Brian Lewerke – Noteworthy
Each Michigan State player brought a poker chip to Happy Valley and coach Mark Dantonio encouraged the Spartans to push them all to the center of the table Saturday. As the evening wore on against No. 8 Penn State, it was clear the Spartans were all-in. They converted a fake punt early, tried a fake field goal instead of kick for the tying points late in the fourth quarter and opted to throw to the end zone instead of run it to preserve another shot at an equalizing kick. That go-for-broke mentality paid off in Michigan State’s 21-17 win.
Brian Lewerke threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Felton Davis with 19 seconds left to lift the Spartans over the Nittany Lions, making it two consecutive seasons Michigan State used a late score to hand Penn State a second straight loss. It was a needed win for the Spartans after a week filled with players publicly demanding more from each other following a tough loss at home to Northwestern. “We didn’t want to play to try and tie it,” Dantonio said “And quite honestly, I felt like Penn State was too explosive with (QB Trace) McSorley creating too many plays, that eventually they would find their way back down the field.” – AP College Football