Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from upset victory over Michigan

Michigan State football took care of business against Michigan in Week 6 and here are five things we learned.

It’s hard to believe that just a couple short weeks ago, we were talking about a blowout loss to Notre Dame at home and now we’re discussing Michigan State football’s resurgence. The Spartans are once again in the national spotlight after a victory over Michigan.

Michigan State out-coached, out-played and out-smarted the Wolverines on Saturday evening in Ann Arbor, leading to an upset victory over the No. 7 Wolverines, 14-10. It was ugly, but Michigan State found a way to get the job done.

The Spartans are on the rise, folks. Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the victory at the Big House.

5. Even in rough games, Brian Lewerke has major impact

It wasn’t the prettiest game for Brian Lewerke. The sophomore quarterback, like both team’s offenses, struggled to get anything going. He was just 11-for-22 through the air with 94 yards and a touchdown but he did rush for 61 yards and a score.

The biggest play of the game proved that he could have a major impact even without having his best game under center. With a torrential downpour soaking the field, and clearly the ball, Lewerke took a shotgun snap on third down with about five yards to go. He fumbled it for a second, picked it up and scrambled for a first down, rolling over his lineman to earn a new set of downs.

That dual-threat ability came in clutch even though he hadn’t been all that successful in the second half. Actually, it’d be interesting to see just how many pass plays the Spartans ran in the final 30 minutes — I’d bet it was less than five.

Even when Lewerke isn’t having success through the air, he finds a way to have an impact on the game, essentially sealing the victory with his legs. Leaders find ways to win.