Michigan State football: Grading the Spartans after loss to Nebraska

It was cold and ugly in Lincoln on Saturday, so it came as no surprise that Michigan State and Nebraska played an ugly game. It ended 9-6 in Nebraska’s favor, without a single touchdown being scored all day. Nebraska won with three fourth quarter field goals.

Michigan State’s loss dropped them to 6-5 on the season and just 4-4 in the Big Ten with one game remaining at home against Rutgers.

Here’s what I liked — and didn’t like — about the Spartans’ loss to the Cornhuskers:

What I liked

1. Despite defeat, defense was exceptional

Michigan State’s defense has been No. 1 in the country against the run, and they passed a huge test Saturday against a Nebraska team that had been on a roll offensively for the past two months. Nebraska had 450 yards or more of total offense for seven straight games, but managed only 248 on Saturday, and only 103 yards on the ground. Defensive end Kenny Willekes was a beast all day, and tied a career-best  with 3.5 tackles for a loss. He has 20.5 tackles for a loss this season, second-best in school history.  Linebacker Andrew Dowell also was all over the field, with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. This group has been sensational all year.

2. Connor Heyward becoming a go-to option

Connor Heyward made his mark in the Spartans’ backfield three weeks ago when he rushed for a career-high 157 yards against Maryland. He disappeared a week later, but then had a huge game against Nebraska. He ran for 80 yards on a career-high 21 attempts, and  also grabbed five passes for a career-best 78 yards. On a day when yards were hard to come by, Hayward found a way. Two of his receptions went for 36 and 34 yards. I think the Spartans have found something here in the 6-foot-1, 229-pound sophomore.

What I didn’t like

1. Rocky Lombardi struggled, but receivers let him down

Rocky Lombardi didn’t play very well Saturday, but he didn’t get much help, either. The redshirt freshman went 15-for-41 passing for only 146 yards, but he had a lot of dropped passes that not only hurt his numbers, but ended several potential scoring drives, as well. Lombardi did have two turnovers, a fumble and a pick, and rarely threatened the end zone, settling for just the two field goals. Tight ends Matt  Sokol and Matt Dotson really struggled with drops. Dotson dropped a sure touchdown in the end zone and had a second ball in the end zone that went off his fingertips. Definitely a total team loss on offense.

2. Coaches didn’t help him much, though

It was strange that when Michigan State moved the ball, it was usually with Connor Heyward doing the damage, either running the ball or making big chunks on short passes. But in the fourth quarter in horrible weather conditions, the Spartans ran 15 pass plays called only three running plays. Why would you put so much pressure on a freshman quarterback in those kind of weather conditions, especially since  the run had been working and there was plenty of time left on the clock during the final drive. It just didn’t make sense for the game to end that way.

Tom Brew

Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.