Well how about that?
Michigan State snapped it's six-game losing streak on Saturday, beating Nebraska 20-17 on senior day. The Spartans were able to hold on for the victory despite a late Nebraska push, something they hadn't been able to do during their losing streak.
So while Spartan fans celebrate this win, let's look at some of the takeaways from Saturday's game.
The defense had one of its best games all season.
Outside of the 49-0 loss to Michigan, the defense has started to play better in recent weeks, and that continued against Nebraska. So much so, I'd say it was one of the unit’s best efforts all season.
The Spartans were able to get to the quarterback this week, and that played a huge role in the win. They sacked Heinrich Haarberg seven times. And, the pressure that they continued to put on him put the secondary in position to take the ball away. The secondary recorded two interceptions on the day, which is tied for their most in a game all year (Rutgers). The Spartans also recovered one fumble.
The defensive performance did have it's flaws, namely some costly penalties and some missed tackles that turned into big plays for the Cornhuskers. However, given how the rest of the season has gone - and how some of the defensive performances have been - this is something the Spartans should be proud of and something to build off of during the last few weeks of the season.
Nebraska isn't exactly a pushover this year either. They had won five of their last six games coming into Saturday's game, and now - sitting at 5-4 with games against Maryland, Wisconsin and Iowa left - could find themselves at 8-4 and potentially the West Division champions (depending on how the rest of the division shakes out).
Read more coverage from Spartans Illustrated on the win here:
Michigan State snaps losing streak, defeats Nebraska 20-17 on senior day
MSU's Harlon Barnett, Katin Houser elated after 'surreal' win over Nebraska
Michigan State's Jaden Mangham and Tyrell Henry step up against Nebraska
What can we make of this offense?
Katin Houser didn't have a crazy day on the stat sheet, but it was ultimately enough to win on Saturday. With Sam Leavitt playing the third series of both halves (which Spartans Illustrated reported Saturday morning was the game plan), it makes me wonder what the plan is at quarterback going forward. Leavitt has now played in four games, so any appearance from here on out would burn his redshirt. That's not necessarily the biggest deal, though, because if he's good enough to be the starter now, three more years of action would be plenty.
Despite the quarterback rotation and some mistakes, the Spartans scored the most points against Nebraska since their game against Michigan, and the third-most all season behind the Wolverines and Colorado. The Spartans also did not have a turnover this week, which marks the first time since the Central Michigan game that they went without one. That's certainly a positive.
Ultimately the offense did enough to win, but there are things they need to continue to clean up going forward. Looking at the defense's ability to force three turnovers this week and the offense's inability to turn any of those into points is the biggest glaring issue to me.
At this point, with a game at Ohio State coming up and Penn State at Ford Field in a few weeks, the Spartans' chance at a bowl game isn't looking too great. But if they want to get to that point this year, those things can't happen.
A lot of work to be done, but the Spartans should feel good.
There were many positives this week; it feels like the first time in a long time we've been able to say that. The Spartans showed some flashes of their true potential against the Cornhuskers. While the road to six wins and a bowl game would be a tall task at this point, finding good moments to carry you through the remainder of the season and into a crucial offseason with some positivity can go a long way.
I mentioned before that Nebraska isn't exactly a pushover anymore. On a six-game losing streak, it would've been easy for the Spartans to let the Cornhuskers come in and steal a win on senior day in East Lansing. But the team figured some things out and finally got that first conference win. They should feel good about that win on Saturday.
Final Thoughts
There are still some question marks with this team, and with a game against Ohio State next week, I wouldn't head into that game expecting some upset magic. But, snapping the losing streak was huge for the Spartans. They're heading into a crucial offseason in just a few weeks, and finding any sort of momentum to build on for those who will be sticking around for the next coaching regime is a must.
Now that they have that win under their belt, heading into these next few games and just trying to play their best football will be the key to that.
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