Head coach Jonathan Smith shared that offensive lineman Kristian Phillips, who started at right guard in Game 1, suffered a lower-body injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of the season.
“It came out of the first game, but the severity was realized later,” Smith explained following MSU’s 27-24 win against Maryland. “It’s next man up. We rotated the O-line at tackle and guard, and we’ve got to keep working on that group.”
During his Monday press conference, Smith also announced that safeties Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed, along with wide receiver Alante Brown, would miss extended time due to injuries from the Florida Atlantic game.
In Phillips’ absence, redshirt sophomore Gavin Broscious filled in at right guard during the Maryland game, with redshirt senior Dallas Fincher rotating at the position. At tackle, starter Brandon Baldwin switched between the right and left sides, and redshirt freshman Stanton Ramil contributed at left tackle.
For the second consecutive game, the Spartans allowed only one sack on quarterback Aidan Chiles.
After a lackluster running game in Week 1’s narrow 16-10 win over the Owls, Smith noted some improvement against Maryland, with his team rushing for 130 yards, including a 30-yard run by starting running back Nate Carter that set up MSU’s first touchdown.
“There’s progress,” Smith said on Saturday. “We’ve got potential to do more. We topped 100 yards, but there’s still room for improvement. We’ve got to keep working.”
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