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Michigan State Football: Defense steps up big-time in Indiana victory

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 21: Defensive end Jacub Panasiuk #96 of the Michigan State Spartans is congratulated by his brother, defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk #72 of the Michigan State Spartans, after sacking quarterback Peyton Ramsey of the Indiana Hoosiers for a 4-yard loss during the first quarter at Spartan Stadium on October 21, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Indiana 17-9. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 21: Defensive end Jacub Panasiuk #96 of the Michigan State Spartans is congratulated by his brother, defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk #72 of the Michigan State Spartans, after sacking quarterback Peyton Ramsey of the Indiana Hoosiers for a 4-yard loss during the first quarter at Spartan Stadium on October 21, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Indiana 17-9. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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Despite struggling on offense through three quarters, Michigan State football relied heavily on its defense to pull out a 17-9 win over Indiana.

The theme each week seems to be the same: it wasn’t pretty. Michigan State football struggled mightily on offense against Indiana on Saturday afternoon, scoring just three points in the first half against Indiana. The Hoosiers’ defense has improved over the years, but the Spartan offense just looked out of rhythm.

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Brian Lewerke struggled to hit his receivers and tight ends, missing Matt Sokol on a crucial pass late in the third quarter which would have been a first down. Instead, the Spartans were forced into a punt.

When Jake Hartbarger gets more touches (eight) than Madre London (six), you know there’s a problem with the offense. Hartbarger punted eight times and London had six rushes for a measly 13 yards. LJ Scott led the offense with 87 yards and a big score late on 22 carries.

However, it was the defense that led this team to victory. Indiana had been known as a team that could put up points in recent years, but the Spartans held the Hoosiers under 10 points for the first time on the season. That’s a huge confidence-booster for this young defense.

The secondary showed fatigue, at times, but covered well enough to allow the line to get pressure on Peyton Ramsey consistently. He didn’t feel comfortable in the pocket much on Saturday, despite just one sack by Jacub Panasiuk.

Against Morgan Ellison and Indiana’s improving run game, the Spartans held yet another team under 100 yards. Moreover, Ramsey passed for just 158 yards on 34 attempts. That’s a minuscule 4.6 yards per attempt which is ideal for a defense.

This defense continues to look more and more 2013-esque by the week. Keeping the Hoosiers out of the end zone on Saturday was a big step and the confidence continues to grow.

Next: MSU Football: 10 bold predictions for Big Ten play

Joe Bachie might be the conference’s biggest surprise star and the defense, as a whole, is leaps and bounds better than it was a season ago. Oh yeah, and Michigan State is bowl eligible.

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