2019 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 2019 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, and competed as member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference.[1] They were led by head coach Mark Dantonio in his 13th and final season at MSU.

2019 Michigan State Spartans football
Pinstripe Bowl champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionEast Division
2019 record7–6 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrad Salem (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorMike Tressel (5th season)
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium
(Capacity: 75,005)
Uniform
2019 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$^  9 0     13 1  
No. 9 Penn State  7 2     11 2  
No. 18 Michigan  6 3     9 4  
Indiana  5 4     8 5  
Michigan State  4 5     7 6  
Maryland  1 8     3 9  
Rutgers  0 9     2 10  
West Division
No. 11 Wisconsin xy  7 2     10 4  
No. 10 Minnesota x  7 2     11 2  
No. 15 Iowa  6 3     10 3  
Illinois  4 5     6 7  
Purdue  3 6     4 8  
Nebraska  3 6     5 7  
Northwestern  1 8     3 9  
Championship: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 21
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

MSU finished the season 7–6, 4–5 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the East division. The Spartans received a bid to the 2019 Pinstripe Bowl where they defeated Wake Forest 27–21.[2]

On February 4, 2020, the school announced that head coach Mark Dantonio had resigned.[3][4] On February 12, 2020, Michigan State announced the hiring of Colorado head coach Mel Tucker as the school's 25th head football coach.[5][6]

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2018 season 7–6, 5–4 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place in the East Division. The Spartans received a bid to the 2018 Redbox Bowl where they lost to Oregon.[7]

On January 10, 2019, the school announced that Brad Salem would be taking over as offensive coordinator for the Spartans, replacing co-offensive coordinators Dave Warner and Jim Bollman. Warner and Bollman would remain on the staff with different roles.[8]

2019 NFL Draft

MSU kept its streak of 79 years of having at least one player drafted in the NFL Draft alive when Justin Layne was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Safety Khari Willis also was selected, in the fourth round.

Round Pick Team Player Position
3 83 Pittsburgh Steelers Justin Layne Cornerback
4 109 Indianapolis Colts Khari Willis Safety

Preseason

Recruiting

Preseason Big Ten poll

Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2019 poll, Michigan State was projected to finish in third in the East Division.[9]

Media poll (East Division)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Michigan222 (20)
2Ohio State214 (14)
3Michigan State156
4Penn State154
5Indiana86.5
6Maryland82.5
7Rutgers37

