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Tired defense, offensive mistakes cost Michigan State, Mark Dantonio says
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Michigan State’s name was added to the list on Saturday night. That list contains the teams that Ohio State has defeated in lopsided fashion.
The Spartans fell 34-10 on Saturday night, dropped to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in B1G play. The game was close through about 26 minutes, but the Buckeyes really broke things open late in the first half. They took a 27-10 lead into halftime and added a touchdown for insurance in the fourth quarter.
MSU’s vaunted run defense surrendered 323 yards. The offense couldn’t move the ball effectively.
After the game, Mark Dantonio met with the media to talk about the disappointing loss. He pointed to a tired defense and an offense that missed its opportunities as reasons why the Spartans fell short of the upset.
According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Dantonio also thought Brian Lewerke had a solid game. Below are some of the comments Dantonio made after the game:
Dantonio: "I thought Lewerke played pretty well. Put the ball on the money."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 6, 2019
Dantonio says there were too many explosive plays allowed on defense. Thought his defense was tired in the second half.
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 6, 2019
Dantonio: "In the end, when you look at the football game, we've gotta play at our best, which I don't think we did."
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 6, 2019
Michigan State had chances to keep this one close, but could convert on field goals and even missed a wide open touchdown opportunity in the first half. In a game against Ohio State, taking advantage of those opportunities is critical.
But the Spartans weren’t able to do so, and dropped their second game of the season. Now they’ll face a tough three-week stretch, playing No. 8 Wisconsin next Saturday before an off week. Michigan State will then take on No. 12 Penn State.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB