Michigan State Football: Report card for season-opening win over WMU

Payton Thorne: B-

Payton Thorne didn’t have a good game, and he’d be the first to tell you that.

From the get-go, he was sailing throws and just putting a little too much on everything. It was obvious that he had the first-game jitters and the fact that he was facing his dad’s team with his whole family in the stadium probably didn’t help matters. He was shaky but still finished with a career-best four touchdown passes.

You know the expectations for a quarterback are through the roof when he can have 233 yards and four touchdown passes while averaging 9.7 per attempt and you still think he had one of his worst games as a starting quarterback. He’s capable of so much more and that’s exciting in itself.

Thorne didn’t play his best and still made some impressive throws throughout the game like the dot to Daniel Barker in the corner of the end zone, the bomb to Keon Coleman, a back-shoulder beauty to Jayden Reed, and a perfect throw on a seam route to Tre Mosley which resulted in a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

He also had four rushes for 22 yards. He definitely needs to tuck and run more — the interception at the end of the first half in the red zone is a perfect example as to why. Thorne has plenty of speed and he needs to show it off.

I’m giving him a B- instead of a C because he threw four touchdown passes.