Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from upset victory over Michigan

4. Offense has a ton of work to do

Despite the fact that Brian Lewerke put the team on his back late in the game, it’s clear that the offense has a lot of work to do. Sure, the Spartans were facing the No. 1 defense in college football, but it didn’t seem to bother them in the first half when they put up nearly 200 yards of offense.

Michigan State had less than 100 yards in the second half and didn’t record a first down in the entire third quarter. I also get that it was a torrential downpour during the second half, but there are still ways to keep the defense on its toes instead of running the predictable, safe plays.

When I say the offense has a lot of work to do, I believe a lot of it lies on Dave Warner. He ran a spectacular offensive game plan in the first half, but dropped the ball in the final 30 minutes. It was tough to watch the offense squander five turnover opportunities. The final score could have been a little more lopsided if the offense was run correctly.

The offensive line did its job in pass protection, not allowing a single sack against the top defense in the country, but the holes need to open up more in the run game — albeit the second half was a mess for both teams.

The talent is there, it’s the play-calling and execution that needs work.