Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from win over Indiana in Week 8

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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) /

1. Young Spartans are maturing quickly

This was touched on a bit in the intro, but Michigan State just continues to find ways to win. That’s the sign of a good team. When everything seems to be working against the Spartans this season, they find a way to tough out a victory, just like they did on Saturday.

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That’s the difference between this year’s team and last year’s. The Spartans would have crumbled last year when the pressure got to be too much late in the game. In fact, they did multiple times in games against BYU, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern and others. This year’s team continues to fight.

Maturing is happening at a high rate and this team is playing more like a veteran squad with multiple Big Ten titles under its belt rather than a mostly freshman and sophomore-laden team.

No one thought this maturing would happen so quickly — maybe the players and the staff did — but the fans have to be pleasantly surprised. Michigan State doesn’t get rattled in high-pressure situations (at Michigan, at Minnesota, late vs. Indiana).

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It’s time to start taking the Spartans seriously.

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