kenneth Williams out of the backfield, giving Michigan State a 7-0 lead.
“I think he just was really poised,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought he started the game really well. I didn't sense that it was too big of a moment for him leading into it. I'm sure there's a couple plays he'd like back, but proud of him... It’s not easy getting your first start against the No. 9 team in the country.”
The Rose Bowl Stadium prior to kickoff between MSU and UCLA (Photo Paul Fanson/Spartans Illustrated)
What changed after Coffman’s promising start, and why did Michigan State turn to Leo Hannan? Subscribe to Spartans Illustrated for Fitzgerald’s explanation, the costly turning point at UCLA, and why both young quarterbacks could be needed against Michigan.
