Michigan State football flashes red flags galore despite win over Rutgers

Despite beating Rutgers to improve to 7-5 and ensure Mark Dantonio’s 10th winning season, Michigan State football had some major red flags on Saturday.

At what point do you throw loyalty out the window? Your team, which was ranked No. 18 in the country just a few short weeks ago, has dropped 2-of-3 games and has scored just two touchdowns in the past 12 quarters.

Mark Dantonio’s loyalty nearly cost him a win over 1-10 Rutgers on Saturday evening in East Lansing. That’s not OK.

Yes, I get that Michigan State’s defense played well yet again, holding the Scarlet Knights to just 10 points and 217 total yards, but the offense was more than just anemic — it was offensive. The Spartans were nothing short of embarrassing on Saturday, barely reaching 300 total yards against a horrid Rutgers defense and needing a late touchdown by Cody White to take the lead.

No other year would this have been OK. Even when Michigan State went 3-9, the Spartans blew the doors off Rutgers. This Scarlet Knights team showed some heart, especially Giovanni Rescigno, but they still had just one win and had been blown out by just about everyone.

Dave Warner continues to get the benefit of the doubt from Dantonio, and that’s bringing the team down. This offense has plenty of talent, granted the offensive line has been shaky, at best, and it continues to disappoint.

No other Power Five team in the country with a winning record would ever be OK with scoring 27 points in a three-game stretch against Ohio State, Nebraska and Rutgers — one team with an average, at best defense, and two with losing records and horrid defenses. That’s a fireable offense.

There were plenty of red flags flashed in the 14-10 win over Rutgers, and it had nothing to do with the defense — though not having a spy on Rescigno extended many drives.

The quarterback situation is a mess. A healthy Brian Lewerke is the starter, but how injured is he that he wasn’t even considered when Rocky Lombardi was struggling? What about freshman Theo Day? He could have at least sparked something, right?

Lombardi was off all day long, completing just 19-of-43 passes and some of his throws were so bad, you could see frustration, rather visible, on the faces of his receivers.

And don’t get me started on the run game.

It’s time to move on from the stagnant run-up-the-middle every first down offense and gain 1-2 yards or struggle to get a first down on third-and-2 against Rutgers offense. It’s time to move forward as a program.

To do that, Dantonio must cut some dead weight. Nearly losing to Rutgers at home on Senior Day is unacceptable.