Personnel

Roster

2019 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 2 Julian Barnett Fr
WR 4 C. J. Hayes  So
WR 5 Jayden Reed So
QB 6 Theo Day  Fr
WR 7 Cody White Jr
WR 8 Jalen Nailor So
QB 10 Payton Thorne Fr
QB 12 Rocky Lombardi  So
WR 13 Laress Nelson Jr
QB 14 Brian Lewerke  Sr
WR 16 Brandon Sowards  Sr
WR 17 Tre Mosley Fr
WR 18 Tre’Von Morgan Fr
WR 20 Emmanuel Flowers  So
WR 20 Davis Lewandowski  Sr
QB 23 Eli McLean  Fr
RB 24 Elijah Collins  Fr
WR 25 Darrell Stewart Jr.  Sr
RB 26 Brandon Wright Fr
RB 34 Anthony Williams Jr. Fr
RB 36 Noah Sargent  Jr
RB 39 Alante Thomas  Jr
TE 40 Jonathan Brys  So
FB 41 Reid Burton  Jr
FB 49 Max Rosenthal  So
OT 55 Jordan Reid Jr
OG 56 Matt Carrick  So
OL 58 Spencer Brown Fr
OL 59 Nick Samac Fr
OL 60 Bryce Wilker  Sr
OT 61 Cole Chewins  Sr
OT 62 Luke Campbell  Jr
OL 64 Matt Allen  Jr
OL 66 Blake Bueter  So
OL 67 J.D. Duplain Fr
OT 68 Dan Vanopstall  Fr
OL 69 Tommy Liesveld  Jr
OL 70 Tyler Higby  Sr
OL 71 James Ohonba  Fr
OL 72 Damon Kaylor Fr
OL 73 Jacob Isaia  Fr
OL 74 Jack Henrichs  So
OG 75 Kevin Jarvis Jr
OT 76 A. J. Arcuri  Jr
OL 77 Dimitri Douglas  Fr
OT 79 Mustafa Khaleefah  So
WR 80 Jalen Allen  Fr
WR 82 Javez Alexander  Fr
WR 85 Cade McDonald Fr
TE 86 Parks Gissinger  Fr
WR 87 Jahz Watts  So
TE 88 Trenton Gillison  Fr
TE 89 Matt Dotson Jr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
S 3 Xavier Henderson So
DE 5 Michael Fletcher Fr
S 6 David Dowell  Sr
S 7 Michael Dowell  Fr
CB 8 Chris Jackson  Fr
S 9 Dominique Long Jr
LB 13 Marcel Lewis Fr
CB 14 Davion Williams  Fr
LB 17 Tyriq Thompson  Sr
CB 18 Kalon Gervin  Fr
CB 19 Josh Butler  Sr
LB 21 Chase Kline  Fr
CB 22 Josiah Scott Jr
DB 23 Andre Welch Jr
CB 24 Tre Person Jr
S 28 Tate Hallock Fr
CB 29 Shakur Brown  So
LB 30 Tanner Hallock  So
LB 31 Edward Warinner  Fr
DB 32 Corey Pryor  Jr
LB 33 Jeslord Boateng  Fr
LB 34 Antjuan Simmons Jr
LB 35 Joe Bachie Sr
LB 37 Dante Razzano  Jr
LB 38 Luke Fulton Fr
LB 41 Charles Willekes Fr
DE 42 Brent Mossburg  So
S 43 Jack Mandryk  So
DE 44 Adam Berghorst Fr
LB 45 Noah Harvey  So
DE 48 Kenny Willekes  Sr
S 49 David Kruse  Fr
LB 53 Peter Fisk  Jr
DE 55 Zach Slade  Fr
DL 57 Evan Brunning Fr
LB 58 Terry O'Connor  Fr
DT 64 Jacob Slade  Fr
DT 72 Mike Panasiuk Sr
DE 80 Matt Seybert  Sr
DL 86 Drew Beesley  Jr
DL 89 Jalen Hunt Fr
DE 91 Jack Camper  So
DE 92 DeAri Todd  So
DT 93 Naquan Jones  Jr
DT 94 Dashaun Mallory  Fr
DE 96 Jacub Panasiuk Jr
DT 99 Raequan Williams  Sr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 4 Matt Coghlin  Jr
P 25 Jake Hartbarger  Sr
LS 47 Ryan Armour Sr
LS 51 Jude Pedrozo Fr
K, P 92 Evan Morris Fr
P 94 Jack Bouwmeester Fr
K 97 Tyler Hunt  So
K 98 Cole Hahn  So
P 99 Bryce Baringer  So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Mike Tressel (Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
  • Brad Salem (Offensive Coordinator / Running Backs)
  • Jim Bollman (Offensive Line)
  • Chuck Bullough (Defensive Ends)
  • Ron Burton (Defensive Tackles)
  • Paul Haynes (Secondary)
  • Terrence Samuel (Asst. Defensive Backs)
  • Mark Staten (Tight Ends / Special Teams Coordinator)
  • Don Treadwell (Wide Receivers)
  • Dave Warner (Quarterbacks)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 16, 2019

Coaching staff

Name Position Joined staff
Mark DantonioHead Coach2007
Mike TresselAssistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator2007
Brad SalemOffensive Coordinator/Running Backs2010
Jim BollmanOffensive Line2013
Chuck BulloughDefensive Ends2018
Ron BurtonDefensive Tackles2013
Paul HaynesSecondary2018
Terrence SamuelAsst. Defensive Backs2011
Mark StatenTight Ends/Special Teams2007
Don TreadwellWide Receivers2018
Dave WarnerQuarterbacks2007

Schedule

Michigan State's 2019 schedule began with three non-conference home games, first against Tulsa of the American Athletic Conference, then Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference, and finally Arizona State of the Pac-12 Conference.

