EAST LANSING — Alessio Milivojevic’s baptism to being a major college quarterback came with plenty of fire.
One defender after another. One hit after another. One sack after another.
Yet the Michigan State football redshirt freshman keeps prying himself off the turn, keeps getting back in the huddle, keeps staying in the pocket. Even knowing more pressure is coming soon.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd growing with every snap he has taken over the past month.
Michigan State Spartans quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (11) looks on before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 22.DISTANT REPLAY: This isn't same MSU football that got whacked last time at Ford Field
“I love the way he’s stepped up. … We knew that he’d be ready for it,” wide receiver Chrishon McCray said about his QB on Tuesday, Nov. 25. “We love his confidence and his swagger, what he brings to the game and what he brings to the offense.”
Milivojevic is expected to make his fourth straight start since replacing Aidan Chiles when the Spartans close their season against Maryland at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday (7 p.m., FS1).
MSU (3-8, 0-8 Big Ten) hasn’t won in more than two months and is on an eight-game losing streak, tied for the second-longest in program history, while the Terrapins (4-7, 1-7) have lost seven in a row. Milivojevic is still seeking his first win since taking over the job Nov. 1 at Minnesota.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It would be amazing to end the season the right way and just get that satisfaction,” Milivojevic said Tuesday.
The 6-foot-2, 218-pound native of Naperville, Illinois, has been sacked 16 times this season, including 14 over the past four games. The season's first starter, Aidan Chiles – who is questionable with a left foot injury – was dropped 21 times over the first seven games. The Spartans’ 37 sacks allowed is tied for sixth most in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and that doesn’t count the amount of pressures and hits both quarterbacks have taken.
Still, Milivojevic — who said he is “midseason healthy” — has shown a propensity to hold the pocket and absorb the sometimes-jarring collisions.
Michigan State Spartans quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (11) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 22.“I think the thing is more confidence in that role as the starter and the urgency that he’s kind of demanding from the other players during practice,” offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said Tuesday. “It’s something that, as he’s gotten out there and guys are respecting the way he’s playing and the toughness he’s displayed, he’s kind of demanding of the details and the urgency of the week of preparation from all the positions. And I think that’s something he’s kind of bought into. He’s growing as a leader.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMilivojevic, who turned 20 on Nov. 20 and is two months younger than Chiles despite their two-class separation, is completing nearly 64% of his throws for 694 yards with three touchdowns and an interception over the past three games. That included a 311-yard performance in his starting debut against the Gophers, a 23-20 overtime loss, and 255 yards on 25-for-42 passing with two touchdowns and a pick in a last-second 20-17 loss at Iowa on Nov. 22.
“I’m just going into games with a lot more confidence,” Milivojevic said. “Going into the Minnesota game, I was still very confident but I’d never had any live bullets except end-of-game situations. But I think I’m just a lot more comfortable now.”
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alessio Milivojevic handling pressure as Michigan State football QB1
AdvertisementAdvertisement