Michigan State football: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Richmond

Michigan State football improved to 2-0 on Saturday afternoon with a 45-14 win over Richmond and while it wasn’t the most impressive win in the world, it showed that the Spartans take care of business when they’re supposed to.

The spread before this game was Michigan State -30.5 and the Spartans covered just barely after giving up two touchdowns late — both the result of fumbles.

What did we learn from this second win of the season by MSU?

3. Michigan State football needs to protect the ball better

While Noah Kim didn’t throw an interception and looked good for the most part after a slow first quarter, the Spartans coughed the ball up twice in the fourth quarter.

The only people who were really upset about these fumbles were those who bet on the Michigan State spread and hardcore Spartan fans who don’t let up even when they’re up 45-7. I was in both of those categories.

Although it was the backups who coughed up the ball in the fourth quarter — one by Jordon Simmons and one by Davion Primm — it was still disappointing to see that they didn’t seize their opportunity and turned the ball over deep in their own territory.

The starters protected the ball, but the backups need to be much better in this regard.