Michigan State’s offense has had its struggles this season. Over the last two weeks, those issues have come in failing to finish off teams late in games.

On Saturday, the Spartans built a sizeable 31-3 lead over Central Michigan heading into the fourth quarter, appearing the game locked up. But the Chippewas scored 17 unanswered points in the final period and had a little bit of life for the final few minutes.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of finish Michigan State had hoped for after building a four-touchdown lead. The Spartans did hold on for a 31-20 victory to improve to 3-1 on the season.

After the game, quarterback Brian Lewerke was asked about MSU’s inability to close out Saturday’s game, something that’s become a bit of a trend in East Lansing.

“It just sucks that we can’t finish out teams,” Lewerke said in the post-game press conference. “I really want to be able to do that. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do that at some point.”

Lewerke also praised the defense for its effort Saturday and said the offense needed to score a few more points in the second half. He finished the day with 185 passing yards and an interception and added 39 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Michigan State hosts Northwestern next week in East Lansing.