Indiana Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Michigan State

Indiana football shut out the Michigan State Spartans 24-0 in East Lansing on Saturday. The win keeps the Hoosiers undefeated.

Indiana is no longer Cinderella. Prince Charming has come to the house, and the slipper fits. Cinderella is now a princess. Indiana’s 24-0 victory against Michigan State puts the Hoosiers in a place they have not been in a generation. This season, the Hoosiers have defeated Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State for the first time.

Indiana’s win was the first Big Ten road shutout since 1993. It is their best start since 1987, and their first win as a top-10 team since 1967. The Hoosiers played with a ton of confidence today as they dominated the Spartans on both sides of the ball. On offense, it all starts with Michael Penix Jr. who threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Penix’s favorite target today was Ty Fryfogle, who had 11 catches 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Hoosiers gave up just 191 yards of total offense in addition to pitching a shut out. Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi continues his up, and down season throwing two interceptions before getting benched for freshman Payton Thorne. The Illinois native did not fare much better, throwing for 110 yards and an interception.

On the day, the Hoosier defense had four turnovers, held the Spartan offense to just nine first downs, including 3-12 on third down. Indiana’s defense ruled the trenches sacking Thorne and Lombardi four times and giving up just 60 yards on the ground.

Here is a closer look at today’s game.