Michigan State football QBs Rocky Lombardi, Theo Day have ups, downs in debuts

EAST LANSING — Rocky Lombardi dropped back and sent a laser slicing through the frigid air.

The first pass for the Michigan State redshirt freshman on his first play in his first game at Spartan Stadium zipped right to senior tight end Matt Sokol for 18 yards.

Six plays later, Lombardi took a sack. Or at least a two-hand tag, since quarterbacks are off limits.

Such are the ups and downs for a rookie player, making his debut in a college stadium and front of a crowd of fans who have only heard tales of what you can do.

Lombardi and true freshman Theo Day split second-team reps early and divvied up most of the second-half snaps as starter Brian Lewerke watched during the annual Green and White scrimmage Saturday.

Lombardi led two late scoring drives, throwing the game-winning TD pass to Darrel Stewart Jr. on the last play to give the offense a 32-30 victory under 12th-year coach Mark Dantonio’s modified scoring system.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing what I messed up and seeing what I can get better on,” Lombardi said. “Obviously, I made some mistakes in the scrimmage – everybody did. So I’m excited to get back there and see what I missed, whether it was a blitz check to whatever or a bad throw or bad read or whatever.”

The 6-3, 219-pound Lombardi went 10 for 22 for 135 yards and that touchdown on a day in which the wind chill was around 20 degrees, making it tough to both throw and catch the ball with much precision.

Dantonio said it was vital to get both Lombardi and 6-5, 217-pound early enrollee Day experience and exposure to playing in front of a crowd.

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“The other two guys had some great moments and had some other moments that were tough,” Dantonio said after his 12th spring game at MSU. “It’s the first time that Theo Day had an opportunity, and really (Lombardi) had an opportunity to play in a spring game in front of a crowd and on TV.

“I thought Rocky played pretty well as the game progressed on. I thought Theo came in the second half and threw some good balls. … Both of those guys have the ability, they have good arms, and they’re major college quarterbacks. And you’re going to see them continue to develop.”

It was a light day for Lewerke, who alternated series early with the two rookies in the first half before taking a seat.

The junior’s first three passes of the game were dropped by receivers in the frigid air, but Lewerke would complete 7 of his next 9 passes for 82 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to Stewart at the end of the first half.

“I was able to kind of analyze situations more game-like during practice, using my game experience and pretending like everything going on in practice is a game,” Lewerke said. “It kind of helps you develop yourself once the game-time comes.”

Both returning quarterback and receiver Stewart had high praise for young quarterbacks Lombardi and Day.

“I think they’ve both grown very well in knowing the offense. I think both of them are natural leaders, too,” Lewerke said. “I think Rocky is a guy people can respect and look up to. Even for a young age, he’s a very vocal guy. And he’s a tough, physical kid, too —people respect that, and his teammates respect that, I’m sure.”

Said Stewart, who finished with four catches for a game-high 69 yards and the two TDs: “One thing coach D and our whole staff tries to teach us is putting young guys to the fire early in the spring, it basically creates a game where their confidence just goes through the roof. So when they’re in tough situations, they can just fill in right for Brian or whoever they need to step up for.”

Day finished 5 of 10 for 52 yards in his baptism to college football, less than six months removed from walking the halls of Dearborn Divine Child. He also had one pass picked off by cornerback Josiah Scott that got hung up in the wind to open sophomore receiver Laress Nelson near the goal line.

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“I thought I had a big play, maybe a touchdown,” Day said. “I definitely saw he was open and the guy was trailing him. Maybe if I put more on it, maybe we could have had a touchdown. …

“Obviously, it’s going to be different, especially being my first time. But it was one of those things where once you get the first play, the first throw out of the way, you kind of just settle in.”

While Day appears on track for a redshirt season, Lombardi showed flashes of being able to throw through the wind with a powerful arm and the ability to evade pressure — as well as his athleticism by catching a throwback pass from running back Connor Heyward on a trick 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

He also showed things he needs to work on, from missing open targets to not throwing the ball away when pressure tagged him (literally) for two sacks, including one in a three-play, 2-minute drill in which the offense went backward.

On the last play of the game, though, Lombardi lofted a pass into the back of the end zone. Stewart went up in traffic and hauled it down. That was enough for Dantonio to erase the last 11 seconds call it a win for the offense.

“Obviously, every drive means something,” Lombardi said. “But when the game is on the line and you’re driving down, you got adrenaline flowing and all your teammates got your back — yeah, it’s fun.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.