Broyles Award winner at coordinator (Pat Narduzzi), a future first-round draft pick at cornerback (Trae Waynes) and an All-Big Ten first-teamer at safety (Kurtis Drummond), and yet it still allowed 46 points in a humbling loss at Oregon.
This year's defense loses all three of those leaders, and although it returns talent along the defensive line, it still has to play over its head—and way over how it played in Week 1—to win the rematch when the Ducks arrive in East Lansing this Saturday.
Sparty's most pressing issue is the depth of Oregon's playmakers. The Ducks lost Heisman quarterback Marcus Mariota to the NFL and running back Thomas Tyner to a knee injury, but Vernon Adams, Royce Freeman, Byron Marshall, Bralon Addison, Charles Nelson, Dwayne Stanford and potentially Devon Allen, along with a deep cast of younger players, will challenge the defense at every level.