MSU confirms CB Copeland out for year

EAST LANSING, Mich. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio confirmed Sunday that starting cornerback Vayante Copeland is out for the season with a fractured vertebra suffered in last week’s 31-28 win over Oregon.

“Very unfortunate, he’s a good player, he’s a great person,” Dantonio said of the redshirt freshman from Dayton, Ohio, who wore a neck brace on the sideline during No. 2 MSU’s 35-21 win over Air Force on Saturday. “So he’s handling it very, very well. But that’s the situation. You cannot mess with that kind of thing. We took the precautions, had the MRI and those are the things it showed. He’ll heal fine, he’ll be back for spring. But right now it’s too iffy of a situation.”

Senior Arjen Colquhoun started in place of Copeland on Saturday, and juniors Darian Hicks and Jermaine Edmondson are still competing for the spot. Dantonio said he didn’t want to change the cornerbacks up much against Air Force because of the complexity of the Falcons’ option offense.

A true freshman also could be involved, Dantonio said, and the two cornerbacks he listed as possibilities are Josh Butler and David Dowell. MSU activated safety Grayson Miller for the Air Force game, and Dantonio said the staff doesn’t want to try to get several freshmen ready to play during the same week.

So more could become available to join Miller, receiver Felton Davis, running back LJ Scott and linebacker Andrew Dowell, who played most of the game Saturday after starter Darien Harris left early with an injury. But Dantonio said more freshmen won’t play unless they can add value on the field.

In better injury news for MSU, Dantonio said linebacker Drake Martinez could be available within a couple of weeks. Martinez has yet to play and has been wearing a protective boot.

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