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Michigan State’s 2016 QB situation even more dire without Brian Lewerke
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Michigan State’s sixth loss in a row might’ve been its most painful.
The Spartans fell to their intrastate rivals for the first time in four years. Even worse, it continued Michigan’s unbeaten season and all but washed away bowl hopes in East Lansing.
Michigan State’s immediate future took yet another hit.
Mark Dantonio announced on Sunday that the Spartans will be without quarterback Brian Lewerke for the rest of 2016.
.@DantonioMark announced on his Sunday teleconference that QB Brian Lewerke will miss remainder of season after suffering broken tibia v UM.
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) October 30, 2016
Lewerke was the only Spartan quarterback that could get anything rolling against the Wolverines. He engineered a fourth-quarter scoring drive but suffered the injury on the next drive.
He was sacked by Jabrill Peppers on MSU’s last-ditch comeback effort:
Lewerke finished his freshman season with 381 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception in two starts.
Without Lewerke, who might’ve been in line to start if he was healthy, the Spartans will turn to either Tyler O’Connor or Damion Terry. O’Connor starter again on Saturday, but was relieved with the Spartan offense struggling.
Dantonio said that he gave Terry and Lewerke snaps against Michigan because he wanted them to get a taste of the Michigan game for the future.
Dantonio didn’t say whether or not the job would go to O’Connor or Terry, but O’Connor has been given repeated chances to retain the starting job. Perhaps Dantonio will employ a two-quarterback system.
Whatever he does, the Spartans will need some sort of spark to snap its six-game losing streak against fellow 2-6 squad Illinois.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.