Michigan State Football: Report card from overtime win over Nebraska

Payton Thorne: C

For the first time this season, I came away slightly disappointed in the performance of Payton Thorne. The sophomore quarterback got off to a rocky start with a pick on his first drive and then he really settled in, completing about 90 percent of his next 10 passes. He was looking sharp to end the first half and bounced back from the interception nicely.

And then the second half started.

After throwing a touchdown pass in the first half and looking like the quarterback we saw through the first three weeks, he couldn’t get into rhythm as it seemed like the constant blitzes and pressure got to him. He was a little rattled for the first time this year and completed just six of his final 14 pass attempts and the offense stalled under his reign in the second half.

In the final 30 minutes, it seemed like he couldn’t get anything going. He was missing receivers, holding the ball too long, and just thinking too much. Thorne was in his own head.

It’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back from his first “bad” performance of the season.

He still had 183 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-23 completions, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. And he finished poorly.