(Andrew Weber / US Presswire)

Michigan State beat Central Michigan 41-7 on Saturday. Pretty much everything went as planned and Spartan fans left Kelly/Shorts happy. Of course, there is still some business to take care of.

Yes, it’s time for the +/- (plus/minus) game grades. Let’s get started.

+ (PLUS):

Andrew Maxwell had another shaky start but really got it together, finishing 20-31 with 275 yards and two touchdowns.

William Gholston was at it again, racking up seven tackles, one for a loss and another sack.

Michigan State Wide Receivers. Thought you wouldn’t see this, eh? Well, in the game on Saturday, starters Dion Sims, Tony Lippett, Bennie Fowler and especially Keith Mumphery all had good day, but the highlight of the day was the young players that got playing time. DeAnthony Arnett came in and had a 48 yard reception, Macgarrett Kings had 2 receptions, but looked really good and confident out there, and Aaron Burbridge also had 2 receptions and played awhile out there. There’s a lot of depth and hope in MSU’s receiving core, and it’ll be interesting to see them move forward.

Michigan State Defense is something that’s in the plus column again, unsurprisingly. There’s not much to say about this defense, except when you see those seven points on the scoreboard on the Chippewas side, be aware it was from a pick six. Yes, the only touchdowns scored against MSU this season have been on Pick 6 plays. The defense STILL is yet to allow an offensive touchdown. That’s a plus. Definitely a plus.

Larry Caper looked like the Larry Caper of 2009, running great. He came in and had 9 carries for 66 yards (7.3 yards per carry), which was really nice to see.

- (MINUS):

The Michigan State Crowd at the game wasn’t as big as some thought, and also kept cheering when the Spartans were on offense, which was perturbing to say the least.

The moral of the story is that if the only minus is your crowd noise at incorrect times, you played a great game. That’s exactly what the Spartans did.