Michigan State Football: 3 takeaways from sloppy loss to Arizona State

2. Brian Lewerke solid once again in defeat for the Spartans

Against Arizona State last season, Brian Lewerke threw for 319 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 27-of-39 passing in the narrow loss in Tempe. It was an eye-opening look at the potential Lewerke brings to the football field for the Spartans as a passer, something that was seen in only fits and spurts over the rest of the season.

He was again solid against the Sun Devils, throwing for 291 yards on 24-of-38 passing. Lewerke added 25 yards on 10 carries, pushing him over 300 total yards for the day. But the quarterback was unable to find the endzone either with his arm or with his legs, and that lack of scoring production proved costly in the end for the Spartans.

On the final drive, working with only 50 seconds on the clock, Lewerke was able to move Michigan State into position to tie the game and send it to overtime. While the field goal miss does not fall on Lewerke’s shoulders, the fact that they were forced to rely on a field-goal try at the end of the game was largely a result of the quarterback failing to light up the scoreboard.

The Spartans are now 5-5 in games where Lewerke fails to throw for a touchdown. That continues to be an issue for a Michigan State team that has a top-shelf defense but an inability to convert first downs into touchdowns.