Michigan State football: 3 overreactions from shutout win over Akron

Coach Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans take the field before the game against Akron on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.220910 Msu Akron Fb 063a
Coach Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans take the field before the game against Akron on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.220910 Msu Akron Fb 063a /
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Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne (10) makes a pass against Akron during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022.
Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne (10) makes a pass against Akron during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. /

1. It’s time to panic about Payton Thorne

Payton Thorne’s 2022 season has been something of a disappointment thus far and even he would tell you that. He’s actually openly stated how disappointed with his own play he’s been.

It’s tough to watch him struggle but he’s still tied his single-game passing touchdowns record with four in the opener and he’s averaging over 200 yards per game. It’s his accuracy that has everyone worried. He’s thrown three fairly awful interceptions and he’s completing just around 58 percent of his passes. That’s just not going to cut it.

Sure, he’s averaging a career-best yards per attempt through two games, but Western Michigan and Akron aren’t exactly lockdown teams — although WMU did have a top-20 passing defense in the country last year. He needs to be better and stop throwing off his back-foot.

Is it time to panic about Thorne, though? No. Everyone has been making extreme overreactions about the quarterback who has proven himself, but his issues are easily correctable.

It’s not time to panic yet.

Next. 3 takeaways from MSU's win over Akron. dark