Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State Football: 5 positives to take away from Michigan loss

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke (14) attempts a pass as Michigan Wolverines linebacker Jabrill Peppers (5) defends during the second half at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Here are five positives we can take from Michigan State football’s Week 9 loss to No. 2 Michigan.

Another week has passed and the Michigan State football team has not been able to end its losing streak. Sitting at six games now, the losing skid might come to an end this week at Illinois, but the Spartans will hope to play the way they did against Michigan in order for that to happen.

Surprisingly, Michigan State came out with a pulse on Saturday after everyone had been doubting it and calling for a blowout. The Spartans scored the first touchdown of the game to take a lead — holding a lead longer than it did in all of last year’s contest — but Michigan raced out to a 27-10 advantage before halftime.

The Spartans came out in the second half and played well, holding Michigan to just five total points — two of which came on a botched two point conversion with one second left in the game. This team held its own and the coaches have to be proud of the way their guys battled.

Losing still hurts, though. No one wants to see Michigan State lose to its top rival at home, and that is something Mark Dantonio takes pride in — beating the Wolverines regularly.

Fortunately, there were still positives to take away from the loss against the Wolverines Saturday, and here they are:

5. Young guys are coming into their own

Oct 15, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans tight end Josiah Price (82) celebrates a touchdown with Michigan State Spartans offensive lineman Brian Allen (65) during the first quarter of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

From the quarterback position, to defensive backs, to receivers, Michigan State’s young guys are showing improvement and the future is very bright. Heck, even the offensive line showed flashes of brilliance, protecting Tyler O’Connor and Brian Lewerke, for the most part.

Tyler Higby and Thiyo Lukusa have been playing well in the trenches and they are most definitely important pieces for the future. Lewerke looked impressive under center, despite suffering a season-ending injury.

Justin Layne played well against Michigan’s solid receivers at cornerback and even though Khari Willis had a tough game, he seems to be part of the future in the defensive backfield. Add guys like Josh Butler, Tyson Smith, Grayson Miller and Vayante Copeland to that mix.

Donnie Corley played some defensive back as well and held his own. He also looked impressive at receiver, running the ball once for 23 yards and even returning a punt. Trishton Jackson also got into the action at wide out, catching his first pass of the year.

Also, the defensive line’s young studs were solid. Raequan Williams, Auston Robertson and Josh King all got major reps while Mike Panasiuk continues to prove that he will be the future at defensive tackle.

Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Malik McDowell (4) gestures to the sidelines during the first half of a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

4. Spartans looked different, didn’t quit nor back down

This team looked like a completely different one from what it had shown through the first seven games of the season. Well, the Spartans looked like a national title contender against Notre Dame, but as we have since found out, the Fighting Irish are nothing more than a mediocre football team.

Coming out on Saturday and proving that they weren’t intimidated by the No. 2 team in college football, the Spartans scored on the first drive and milked eight minutes off the clock. The offense was impressive and the line, as mentioned before, was impressive.

Tyler O’Connor didn’t have much success through the air, but he kept the Spartans in the game. However, he did cost Michigan State three points at the end of the half by throwing a deep ball, on what was supposed to be a screen, into coverage and it was picked off. There was less than a minute left in the second quarter at that point.

Still, being down 27-10 at halftime with the Wolverines getting the ball back didn’t phase these guys. They fought back and pulled within 13 with multiple trips into the red zone to trim the lead to single digits. Michigan State eventually did score a touchdown to pull within seven with one second left.

This team didn’t quit and played its heart out. That’s kind of what everyone had been hoping for — along with a win.

3. Despite the injury, Brian Lewerke looked like the future

There is going to be a serious quarterback battle this offseason. Many believe that Messiah deWeaver could be a four-year starter for the Spartans, but he will have to beat out an impressive, soon-to-be sophomore in Brian Lewerke.

The redshirt freshman didn’t start the game, much to the chagrin of Spartan Nation, but came in during the fourth quarter and played exceptionally well. He tossed a touchdown pass to Monty Madaris and helped the Spartans pull within 13 points. He ended the day with 6-of-10 completions for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Unfortunately, his season was ended early as he was knocked out of the game with an injury and couldn’t put any weight on his leg. The coaching staff initially thought it might be an ACL tear, but it turned out to be a broken tibia.

Lewerke finished his season with appearances in four games, with two starts, completing 54 percent of his throws for 381 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 149 yards on 7.1 per carry.

This kid might just be the future of the program and there’s a reason he has been compared to Kirk Cousins. Scary thing is, he will only get better. If the quarterback battle will provide MSU with multiple years of either Lewerke of deWeaver, the Spartans are in good shape.

Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) scores a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

2. The run game is back on track

Coming into the game, Michigan had allowed just 96 rushing yards per game, one of the best marks in the entire country. The Wolverines’ defense had been stifling against the run this season, but LJ Scott put up 97 yards of his own in the first half. He broke the mark Michigan had allowed in each game, on average, this season in just 30 minutes.

The sophomore running back is starting to evolve into the guy everyone had expected at the beginning of the 2015 season. He is starting to get more carries and that’s exactly what the coaching staff should stick to.

In fact, in the four games in which he has less than 20 carries, he’s averaging 4.3 yards per touch and has just 131 yards overall. In four games in which he has at least 20 rushes, he has compiled 470 yards and 5.6 yards per touch. Clearly, the trend is working in his favor. He has also scored a game in each of the four games with 20-plus touches.

Racking up 217 rushing yards on a defense that had allowed under 100 per game through the first eight weeks of the season is a little victory. The Spartan offense fared well against an elite defense, and the run game looks to be back on track.

Scott shouldn’t see the bench much for the rest of the season.

Oct 29, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Football head coach Mark Dantonio walks of the field after the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

1. Spartans realistically could have (and maybe should have) won

It almost should hurt the Spartans when they have to go back and look at film. The Spartans left far too many points on the field and the coaching staff will be able to spot that right away and take the blame for it.

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Although the final score was 32-23, it could have been completely different. Heck, Michigan State could have even come out on top in this one if it had taken advantage of the opportunities and didn’t squander red zone chances.

Let’s just take a look at how many points were left out there.

First, the Spartans went for it on fourth down in Michigan territory in the first half and the Wolverines ended up scoring after getting the ball back with a short field to work with. If they got that first or even kicked a field goal or punted, Michigan wouldn’t have scored as easily and the Spartans could have tacked on three points, at least.

Next, Tyler O’Connor threw a pick with less than a minute left in the first half which was supposed to be a screen pass. It was a major gaffe by the senior quarterback and Michigan tacked on three more points, making it 27-10 at the half — it could have easily been 24-13 or even 24-17.

After the half, the Spartans got the ball back after Michigan’s first scoreless drive and took it all the way down to the Wolverines 1-yard-line. Four straight run plays later and the Wolverines came up with the goal-line stop. Seven points could have made it 27-17.

Moreover, Michigan State made two more trips into the red zone and came up empty. The Spartans did come within seven with one second left but a two-point conversion try (just for the heck of it) was fumbled and recovered by Jabrill Peppers and taken back for two.

The final score should have realistically been 30-24 despite all of the mistakes, but ended up 32-23. If the Spartans had kicked field goals in all of their empty red zone appearances, that touchdown to Donnie Corley with one second left would have been the game-winner, giving Michigan State a 33-30 win.

That can be looked at as either a positive or a negative.

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