One of the biggest uncertainties coming into the 2023 Michigan State football season was wide receiver. The departure of Jayden Reed to the NFL Draft and Keon Coleman to Florida State via the transfer portal left a void in the position group.
The Spartans did return one seasoned veteran in redshirt senior Tre Mosley, but the rest of the wide receiver room combined returned a total of just 24 career receptions. The receiving corps appeared to have talent, but it was all unproven.
But the performance on Friday night was evidence that the Spartans' passing attack might be more potent than expected, in large part due to some unfamiliar faces. The group of Tre Mosley, Montorie Foster, Jr., Christian Fitzpatrick, Jaron Glover, and Tyrell Henry accounted for 11 catches for 216 yards (96 yards of which came after the catch).
This quintet was only credited with one drop and that one goes on the ledger of the veteran Mosley. On balance, it was a great start for the young group. This group of five was also responsible for one spectacular one-handed touchdown catch from sophomore Tyrell Henry.
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The Anatomy of the Catch
Following the Spartans' 31-7 win over Central Michigan, members of the media had a chance to talk to Henry about his sophmore debut and especially about his signature moment in the north end zone of Spartan Stadium.
"Everything lined up," Henry said of the play. "We made the right call. I made a play. I did my job. After it all happened, I put my hands up. I was kind of excited, so I didn’t know what to do. I gave the ball to the ref, and that’s all she wrote.”
Henry also credited quarterback Noah Kim for making the correct read and trusting Henry to make the catch. He also credited "the man above" for "putting that in me." Beyond his quarterback and divine intervention, Henry said that practise makes perfect.
"It's just a lot of repetitions and a lot of catches," Henry said.
But making a one-handed grab under the duress of a defensive back is no easy task. Henry drew a pass interface call from Central Michigan safety De’Javion Stepney, but Henry made the catch anyway. This begs the question: does Henry actually practice making acrobatic catches?
Henry explained that after practice when he is trying to get additional reps in, he does attempt to catch some non-traditional passes with either one or two hands.
"We want to be able to catch the ball in any circumstance," Henry explained. "Not every pass is going to be perfect. You're not going to be open on every play. Sometimes you're going to have to adjust, and you are going to have to make the tough catch. That's something that (we) practice a lot."
For Henry, this type of extra work is like building muscle memory. Football can be a lightning quick game at times. Henry wants making difficult catches a matter of instinct. In this regard he is already off to a great start.
Band of Brothers
While Henry's catch was the marquee moment for the young Spartan receives, he was not the only member of the group to fill up the stat sheet on Friday night.
Redshirt freshman Jaron Glover co-led the group of receivers with three grabs, one of which was a game-changing 32-yard sideline catch on a third down. Two plays later Glover added another 33-yard catch to put the Spartans inside the 10-yard line.
"He (Glover) did his job," Henry said of Glover's two big catches. "That put us down the field. I think that after that everything clicked (for the offense). We woke up. Energy came up. So I think that Ron (Jaron Glover) set it off."
Redshirt freshman Antonio Gates, Jr. did not register a catch on Friday night, but he was on the field for 23 snaps. The trio of Henry, Gates, and Glover are all roommates this year, and they are pushing each other to get better.
"We talk about it all the time,” Henry explained. “We say what we are going to do (and) how to do it. We help each other out. We’re real unselfish. I think that’s the biggest thing with us in that whole room. We’re really unselfish. We don’t care who gets the ball. As long as we’re making plays and scoring, that’s all that we want.
“When we’re in the house chilling, we always talk about things we could do better," Henry continued. "We watch film and say, ‘How could we beat this guy?’ (We are all) just helping each other. We’re building each other up when we’re down. It’s always keeping us level-headed in our room. Just having that person behind you who’s going to push you no matter what, I think that’s a big thing.”
Special Teams
In addition to his duties as a receiver, Henry was also primarily responsible for punt and kick return duties on Friday night where he tabulated a total of 81 return yards. In an era where fair catches are the norm, the Roseville, Mich. native takes a different and more aggressive approach.
"It's about play calling and it's about being smart," Henry said. "If I have about 10 yards or 15 yards (of space). I'm going to take it. I'm fearless. I'm just trying to do my job. Be smart. Take care of the ball. That's the biggest thing is to take care of the ball. Just do that, get downhill, and make yards."
The kicker return game got off to a frightening start on Friday night, however. On the opening kick-off, senior reciever and Nebraska transfer Alante Brown received a blow to the head and was carted off the field on a backboard. Brown was medically cleared to return to the field later in the game, but Spartans fans and players alike were shaken by the start to the 2023 season.
For Henry, however, he was inspired to work even harder following the opening play.
"Me and Alante are close." Heny said. "That's my guy. So, seeing that first off, I was kinda hurt. But I told him, 'no matter what happens, I love you and I am going to do this for you.' So matter what he's got my back, and I got his back. That's how it is with the whole team. We all love Alante. We brought him in with open arms and he hasn't done anything but work hard for us."
"If the roles were reversed, I know he would have went out there and played harder," Henry added later. "So that's what I tried to do. I tried to go out there and play harder and play for him... Seeing that happen put a little bit more of a chip on my shoulder than I already had. It definitely helped me mentally to stay focused."
The wide receiver performance against Central Michigan was a good start. Time will only tell if the position group will continue to develop into a weapon for the Michigan State offense. But after game No. 1, it is so far, so good.
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