Elijah

Collins

While the Spartans will be down in numbers at the skill positions, Gillison (6'4/245), Collins and White have not been major contributors this season. The redshirt sophomore tight end has caught one pass for five yards, while Collins has rushed for 32 yards on three carries (and caught one pass for 20 yards). As for White, he has yet to accrue any statistics this season.

Collins (6'1/225) was injured during the Spartans’ September 11 win over Youngstown State, and as a result, he was held out of last weekend’s win at Miami. While there’s still time for things to change, it appears likely that the redshirt sophomore will sit for a second consecutive game. Kenneth Walker III (27-172-0) will once again lead the way for the Spartans, while QB Payton Thorne is a capable runner as well.

Collins (6'1/225), who rushed for 32 yards on three carries, was injured during the first half of Saturday’s game. During the second half, the redshirt sophomore was spotted on the Michigan State sideline with his right foot in a walking boot. Jordon Simmons and Kenneth Walker II shouldered much of the load in the running game for the Spartans on Saturday, and that would remain the case on September 18 at Miami, even if Collins were cleared to play.

Nearly seven months after it was reported that Heyward (6'0/233) would possibly switch positions, he made the start at running back in Michigan State’s season opener. The redshirt junior, who also considered leaving Michigan State before Mark Dantonio retired as head coach, beat out Elijah Collins for the starting job. Collins was the more productive of the two in 2019 but Heyward isn’t chopped liver either, as he led the Spartans in rushing yards the season prior.

Collins (6'0/217) led the way on the ground for the victorious Spartans, and he’s going to be a key contributor on offense next season. The redshirt freshman ends the 2019 season with 988 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 222 carries, which works out to an average of 4.5 yards per attempt. Collins wasn’t much of a threat in the passing game, as he caught 15 passes for 99 yards, and that may be an area where the coaches work to make him a more effective option during spring practice.

It was a season-high in carries for Collins (6'0/217), albeit at an inefficient 3.5 YPC. He was mainly used to control the clock and move the chains as MSU thoroughly dominated hapless Rutgers. Collins originally entered the season as a backup to Connor Heyward, but quickly wrested control of the feature back role. He’s already logged 186 carries in what has been a solid but unspectacular freshman year and will likely break the 200 mark next week when MSU hosts Maryland in the season finale.

Collins (6'0/217) rocked 170 rushing yards against Illinois last weekend, but was unable to find any such traction versus the Wolverines on Saturday. The redshirt freshman averaged just 2.3 YPC in the defeat. For the season, now, Collins has rushed for 742 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. Rutgers shows next on MSU’s schedule.

Collins’ heavy usage comes as no surprise given QB Brian Lewerke’s poor outing. Despite the passing game and defense failing, Collins (6'0/217) rampaged through the Illinois front seven, earning just over six yards per carry on a grueling workload. Collins had not cleared the 100-yard mark since early in September against Western Michigan. Hopefully for the Spartans, Collins’ next excellent effort will result in a win.

Collins (6'0/217) underwent an X-ray on his hand during this past Saturday’s win over Northwestern, but looks to have escaped the contest without serious injury. Barring setback, the redshirt freshman has a good shot to play against the Hoosiers upcoming.

The injury that Collins (6'0/217) suffered is unknown, but Dantonio did reveal that the redshirt freshman was taken off the field for a “quick X-ray” before returning to action. Through four games Collins is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, as he’s accounted for 357 yards and two rushing touchdowns to lead the way for Michigan State. The Spartans host Indiana Sept. 28, and Collins will once again figure prominently in the team’s offensive game plan.