Michigan State looks to reignite run game with Nate Carter back
Nathan Carter is no stranger to having to learn an entirely new offense in the matter of months.
This spring was the third time in as many years that Carter has had to do such a thing, and Brian Lindgren is the star running back’s third offensive coordinator in that span after he transferred to Michigan State from UConn before last season.
There’s no doubt Carter, the team’s leading rusher last season, will be an integral part in the offense this season. And with the spring practice program coming to a close last weekend, Carter believes Michigan State is in a good place heading into the summer months.
“I just love how this offense helps me to explore more of my abilities,” Carter said after Saturday’s open practice. “I’m very versatile of not only running the ball but also me affecting the passing game — multiple areas of the offense. So the fact that Coach (Jonathan) Smith brought an offense in here that’s a pro-style offense helps me to improve my game, which I think will not only let me, but also the offense in general, the team, be stronger.
“So I love the offense, I’m excited about it, and we’re
going to make a lot of great plays and explosive plays as you’ve seen (Saturday).”
In case you missed it, Carter dodged a tackle before breaking out for a 48-yard touchdown run on the second play of the modified scrimmage portion of Saturday’s practice. Carter continued to impress as the day went on, finding the end zone a second time later on with a 17-yard reception.
Carter is poised for another big season in green and white. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, Carter was one of the offense’s only bright spots as he put up career numbers. He rushed for 798 yards on 185 carries. He also had four rushing touchdowns and recorded 901 all-purpose yards.
Carter also will be taking on a leadership role as one of the most experienced running backs on Michigan State’s roster, especially after Jalen Berger, the team’s 2022 leading rusher, entered the portal this week. The Spartans also have sixth-year senior Jaren Mangham, who was seen going through drills Saturday, but didn’t partake in the scrimmage.
With Berger heading out the door, though, Michigan State earlier this week picked up former UMass standout Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams from the portal. Lynch-Adams, who considered entering the NFL Draft this offseason, rushed for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns on 236 carries last season. The Spartans also have early-enrolled freshman Brandon Tullis and incoming freshman Makhi Frazier for additional running back depth.
Smith is looking to run a pro-style, under-center offense that will have a heavy reliance on the passing game. But the Spartans having productive on-the-ground efforts will be equally important.
That’s been a weak area for Michigan State in recent seasons. In fact, the Spartans’ team rushing yards have ranked 110th or worse in the nation in five of the last six seasons.
This new coaching staff is hoping to fix that, with Carter, Mangham and Lynch-Adams
likely playing a big role in that. A retooled offensive line, anchored by Oregon State transfer Tanner Miller at center, will be critical as well.
For now, though, Carter welcomed the brief pause in the Spartans’ training session, but he noted that once optional practices start, it’ll be “right back to business.”
There’s still plenty of work that needs to go into adopting the scheme and mastering timing. But Saturday’s scrimmage showed the Spartans are heading in the right direction.
The next steps, according to Carter, is continuing to get “crisper” on the details the team learned in the spring.
“We (have to) continue to build off of the spring game and build off all the work that we put in since the beginning of March and continue just to grow in that area as far as the pass game as far as the run game,” Carter said. “Us, just a collective offense, it’s learning the offense more and understanding why coaches call the way that they call and how we can run our offense and blocking depending on what the defense is. So that’s what the summer is really going to be about is us getting together and really crystallizing those little details that make sure that we’re polishing all the things that we’ve learned since the beginning.”