Michigan State Football: 5 takeaways from ugly win over Maryland

3. Brian Lewerke doesn’t need his arm to be effective

It was far from a banner day for Brian Lewerke. The sophomore quarterback wasn’t able to gain any sort of momentum through the air, completing just 2-of-14 passes for 20 yards. You could chalk about 5-7 of those incompletions to dropped passes by receivers in the snowy, rainy, sleety conditions, but it was still not his best day.

The coaching staff essentially eliminated passing from the playbook in the second half after it was clear the receivers either weren’t seeing the ball or it was too slippery. Lewerke had no problem slinging it out there — although some were too high or too low.

What we did learn is that he doesn’t necessarily need to pass for 200-300 yards to be effective. He can have a major impact on the game in other ways, and he constantly kept Maryland’s defense on its toes.

The best example of this had to be his touchdown run in the second quarter. He faked a handoff and pulled the ball in for a 25-yard scamper and easy score. He rushed for 63 yards on just five carries, showing that he can still make defenses pay on days when passing isn’t an option.