In Big Ten Conference play, the Spartans played all members of the East Division and drew Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Illinois from the West Division.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 307:00 p.m.Tulsa*No. 18FS1W 28–772,005
September 77:30 p.m.Western Michigan*No. 19
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
BTNW 51–1773,113
September 144:00 p.m.Arizona State*No. 18
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
FOXL 7–1073,531
September 2112:00 p.m.at NorthwesternABCW 31–1040,114
September 283:30 p.m.IndianaNo. 25
BTNW 40–3171,048
October 57:30 p.m.at No. 4 Ohio StateNo. 25ABCL 10–34104,797
October 123:30 p.m.at No. 8 WisconsinBTNL 0–3880,470
October 263:30 p.m.No. 6 Penn State
ABCL 7–2870,298
November 93:30 p.m.Illinois
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
FS1L 34–3763,370
November 1612:00 p.m.at No. 15 MichiganFOXL 10–44111,496
November 2312:00 p.m.at RutgersFS1W 27–024,641
November 303:30 p.m.Maryland
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
FS1W 19–1651,336
December 273:20 p.m.vs. Wake Forest*ESPNW 27–21 36,895

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final 
AP 18 19 18 RV 25 25-T RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR  
Coaches 20 20 19 RV RV 23-T RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR  
CFP Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

Game summaries

Tulsa

Series Record Previous meeting Result
First Meeting
Week One: Tulsa at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Tulsa 0 7 007
No. 18 Michigan State 7 18 3028

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

  • Date: August 30, 2019
  • Game time: 7:00 PM
  • Game weather: 72°F, Wind: 8 mph NW, Partly Cloudy
  • Game attendance: 72,005
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst) and Coley Harvey (sideline)
  • Sources:[10]
Game information

The Spartans opened the 2019 season under the lights for the second consecutive year, welcoming American Athletic Conference foe Tulsa to Spartan Stadium.

MSU received the ball first and moved right down the field, moving to the Tulsa 15 yard line before Brian Lewerke hit Connor Heyward on a swing pass for a touchdown and an early 7–0 lead. The MSU defense took over from there forcing Tulsa to punt on consecutive possessions while MSU turned the ball over on downs and was forced to punt on their next two possessions. At the start of the second half, the Spartans blocked a Tulsa punt ad took over at the Tulsa 24. However, the MSU offense could not manage more than four yards and settled for a Matt Coghlin 28 yard field goal and a 10–0 lead. DE Kenny Willekes recovered a fumble on the ensuing Tulsa possession and MSU settled for another Cochlin field goal. On the next Tulsa possession, a bad shotgun snap ended up going out the back of the Tulsa endzone for safety to give the Spartans a 15–0 lead. The MSU offense moved the ball steadily down the field again, but with fourth and one at the Tulsa nine-yard line, Rocky Lombardi was stopped short and the Spartans again turned the ball over on downs. However, MSU's defense again picked up the slack for the offense as Raequan Williams combined with Willekes for a sack, forcing a fumble that Willekes recovered in the endzone. The score pushed MSU's lead to 22–0. MSU's defense intercepted the next Tulsa pass, setting up MSU at Tulsa's 30-yard line. However, the Spartans again settled for a Coghlin field goal and a 25–0 lead. With just over two minutes remaining in the half, Tulsa moved 85 yards down the field and capped the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to narrow the lead to 25–7 at the half.

In the second half, the MSU defense continued its dominance forcing punts on all three of the Tulsa possessions in the third quarter. MSU's offense failed to manage much more, settling for another Coghlin field goal to push the lead to 28–7. Neither offense managed anything else for the remainder of the game as the Spartans won 28–7. The Spartans held Tulsa to -73 yards rushing, limiting the Hurricane to 80 total offensive yards. MSU's offense managed 195 yards through the air and 108 yards rushing in the easy win, but failed to score more than one touchdown.

Western Michigan

Series Record Previous meeting Result
13–2 Sep 9, 2017 MSU, 28–14
Week Two: Western Michigan at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Western Michigan 0 7 01017
No. 19 Michigan State 21 10 61451

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

  • Date: September 7, 2019
  • Game time: 7:40 pm
  • Game weather: 68°F, Wind: 7 mph WNW, Partly Sunny
  • Game attendance: 73,113
  • Referee: Jerry McGinn
  • TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), James Laurinaitis (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline)
  • Sources:[11]
Game information

Arizona State

Series Record Previous meeting Result
1–2 Sep 8, 2018 ASU, 16–13
Week Three: Arizona State at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Arizona State 0 3 0710
No. 18 Michigan State 0 0 077

