Michigan State Football: Report card for win over Indiana in Week 8

Michigan State football found a way to hold on to a victory at home against Indiana in Week 8. Which position group graded the highest?

Michigan State is going bowling. After one of the tumultuous years in program history, the Spartans have rebounded better than anyone thought possible in 2017 to post a 6-1 record through the first seven games, doubling last year’s win total and regaining bowl eligibility.

That’s right, bowl eligible before the end of October. If you saw that coming before the season began, you’re either a psychic or the world’s most optimistic guesser. Either way, the Spartans came away with another ugly win on Saturday against Indiana, but all wins count the same.

Here’s what the Spartans’ report card looks like from their win over Indiana.

One step forward, two steps back. After arguably the best performance of the season for the offensive line against Minnesota, the big guys up front struggled a bit against Indiana.

Brian Lewerke was sacked three times and seemed to have little time to get rid of the ball, which is why the pass plays late in the game were primarily roll-outs. It gave him more time to survey the field and find an open target. That’s a bad sign for the offensive line.

While there’s plenty of talent up front, it just hasn’t seemed to completely gel yet. The young quarterback gets flustered with a rush in the pocket and the run game struggles. The offense could only muster three points through the first 45-plus minutes.

Speaking of the run game, the holes just weren’t there like they were against Minnesota a week ago. In fact, LJ Scott was the leading rusher with 87 yards on 22 carries and the team averaged just 2.0 yards per touch. Not a good showing.