The Michigan State Spartans are suddenly a contender in the Big Ten East after topping the rival Michigan Wolverines on Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
One year removed from the worst season of the Mark Dantonio era, the Michigan State Spartans are on the way to once again being a contender in the Big Ten East.
Once a model of consistency, the Spartans inexplicably dropped all the way to 3-9 in 2016 with just one conference win over hapless Rutgers. Things got much worse in the offeseason, as three Spartans were dismissed for the role in an alleged sexual assault.
Michigan State was expected to bounce back at least to some extent in 2017, although nobody quite knew how the Spartans would climb with a completely re-tooled roster. That question may have been answered on Saturday night in Ann Arbor, as Michigan State suddenly looks like a contender in the mighty Big Ten East.
The Spartans earned a terrific road win over rival No. 7 Michigan in a rain-drenched 14-10 slugfest in front of a stunned crowd at the Big House. While the weather certainly played a big factor in slowing down the already limited Michigan offense, the Spartans deserved consideration as a potential Big Ten East contender following the victory.
With the huge victory, the Spartans could enter the AP top 25 and have a decent overall resume. A loss to a much improved Notre Dame team won’t hurt the Spartans much, and wins over Iowa and Michigan on the road is a great start to Big Ten Play
There was a definite theme of uncertainty surrounding the Spartans entering the season. Dantonio would have to prove his ability to respond the toughest adversity of his career, and the Spartans had all sorts of question marks on the defensive side of the ball, starting with a miserable secondary.
Some of those fears have been eased during Michigan State’s 4-1 start, as the Spartans are allowing just 16.4 points per contest. Michigan State took advantage of the bad weather to force five turnovers against Michigan while limiting the Wolverines to just 102 rushing yards on 39 carries.
Junior safeties Khari Willis and Matt Morrissey have provided some much-needed playmaking ability for what was an abysmal secondary in 2016. Helping matters is an improved pass rush, with linebackers Joe Bachie and Chris Frey showing improvement across the board.
Running backs LJ Scott and Madre London will continue to be the focal point of Michigan State’s offense, but the Spartans are getting much better play out of the quarterback spot as well. After missing the final month-plus of the 2016 season with a broken tibia, Brian Lewerke is adding a new dynamic to Michigan State’s offense.
Lewerke has been solid as a passer with 1,057 passing yards on 155 attempts and 10 touchdowns to two interceptions. The redshirt sophomore has provided even more value with his legs and was Michigan State’s most efficient player in the rain on Saturday night with 15 carries for 61 yards and a score.
While those pieces are nice, Michigan State needs to stay healthy to have a chance in the Big Ten East. Depth was a major concern heading into the season, and the high number of unproven Spartans playing well at the moment could drop off at any moment.
If Michigan State can avoid major injuries over the next two months, the schedule opens up nicely. The Spartans already have a win in one of the toughest road trips of Big Ten play and crucially avoid Wisconsin from the West, leaving a home game against Ohio State and a visit to Happy Valley in back-to-back weeks to close out the season.
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A split with those two teams could make things really interesting depending on other results, and the Spartans are at least capable of challenging Ohio State’s shaky offense. There’s a lot of football left to be played and a win in ugly weather at Michigan only means so much, but the Spartans need to be taken seriously in the Big Ten East race.