Michigan State football was pushed to the limit Saturday by Indiana, but the Spartans found the resolve to come away with a hard-fought 17-9 win.
The Spartans overcame a 9-3 fourth quarter deficit with two touchdowns to remain unbeaten in Big Ten play. The pair of touchdowns scored by Michigan State were the only two touchdowns in the game. Field goals and defense reigned supreme as both defenses flexed their muscles.
Sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke was a solid 16-of-29 for 185 yards and a touchdown. He now has ten touchdown passes on the season, while having thrown only three interceptions. His 10-yard TD strike to Felton Davis with 5:59 remaining gave the No. 18 Spartans their first lead of the game.
The hard-luck Hoosiers fell to 0-4 in Big Ten play. Indiana has fell to Big Ten heavyweights, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and now Michigan State. Needless to say, the schedule eases up down the stretch for Tom Allen’s crew.
Yards were difficult to come by, as both defenses held their opponents to under 300 yards on the game. Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey finished a solid 22-of-34 for 158 yards. However, the Hoosiers were unable to punch the ball into the end zone. Settling for field goals ended up costing the Hoosiers a chance for a signature win.
Spartans’ coach Mark Dantonio has officially ‘righted the ship’ after a disappointing 3-9, 2016 campaign. Michigan State now sits at 6-1 overall, and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
Here are three takeaways from the Spartans hard-earned win Saturday.
There was swirling speculation all week about LJ Scott’s availability after the junior was arrested this week for driving with a suspended license. He ended up playing and finished up the scoring with an 18-yard scamper to make it 17-9 with 1:49 remaining. He finished with 87 yards on 22 carries.
Scott has now scored three touchdowns in the Spartans’ last two games. His physicality between the tackles is paying dividends for Michigan State. Mark Dantonio is feeding him the ball and the result has been two hard-earned wins the past two weeks.
Scott’s running ability makes the Spartans a legit threat to claim the Big Ten East title. In a division with heavyweights such as: Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, a bruising running back is just what Sparty needs to keep themselves in contention.
Expect Scott to play a major role as Michigan State still has contests left against Ohio State and Penn State. If Michigan State can win those two, look for Sparty to represent the Big Ten East in Indianapolis on Dec. 2.
2. Spartans have returned to hard-nosed defense
A year ago, Michigan State stumbled on the defensive side of the ball. Dantonio knew that in order to compete in power-heavy division, shoring up the defense would be a priority. Consider that task accomplished, as the Spartans are squeezing the life out of opponents and have returned to their stingy ways on defense.
Other than last week’s 30-27 win over Minnesota, in its other five wins, Michigan State has surrendered 14 points or less in its wins. That is a recipe for success. Joe Bachie led today’s assault with 13 tackles as the Spartans held Indiana to just 253 yards of offense and no touchdowns.
Joe Bachie led the defense with 13 tackles, including 4 solo and 0.5 TFL. Bachie also forced a fumble.
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) October 21, 2017
The No. 5 ranked Spartans’ defense is giving this team a chance to win week in and week out. Yes, they are young, but yes, they are making life miserable for opponents. If Sparty can take care of business next week against Northwestern, they put themselves in position for a memorable November.
With Penn State and Ohio State on the November slate, this team will be in a position no one thought was possible back in August.
1. Never doubt Mark Dantonio
Throughout the week, pundits were predicting an Indiana upset. They said the Spartans were overachieving and were “ripe” for an upset. For over three quarters they appeared correct. However, the resolve of this Michigan State team is impressive. Dantonio has demonstrated he knows how to rally the troops. He knows what winning football in the Big Ten looks like, and he’s righted the Spartan’s ship in less than a year. Impressive to say the least.
Most would agree that Dantonio is a Hall of Fame coach. He’s rarely mentioned with the likes of Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh. But who else gets more out of his players, year-in-and-year-out? His teams continuously overachieve and Dantonio knows how to coach. To have his team bowl-eligible by Oct. 21 is a testament to the job he and his staff have done.
A trademark of Dantonio-coached teams is their knack for making winning plays in the fourth quarter. We’ve seen it against Michigan and last week against Minnesota. It happened again on Saturday. Trailing 9-3, the Spartans rallied for two fourth-quarter scores, along with a late defensive stop to secure the win. That is a culture which is instilled by the coaching staff.
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Credit Dantonio for a remarkable turnaround with a team littered with young players.