Turning point, unsung hero and what's next for Michigan State football

TURNING POINT

When the ball hit the turf, Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke could only think about one thing – “go left.” Facing a third-and-3 with a little more than 2:00 left on the clock and clinging to a 14-10 lead, the sophomore signal caller – working out of the shotgun – bobbled the snap. Driving rains throughout the second half caused numerous miscues, but with the ball inside Spartans’ territory late, this one could've been devastating. Instead, Lewerke calmly picked the ball up off the wet Michigan Stadium turf and went left. He dove head first, rolling over the back of starting center Brian Allen, and landed past the line he needed to gain. It was MSU’s initial first down of the second half. There would be only two in the final 30 minutes, but they both came on the final drive as the Spartans killed precious clock and rode its defense to Mark Dantonio’s eighth victory over Michigan in 11 tries.

FINAL: MSU 14, No. 7 U-M 10

UNSUNG HERO

Kenny Willekes said he wanted to make an impression during his first visit to the Big House. He did – and then some. The sophomore defensive end from Rockford sacked Michigan quarterback John O’Korn twice and wrapped up running backs in the backfield to the tune of three tackles for loss. Both stats led the team. It’s easy to get overlooked when you play on one of the top defenses in the country, but Willekes made a name for himself Saturday, tallying four solo tackles and assisting on five more. “It’s a little bit of a relief after putting in so much hard work in every day all week," he said. "It’s huge after you get the win. There’s nothing like winning down here.”

QUOTABLE

“I started to go celebrate and I was like, ‘I need to go get Paul.’ He’s back home where he is supposed to be and we are excited to have him back. I gave him a kiss and said, 'welcome back.'"

— MSU senior linebacker Chris Frey on bringing the Paul Bunyan Trophy back to East Lansing and his third win in four tries against the Wolverines

WHAT’S NEXT

Riding a four-game winning streak in the series, MSU (4-1, 2-0) will travel to Minneapolis Saturday for a showdown with PJ Fleck and the Golden Gophers (3-2, 0-2). This will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2013 and the first in Minnesota since 2012. The Gophers are coming off back-to-back loses, the latest being a 31-17 setback during a weather-delayed road tilt with Purdue. MSU leads the all-time series with the Gophers 29-17. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

— Cody Tucker