Michigan State football hosted a red-hot Purdue team, fresh off an upset win over Ohio State. What did we learn about the Spartans and Boilermakers?
It’s been a disappointing season for Michigan State. The Spartans escaped an upset at the hands of Utah State in their opening game but picked up three losses over the course of their next six games. That’s not the sort of start Mark Dantonio‘s team was looking for considering they entered the year with Big Ten Title aspirations.
Although they entered the game with an identical record to Michigan State (4-3), Purdue’s fortunes are decidedly trending upward. They shocked the nation with a monumental upset over Ohio State in Week 8 and are playing well under head coach Jeff Brohm.
Two completely different teams heading in two different directions met in Week 9. The drama surrounding a pair of near-.500 teams didn’t capture a national audience, but the game itself still played an important role in the trajectories of both of these programs. When it was all said and done Michigan State found a way to squeak out a much-needed win. What did we learn about both teams in this Week 9 Big Ten tilt?
1. Winning ugly still counts
There wasn’t much worth remembering about this game. Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke was sidelined with an injury, forcing backup Rocky Lombardi into starting duty. Star tailback, still nursing an injury of his own, saw action but was unable to do much on the ground.
There were a few big plays scattered into the contest, but most of the game was littered with drops, overthrown passes and two-yard runs. Neither team is going to hold this game up as their blueprint to success, and that goes for the defense too. In games like this, the most important thing to leave the field with is a win. Michigan State did that. The rest is best left in the rearview mirror.