Michigan State football: Grading the Spartans’ win over Utah State

Not for one second did it look like Michigan State should have been a 24-point favorite Friday night in the season opener against Utah State. In a game that went back and forth right up to the final minute, the Spartans hung on for a 38-31 victory.

But it wasn’t easy, and it should have been. Even though the No. 11-ranked Spartans moved to 1-0, there’s plenty that needs to get cleaned up — and fast. This easily could have been a shocking upset, and it would have been epic considering Utah State is 0-37 all-time against top-15 teams and just 5-55 against top-25 teams.

Here’s what I liked — and didn’t like — about the win:

What I liked

1. QB Brian Lewerke put up big numbers: Lewerke is the key to the Spartans winning the Big Ten East and hanging with the big boys. He got off to a good start, completing 23 of 33 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He had three completions of 30 yards or more and looked poised in the pocket, getting through his reads well and oftentimes finding second or third options. It was a good start, mostly (see below).
2. LB Joe Bachie played like a leader: The 6-foot-2, 238-pound linebacker is the heart and soul of this Spartans defense and he proved it in the opener. Even though it had to be considered a bad night overall for the defense, Bachie came up huge. He led the team with 11 tackles and had a big  interception to seal the game with 1:15 left, elevating to block a pass and hauling it in to end Utah State’s final threat. Bachie is going to have a huge year.
3. Spartans found a way at the end: Pulling out games late has become a Michigan State tradition under Mark Dantonio. Credit is earned by Lewerke for his great 31-yard pass to Felton Davis, and his great fake on the option, pitching to Connor Hayward, who scored on a 13-yard run with 2 minutes left to give the Spartans the lead for good. There’s no doubt the Spartans are going to play a lot of close games this year, and this ending will be a good memory.

What I didn’t like

1. Not getting off the field on third down: I fully expected Michigan State’s defense to be much better than this. Sure, they were great against the run, allowing only 25 yards on 25 carries, but Utah State quarterback Justin Love picked them apart, completing 29 of 44 passes for 319 yards. The worst part was letting Love sustain drives. On the Aggies’ drive late in the fourth quarter that led to a touchdown and a 31-30 lead with 5:05 to go, Michigan State allowed four straight third-down conversions. Utah State had 22 first downs, which is far too many. They need to get better, and fast.
2. Turnovers are a problem that have to go away quickly: For all the good Lewerke did, he cannot lose a fumble and throw a pick-six. He did, and it caused a big problem. Michigan State was comfortably ahead before the interception, holding a 10-point lead late in the third, but then all of a sudden it was a 27-24 score and it was game on.
3. Penalties were an issue: You can oftentimes write off nine penalties in the season opener to rust and nerves, but this was too much for a team that usually plays much tighter than this. They were on both sides of the ball and often came at bad times. That’s an area to get cleaned up, too.

What’s next

The Spartans make their first road trip of the year next week when they play at Arizona State Saturday night in a very late 10:45 p.m. ET kickoff in the desert. (TV: ESPN) The Sun Devils have a new coach in former NFL player and coach Herm Edwards.

If you want a sneak peak at the Sun Devils, their season opener is Saturday night against Texas-San Antonio. The game is televised on Fox Sports 1 at 10:30 p.m. tonight.

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.