East Lansing welcomes back alumni from all over this weekend for homecoming in Spartans Stadium, along with a Maryland team looking for back-to-back victories over Michigan State for the first time ever in this matchup.
The Spartans fell flat on their face last Saturday, losing 41-7 to a Washington team that might be competing for a College Football Playoff spot this year. Regardless of the expectations you may have had heading into the game given the unfortunate circumstances surrounding head coach Mel Tucker, the results were a harsh reality check of where the team is talent-wise compared to a playoff-caliber team.
Given Michigan State will be taking on three more opponents within its division that have similar expectations as the Huskies, fans would have wanted to see a better fight from MSU, especially on the Spartans' home turf.
Moving forward, the team will need to find some sort of edge to play with as the Spartans head into conference play in an always tough Big Ten gauntlet. Gaining an identity has been something Tucker's teams have struggled to find in East Lansing, outside of 2021, so we’ll see if Harlon Barnett and company are able to establish something to hang their hat on for the remainder of this season. Having Mark Dantonio back as a calming presence on the sideline may help in some ways, but the players on this team will need reasons to remain with this program long term.
Technically, the Spartans still have their goals ahead of them, as Barnett mentioned after the Washington game. But given the pulse of the program currently, the coaches and athletics department are tasked with the difficult responsibility of making sure the leak that began two weeks ago doesn’t turn into a flood. Getting their current players motivated to play winning football will be top priority.
Michigan State and Maryland have only faced off 13 times in the programs' histories, and since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014, MSU has won six of the eight matchups. The Spartans have also won 10 out of the 13 total matchups. It’s been a difficult path for Maryland to establish relevance in the Big Ten East, a division that has been dominated by a few teams and has had clear disparity since it was established.
We’ll see if the Terps can make any sort of noise during the season with senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa still at the helm and a 3-0 record under their belt.
Maryland began each of its last two games with a 14-0 deficit before defeating both opponents (Charlotte and Virginia) by double-digits. Obviously, it would be important for the Spartans to jump out to an early lead on Saturday, but finding a way to maintain it is even more crucial.
As Michigan State transitions into conference play, this week’s the "Spartan Football Playback" takes us back to a 2017 victory over Maryland that took a snowy turn.
Opponent: Maryland Terrapins
Date: Nov. 18, 2017
Location: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing, Michigan)
Final Score: 17-7, Michigan State
Current All-Time Matchup Record: Michigan State leads 10-3
2017 Game Reap:
Back in 2017, these teams played in a game that began slow and eventually turned into a flurry - literally. Dantonio's team had played some of its best football that year in unusual weather conditions, and on this night, No. 22 Michigan State held off Maryland by a final score of 17-7.
It was raining before the game, and by halftime, the teams had to deal with snow in addition to consistent wind. There wasn't any real snow accumulation on the field, but both teams had major problems passing. Spartan quarterback Brian Lewerke finished just 2-of-14 passing for 20 yards — yes, that is a real stat line. Lewerke had two games that season of passing over 400 yards, but that wasn't happening on this night due to the elements.
Luckily for MSU, running back LJ Scott ran for 147 of the Spartans' total 271 rushing yards. Early touchdowns on the ground from Scott and Lewerke ended up being important to establish the lead before weather conditions turned the game nearly unplayable.
Scott gave Michigan State a 7-0 lead with a two-yard run in the first quarter, and Lewerke scored on a 25-yard run in the second quarter. Kicker Matt Coghlin nailed a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter as well.
Maryland did get a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late, and Michigan State's 17 points were enough to earn the victory.
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