3 Takeaways from Michigan State’s loss to Ohio State

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NCAA Football: Furman at Michigan State
Sep 2, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Malik McDowell (4) stands on the field between plays during the first half against the Furman Paladins at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

It was a disastrous afternoon for the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday in Columbus. The Spartans were blown out 48-3 by the Ohio State Buckeyes in a game that likely decided the Big Ten east division. Here are three takeaways from the beatdown:

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BAD DAY FOR THE YOUNG GUNS

Entering this season, everybody knew how young this Spartans team was. There are 34 true freshmen on this roster, 14 redshirt freshmen, and 24 sophomores. But that youth hadn’t been noticeable all season, with the lone exception being the Notre Dame game.

That changed today. Michigan State looked lost mentally and undermanned physically as the Buckeyes took it to them from the opening kickoff. When Ohio State punched, these young Spartans didn’t punch back. They didn’t look like a group who was ready to compete for a Big Ten championship. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but through nine games this team looked mature beyond its years, game number 10 was a different story.

SPARTANS CAUGHT BUCKEYES AT THE WORST TIME

There was one big question mark entering today’s game in Columbus: how would Ohio State respond after being blown out 55-24 at Iowa last week?

We got that answer pretty quickly when Ohio State raced out to a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter, and never looked back. The Buckeyes played angry, as some expected they would. Some thought they would be demoralized and deflated after last week, but that certainly wasn’t the case.

Now the Spartans didn’t do themselves any favors; that was by far their worst performance of the year. But even if they did come to play, there was no way around the fact that these Buckeyes came out angry and focused and were not going to lose this game, no matter how well the Spartans played.

LEWERKE’S GROWING PAIN

The two Saturdays prior to this game, Spartan quarterback Brian Lewerke had averaged 422.5 yards per game, while tossing six touchdowns to two interceptions. In Columbus, he couldn’t crack 150 yards, had two turnovers before halftime (an interception and a fumble), and added another pick in the third quarter.

Now maybe it was reaction to being so thoroughly punched in the mouth by the Buckeyes, but as the offensive leader of Michigan State, much is expected of Lewerke and he just did not answer the bell.

As stated earlier, the youth’s inexperience showed in spades and Lewerke was every bit a part of that, but with a redshirt sophomore at quarterback, some growing pains are to be expected. Let’s just hope Lewerke and the rest of the Spartans respond from this beating and finish the season strong.

BONUS TAKEAWAY: SEASON STILL A SURPRISING SUCCESS FOR MSU

It’s easy to be overemotional, and react to the moment. Michigan State just got thumped 48-3 by an Ohio State team that had already lost two games on the season and appeared to be vulnerable in certain areas.

But let’s be realistic now that this game is in the books. The Spartans are still 7-3 and 5-2 Big Ten, with wins over Michigan and Penn State on their resume. They have already more than doubled their win total from last season, and with games against Maryland and Rutgers to close out the regular season, there’s a really good chance the Spartans could finish 9-3 and flip-flop last year’s 3-9 record.

Nobody expected Michigan State to play this well, but entering today’s game there were talks about potentially winning the Big Ten and maybe even reaching the college football playoff. However, it’s obvious now that none of those things were attainable goals. But that still doesn’t mean that this season hasn’t been a remarkable turnaround for the green and white.