Defensive coordinators probably cringe when they think that T.J. Duckett was so close to being somebody else’s problem. After all, if Michigan State’s coaching staff had just decided to have Duckett play linebacker full-time, then stopping the 6-foot-1, 252-pound freight train wouldn’t be an issue.

But then-head coach Nick Saban and current head coach Bobby Williams decided that Duckett — who played both linebacker and tailback to start his freshman campaign in 1999 — was better suited to take his bowling-ball frame into rushing lanes with the pigskin in tow.

And that’s when the headaches began for every defensive coach in the Big Ten.

With each game Duckett gets more confident running the ball, and every bit of that confidence has translated into more carries for the Spartans’ new workhorse.

“I’m getting very comfortable,” Duckett said. “It’s just a matter of learning the game speed, learning the offense. I’m getting used to the speed of the game, and I’m really settling in.”

With little spare time during the college football season, it’s important for players to be able to pick up new systems quickly.

By the end of his freshman season, Duckett was already a clutch contributor on offense, rushing for 159 yards and four touchdowns against Penn State and following that game with 77 yards in the Citrus Bowl against Florida.

This year, however, Duckett has truly come into his own, taking over as the go-to guy in the Spartans offense.

“Near the end of the season, he started picking things up more and that’s why he started playing a lot,” right guard Dave Sucura said. “During our workouts over the summer, we all got used to him and he cleaned up what he was sketchy on, and he’s full go.

“He plays hard and he’s a pretty smart kid, so I thought that he could adjust pretty well.”

Duckett came in as a highly touted recruit, but his teammates were doubtful he could pick up the offense on such short notice.

Doubtful, that is, until they actually saw him play.

“When he first got here, they had him playing defense so I didn’t know anything about him playing on offense until a few weeks into the season,” left guard Shaun Mason said. “He didn’t really get any opportunities until midway through the season and then I was like was like, wow, this guy can truly play. He’s going to be a huge contributor at Michigan State.”

As impressive as Duckett’s ability to pick up the offense has been, his natural physical skills are just as instrumental in his success. Coming out of high school in Kalamazoo, Mich., Duckett was the No. 2 recruit in the country on recruiting-guru Tom Lemming’s list, and made the top five on nearly every list in the country.

“As far as running backs, I think you’ve either got it or you don’t got it,” fullback Dawan Moss said. “And so far, it’s looking like he’s got it. He’s running good, he’s making good decisions with the ball, he’s got all the attributes a running back is supposed to have — size, speed and vision.”

Many have made the natural comparison between Duckett and former Wisconsin back Ron Dayne because of their similar size. But while Dayne tended to wait for his dominant offensive line to open up big holes for him to run through, Duckett uses his strength to create his own spaces.

That unique ability has made him a very popular man among his linemen.

“He helps out because say you don’t have the perfect block or whatever, it’s going to take a lot to bring him down,” Sucura said. “Guys aren’t going to bring him down with an arm tackle. It’s nice to know that as long as you get on your guy and keep driving your feet, he’s going to break through most of the time.”

Michigan State loves to run Duckett up the middle on defenses, often wearing them down late in games.

Last week, Duckett’s power running forced Notre Dame to commit to stopping the ground game. And just when the Fighting Irish had stocked the box with enough people to stop Duckett, Michigan State took advantage of a mismatch in the secondary and threw a 68-yard touchdown pass that won the game.

“(He) makes the other team focus on the run game,” Sucura said. “So far this year we’ve seen a lot of eight-man boxes — eight, nine people in the box, making the safeties play low. That’s what he does because he’s such a powerful runner. That helps out the play-action game as well.”

Duckett’s mental and physical abilities still have opposing coaches’ heads spinning. Duckett is averaging well over 100 yards a game, and with his presence helping to open up the passing game, Michigan State will be a tough team for any foe to strike down.

“Going in, to think you’re going to make a shutdown there is probably unrealistic. But what you try to do is limit the effectiveness,” Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. “I don’t know that you stop a great back like T.J. Duckett.”