EAST LANSING >> Aidan Chiles took the blame for the pass that led to tight end Jack Velling’s scary injury Saturday night against Purdue.

After misreading Purdue safety Dillon Theineman, Chiles threw a pass that turned Velling’s back to the safety. The tight end took a big hit and was sent to the hospital for evaluation, though he was released and took part in team activities the next day. The scene still weighed on his quarterback, though, as Chiles sat at a press conference after the game and immediately blamed himself for the situation.

“I feel like I set him up,” Chiles said Saturday. “So I really do take the blame for that, for him being hurt. I feel like I tried to look the safety off, safety didn’t bite with me, I saw Jack open, and it was a kill-shot ball. And that’s on me.”

Monday afternoon, Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith provided an update on Velling’s status, saying he cleared all tests so far and will be re-evaluated to play later this week. It’s a positive sign for the tight end’s availability, though it’s not a sure thing that he’ll be able to play.

Looking at this injury through the lens of Chiles, it’s a strong sign of his leadership to immediately take responsibility. Tough on himself or fair in self-blame, he knows that he’s responsible for the passes he throws and how they impact the health of his teammates.

“I appreciate he’s looking out for his teammates,” Smith said. “And at that position you want to do that. But this is a bang-bang play. …Those things, you don’t want them to happen a bunch, but it’s a physical game and that’s what took place.”

Leadership like that from a first-year sophomore starter is encouraging, as is Velling’s relative health. These are the unfortunate situations of football when a player is scarily hurt. Navigating them emotionally as a teammate is also an important piece of the aftermath.

Bowl games still mean something to recruits

Gone are the days of old when football recruits were wooed by fancy facilities and bowl berths. Depending on who you ask, those innocent days of the NCAA never really existed anyway.

But these days with NIL checks and branding opportunities brought to the forefront of recruiting — a $10 million quarterback, anyone? — it’s a wonder that bowl games even matter to the future of football. But according to Smith, they still do.

“For us individually in Year 1, it’d be able to show some progress, right, and momentum moving forward,” Smith said. “You get more time with your current roster and I do think the current roster helps a ton in recruiting. It means a lot to be able to continue this group working together; that helps build the foundation of the next groups to come.”

It would indeed be a nod of confidence that Smith and his first-year staff are on the right track to make a bowl game. It gives the Spartans a chance at a winning season and a little postseason bragging rights. If one looks at the first year of a program as a baseline, then a bowl game being the absolute floor of a season is a pretty good deal.

Many recruits might be paying attention to other facets of programs, especially with ongoing revenue-sharing developments and their potential treatment as employees of the universities they play for. But as far as coaches are concerned, bowl games really do matter still even if they aren’t central.

MSU struggling to win third quarter

This season, the Spartans are being outscored 80-23 in the third quarter. It’s a gaudy stat, and one that’s been top of mind for coaches.

“I’ve given our coaches a hard time,” Smith said with a grin. “Like, ‘What kind of halftime adjustments are we making here?’ ”

Apparently, the wrong ones. And while every game has its context, the stat isn’t a glowing endorsement of Michigan State’s overall ability to adjust.

This data shows a general trend that opponents are quicker to adjust successfully than Michigan State. In 11 games, it has outscored opponents 62-41 in the first quarter and 142-122 in the first half. In the fourth quarter, the differential is 70-53. The more time opponents have to adjust, the more they get the upper hand.

But the third quarter especially sticks out in how lopsided the difference is. It’s something the Spartans want to address.

“We took a look at that actually a couple weeks ago,” Smith said when asked about the differential. “… We talked about maybe adjusting some things at halftime, from the communication side or getting them ready. Pointing it out to the group.

The responsibility falls primarily on coaches to put their players in a position to succeed, and they’ll want to do so with the season on the line Saturday against Rutgers. Too much hinges on the result of the game to risk poor adjustments that leave Michigan State a step behind. If there’s any week for a breakthrough, it’s this one.