Turning point, unsung hero and what's next for Michigan State football – spring game edition

TURNING POINT

Let’s be honest, nothing about the Green-White game is normal. There are no official stats, the time fluctuates at the snap of the coach’s finger, the scoring system is bizarre and quarterbacks and kick returners are treated like sacred cows. Well, quarterbacks always are, aren’t they?

Saturday’s forecast made it feel more like a late October game than the beginning of spring. The sparse crowd showed that.

There were some bright spots though. Michigan State’s grass stain-less quarterback, Brian Lewerke, bounced back and had a nice afternoon after missing on his first three passes. Late in the second half, thanks to the authoritative fingers of Mark Dantonio, he hit Darrell Stewart Jr. for a 30-yard touchdown pass after two additional minutes were added to the game clock.

Sophomore running back Connor Heyward also had a productive day, finding the end zone from six yards out early in the second quarter. Fellow sophomore tailback Alante Thomas, who fumbled three times Saturday (recovering two), had the biggest play of the day, scampering 53 yards to the Green team's 4-yard line. Two plays later, the younger brother of former MSU standout Lawrence Thomas punched it in. 

The defense was stout all day long, shutting down the White team’s rushing attack and pressuring Lewerke and backup quarterbacks Rocky Lombardi, Theo Day and Mickey Macius.

Day, the freshman signal caller from Dearborn, got an early introduction into college football when he was picked off by Josiah Scott late in the third quarter.

Lombardi finished strong, connecting on a 19-yard game-winning touchdown late in regulation.

FINAL: White (Offense) 32, Green (Defense) 30

GRAHAM COUCH:3 quick takes on Michigan State football's spring game

CHRIS SOLARI:5 observations from Michigan State's spring football game

UNSUNG HERO

That honor belongs to the few thousand chilly MSU fans scattered throughout Spartan Stadium on Saturday afternoon. They braved below-freezing temps and gusty 15 mph winds on a cloudy “spring” day in East Lansing. Why the fans on the shady side didn’t move into the sun is beyond me. There was plenty of room.

Anyway, if you are looking for an unsung hero on the field, look no further than defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk. The junior swallowed up double teams all afternoon, made tackles in the backfield and made life uncomfortable for those guys in the red jerseys.

Mike Tressel, who is in his first season as the lone defensive coordinator at MSU, called Panasiuk the “MVP” of the spring earlier in the week. He doesn’t often grab headlines, but Saturday he solidified his coach’s praise.

QUOTABLE

“Well, we had about 13 players out of the game that did not play. Some could play, some could not have, that's usually the norm coming out of spring. But I think we have a good foundation where we are at. We have got experience coming back, and we have guys that have played in football games and played at a high level, and played in pressure games with a big crowd around them and TV, etc. So, from that standpoint, I feel very positive. We just have to keep getting better...I like our chemistry again."

— MSU coach Mark Dantonio, discussing the Spartans' 23 returning starters in 2018

WHAT’S NEXT

Dantonio and Co. will have one final team practice Tuesday to wrap up the spring season. Utah State is now on the clock. The Aggies, who finished last season 6-7 overall with a 4-4 mark in the Mountain West Conference, will pay a visit to East Lansing on Friday, Aug. 31 to open the 2018 campaign.

— Cody Tucker