After seven grueling weeks of turmoil, Michigan State football finally fought its way back into the win column on Saturday afternoon, defeating Nebraska 20-17.
The victory gives the Spartans one final win at Spartan Stadium and is interim head coach Harlon Barnett’s first career victory. Under tumultuous circumstances, the 56-year-old took over as head coach and was tasked with leading this program through a difficult season. It paid off today in the form of a much-needed victory for Barnett, these seniors, and the entire team.
Here are three positives and three negatives from Michigan State today…
1.) The Spartans’ defense was outstanding.
Michigan State’s defense put in a heroic performance today. The Spartans had three turnovers, 12 tackles for loss, and seven sacks of Nebraska quarterback Heinrich Haarberg.
There were great performances from multiple players today, starting with sophomore safety Jaden Mangham. He had a monster first half with six tackles, one for loss, an interception and a pass breakup. Mangham had a second INT wiped out due to penalty as well. The sophomore was all over the field and added
Houser was the starter, and he had his best game in a Green and White uniform, throwing for 165 yards and a touchdown while completing 13-of-20 pass attempts. Leavitt, meanwhile, played only sparingly but made his mark early in the fourth quarter. The true freshman threw an absolute dart with pinpoint accuracy to senior receiver Montorie Foster for a 25-yard touchdown to help MSU seize control.
Michigan State used both quarterbacks in the run game with positive results. Houser and Leavitt combined to run for 35 yards on 10 rushing attempts. On a day when we questioned if the Spartans should turn to Leavitt as the starter, Houser put on his best performance and showed he’s still a factor in East Lansing. If Michigan State is able to hand on to both guys this offseason, it will create an interesting battle going into 2024.
It’s unfortunate that senior wide receiver Tre Mosley was not able to play today, another senior stepped up in a big way — Montorie Foster.
Foster finished with four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown on eight targets, and he wasn’t the only one. Redshirt junior Christian Fitzpatrick had just two catches for 15 yards, but he made an excellent move to get open in the red zone on Houser’s first-half touchdown throw. Sophomore Tyrell Henry had arguably his best game as a receiver, hauling in four catches for 54 yards.
The tight ends got things started, with freshman Brennan Parachek getting open for a 17-yard gain, followed immediately by a 46-yarder to sixth-year senior Jaylan Franklin on Michigan State’s first drive. The Spartans got a field goal out of that drive, and it seemed to give Houser some confidence. It was a nice showing from MSU’s receiver group in the absence of their leader in Mosley.
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