Michigan State still shuffling secondary as Big Ten schedule begins

So far this season, Michigan State has had a hard time living up to the "No Fly Zone" label given to its secondary during the program's rise to its current spot in the national college football landscape.

The Spartans rank 107th nationally in passing yards allowed (277.0 per game) and 86th in passing efficiency defense.

Those numbers could represent a trend that started last season as the secondary slipped to 60th in passing yards (227.3) and 21st in efficiency from No. 3 and No. 1 in those categories in 2013.

So it should probably not come as much surprise coach Mark Dantonio and his staff are still searching for the right combination in the secondary as they prepare for their Big Ten opener with Purdue.

MSU started the season with Vayante Copeland and Demetrious Cox at cornerback with Montae Nicholson and R.J. Williamson at safety. Williamson was the only returning starter of the group, and he has had a productive start to the season.

There's been upheaval everywhere else, though, starting with Copeland suffering a season-ending injury in Week 2 against Oregon.

Last week Nicholson was benched for ineffective play during a win over Central Michigan, and Cox (a former safety) moved into his spot.

Jermaine Edmondson, Darian Hicks and Arjen Colquhoun all saw time at cornerback. Hicks started at cornerback for most of last season before being benched toward the end, and he missed part of training camp this year with mono.

Cox and Colquhoun are listed as starters at cornerback this week with Nicholson and Williamson at safety. However, Williamson's status is unclear after he left last week's game with an injury, meaning there could be even more shuffling if he sits out against the Boilermakers.

"Those guys can play around different positions, so we are going to see how that works out," Dantonio said Tuesday during his weekly press conference in East Lansing. "But I would agree that Darian Hicks is in a situation to start. See what kind of practices he has this week, but I thought he played well the second half."