| Big Ten: Spartans Coach High on Max Bullough | ||||
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Spartans Coach High on Max Bullough
Michigan State head coach Mark D’Antonio showed no hesitation in promoting his new starting middle linebacker Max Bullough as the heir apparent to Greg Jones, who was an all-out tackling machine during his time in East Lansing.
The Spartan head man told reporters that he was most impressed both with the sophomore’s physical tools and mental approach. “Max has a good understanding of our offense. He gets us lined up very effectively. He’s a communicator on defense, which I think you have to be at the Mike linebacker. If you come to one of our workouts and watch athletically who are some of our best athletes…he’s one of the guys who shows out,” said the veteran coach who’s entering his fifth year at Michigan State.
The third generation Spartan has dazzled onlookers during recent scrimmages by using his size and technique to get off blocks. In a recent interview, the 6’3”, 240-pound Bullough credited both Jones and former teammate Eric Gordon for showing him the ropes during his freshman season.
D’Antonio acknowledged the fact that a bit of playing time last year has truly helped the Traverse City native in his development. “He was waiting in the gate. He was sitting there. He came here with the idea that he would be an understudy for one year and he played a lot on special teams last year. [Bullough] had some time in nickel situations, so he has game experience under his belt,” added the Spartan leader.
“The expectations are very high, which they should be, and I think he’s going to do a great job trying to fulfill those.”
The coach went on to praise converted running back TyQuan Hammock who has put on a remarkable showing during recent practices even though he was initially “a little behind the curve in terms of knowing what to do.” Steve Gardiner was another linebacker he touched on for his versatility along with Chris Norman who similarly has enjoyed a positive camp.
When asked about the defensive line, D’Antonio stressed the importance of being able to apply pressure without being overly dependent on the blitz. While he recognized junior defensive tackle Jerel Worthy as one of the top players in the country, he stated how important it is for him to continue translating the accolades into making plays on the field. But overall, he was pleased with the efforts of his front four and singled out ends Tyler Hoover, Corey Freeman, as well as interior lineman Kevin Pickelman among other others.
On the offensive side of the ball, the one-time college defensive back indicated that he would continue to utilize a rotation of running backs. “Normally, the way you do it is you end up going with the guys who are hot. But we’ll try to get the ball into certain guys’ hands x-number of times. [Edwin] Baker is going to have touches---that goes without saying. Le’Veon Bell and Larry Capers have had great summers, so you watch for the guy who’s hot; you watch for the guy who’s making plays and makes people miss and runs through tacklers,” he said.
“We’ve been able to play three guys. I would anticipate doing much of the same this year and you’ll see (freshman running back) Nick Hill on occasion as well.”
D’Antonio also took time to weigh in on the importance of the oft-overlooked guard position. Although some may view the interior blockers as fat guys with limited mobility, the defensive-minded strategist dispelled that notion. “You look for a tough guy. They don’t quite have the length of a tackle, but they gotta have great feet; they gotta have the ability to run I believe…at least in our offense. They have to have the ability to be an athlete. You have to know when to turn on [an opponent], get in on them and stay on them,” he explained.
“They’re really no less important than anybody. The left tackle, obviously, is very important; center is very critical. But if you don’t have good guards, you can’t play---you can’t get it done.” 
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