EAST LANSING - Three things we learned during Michigan’s 21-7 victory over Michigan State on Saturday, two questions and one prediction.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED:
1. MSU’s injury situation went from bad to worse.
* We learned after the game that Brian Lewerke missed practice Monday through Thursday, due to a shoulder injury sustained late in the Penn State game. He said it was his game-time decision, whether or not to play against Michigan. Mark Dantonio spoke with Lewerke’s parents earlier in the week, discussing the decision.
* MSU’s best offensive player, Felton Davis, was lost for the season late in the second quarter with an achilles injury.
* Center Matt Allen was lost to what appeared to be a lower body injury in the second half. He was replaced by walk-on freshman Blake Bueter. There is no word on Allen’s prognosis, but Davis’ loss and Lewerke’s tenuous shoulder situation leaves the sputtering Michigan State offense down another two or three cylinders. Heading into a game against high-scoring Purdue, the Spartans couldn’t afford this bad news.
Davis carried the offense last week at Penn State, with fellow receivers Cody White, Darrell Stewart and Jalen Nailor out.
Stewart returned against Michigan, but Laress Nelson, one of the late-game heroes from Penn State, was out this week with a lower body injury.
With Davis out, Nailor tried to return in the second half of the Michigan game. “Speedy” wasn’t quite himself, and didn’t go through a full practice week, either.
It would be hard enough for Lewerke to try to navigate against the nation’s best pass defense without four of his best five receivers. Add the fact that Lewerke’s shoulder was haywire, and the offense had no chance to have the type of balance needed to budge the ball against Michigan.
“That sucks,” Lewerke said of losing Davis. “My prayers go out to him. It’s not going to help our offense, that’s for sure, to help him out. We’ll see. We’ll have some other guys step up, though.”
He said that last sentence low and quietly. It was the right thing to say, but I suspect he isn’t confident that that will actually happen. Michigan State has a shortage of human beings at wide receiver. C.J. Hayes was not on the dress list, for reasons that weren't specified. He had been forced into the playing group in the previous three games, but was absent on Saturday.
Walk-on Brandon Sowards was cleared to play in this game, but there were plans to keep him out and protect an injury he sustained against Penn State. But when Davis went down, and when his replacement at punt returner Shakur Brown fumbled a punt, Sowards was pressed into action.
Brown was MSU's fourth punt returner of the season, after White, Sowards and Nelson went down with injuries.
Michigan State inserted cornerback Justin Layne into the game at wide receiver for a couple of go routes. He starred on both sides of the ball in high school and has the ability to be a good receiver. But he just started repping on offense this week. He can do a couple of basic routes, but he doesn’t know the play book, the route combinations, the way Michigan State wants its receivers to read coverages and break off option routes. Sometimes it takes scholarship receivers more than a year to get a handle on that stuff. It’s hard to ask Layne to learn it in a week. But Dantonio didn’t close the door on that option.
“We've had quite a few injuries to wide receivers this year, but you’ve got to deal with it, that's part of the game,” Dantonio said. “Nobody is crying.”
“I feel terrible for Felton,” said offensive coordinator Dave Warner, “because he has put in a tremendous amount of work for what was hopefully a big senior season but we need to regroup offensively and find someone to step in there for him and keep moving. We have to find a replacement, juggle around like we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks and find a way to get it done.”
Sophomore Cam Chambers caught a pass for 20 yards. That was one of precious few bright spots, considering he hurt his hand last week and there were no guarantees he would play in this game.
With Stewart back, Chambers apparently still in the fold and Nailor possibly coming along, there might be hope for the Spartans to manufacture a functional three-person receiving corps next week, although there is limited explosiveness in that group. Stewart is a decent possession guy, with a little bit of run-after-catch ability, but none of those three would be considered a legitimate No. 1 receiver at the Big Ten level at this point. And if Lewerke’s shoulder remains a problem, don’t bet the over.
Lewerke on the team injury situation: “Waiting for it to stop, honestly,” he said. “I would love to have all the guys out there that we had at the beginning of the season. Injuries happen.”
2. The run game regressed
Senior tailback L.J. Scott played for the first time since the Arizona State game. He provided a brief lift with 15-yard swing pass on the opening possession.