Michigan State Football: Positional report card from Iowa victory

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 30: Linebacker Chris Frey #23 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after recovering a fumble by wide receiver Brandon Smith of the Iowa Hawkeyes and returning it 11 yards during the third quarter at Spartan Stadium on September 30, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Iowa 17-7. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 30: Quarterback Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans passes the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Spartan Stadium on September 30, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

B+. . QB. Michigan State. BRIAN LEWERKE

After a shaky performance against Notre Dame, I believed that if Brian Lewerke cleaned up his turnovers, he would be an entirely more effective and impressive quarterback. Well, he did just that against Iowa. He didn’t throw any interceptions or force any passes and turned in a strong performance against the Hawkeyes.

Lewerke just looked more confident all game long, finishing with 212 passing yards on 18-of-28 completions and two touchdowns. He rushed for another 42 yards, leading the team, including a 15-yarder late in the game to just about seal the win.

Michigan State needs him to protect the ball for the rest of the year and if he doesn’t make silly freshman-like mistakes against the top teams left on the schedule, the Spartans may just finish with 8-9 wins.

There’s still some work to do with Lewerke, though. He did have a couple of nice 20-plus yard completions, but he needs to work down field more often. No more short routes 90 percent of the time, but take a couple of shots and trust your arm. Lewerke has the arm to make defenses pay for relaxed coverage.

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