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

  • Date: September 14, 2019
  • Game time: TBA
  • TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst), Coley Harvey (sideline)
  • Sources:

at Northwestern

Series Record Previous meeting Result
37–20 Oct 6, 2018 NW, 29–19
Week Four: Michigan State at Northwestern – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Michigan State 7 7 10731
Northwestern 0 3 0710

at Ryan Field, Evanston, IL

  • Date: September 21, 2019
  • Game time: 12:06 pm
  • Game weather: 76°F, 14 mph S-SW, Rain Showers
  • Game attendance: 40,114
  • Referee: Ron Snodgrass
  • TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)
  • Sources:
Game information

Following a stunning loss at home to Arizona State the week prior, the Spartans would open conference play on the road in an inter-divisional match up against the Northwestern Wildcats.

The Spartans would receive the opening kickoff and march directly down the field with a 9 play, 75-yard drive capped off by an Elijah Collins touchdown run of 5-yards, giving MSU an early 7–0 lead. The defense would force a punt on the ensuing Northwestern offensive possession; however, Cody White would fumble on the punt return, giving Northwestern favorable field position at the MSU 27-yard line. The Wildcats drove to the MSU 1-yard line, but were unable to score as the Spartan defense stood tall with a goal line stand, forcing a turnover on downs. Northwestern would add a field goal on their next offensive possession, bringing the score to 7–3, Michigan State. Shortly before the half, Northwestern would drive to midfield before a Hunter Johnson pass was intercepted by Josiah Scott at the MSU 38-yard line, giving the Spartan offense favorable field position with a little under 2 minutes remaining in the half. The offense would take advantage of the turnover, going on an 11 play, 62-yard drive capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brian Lewerke to Cody White. Michigan State took a 14–3 lead heading into halftime.

Michigan State would expand its lead late in the 3rd quarter after Brian Lewerke connected with Matt Seybert on an 8-yard touchdown pass, giving them a 21–3 lead. The Spartans would score again on their next possession on a Matt Coghlin 26-yard field goal (prior to this conversion, Coghlin had missed 4 straight field goal attempts). After 3 quarters of action, MSU led 24–3. Following a Drew Beasley interception, State would add to their lead early in the 4th quarter after Brian Lewerke would once again connect with Matt Seybert, this time on a 7-yard touchdown pass, giving them a 31–3 lead. Northwestern would finally score a touchdown on a Drake Anderson 2-yard run with under 3 minutes remaining, putting the final score at 31–10. With the win, the Spartans snapped a 3-game losing streak against Northwestern and Mark Dantonio earned his 110th victory as head coach at MSU, surpassing Duffy Daugherty to become the all time winningest head coach in Michigan State football history.

Indiana

Series Record Previous meeting Result
47-16-2 Sep 22, 2018 MSU, 35-21
Week Five: Indiana at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Indiana 7 7 31431
No. 25 Michigan State 7 14 01940

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

  • Date: September 28, 2019
  • Game time: 3:40 pm
  • Game weather: 64° F, Wind: 6 mph N-NE, Overcast
  • Game attendance: 71,048
  • Referee: Mike Cannon
  • TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (analyst), James Laurinaitis (play by play), Elise Menaker (sideline)
  • Sources:
Game information

After a dominating road victory over Northwestern, the Spartans returned to East Lansing for Homecoming to host rival Indiana.

After opting to receive the opening kickoff, the Spartan offense drove all the way to the Indiana 25-yard line before Matt Coghlin missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. Following a defensive stop, MSU would get the ball back and score a touchdown on an Elijah Collins 5-yard run, giving them a 7–0 lead. Several possessions later, Indiana would tie the game on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Whop Philyor from Michael Penix Jr. The Spartans would retake the lead on their next possession early in the 2nd quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brian Lewerke to Darrell Stewart, giving them a 14–7 lead. Indiana would tie the game several possessions later with a lengthy 10 play, 80-yard drive capped off by a 2-yard rush touchdown by Penix Jr. After trading possessions, the Michigan State offense would receive the ball at their own 44-yard line with just under a minute left to play in the half. Brian Lewerke would guide the offense down the field, finding Darrell Stewart on a 26-yard passing touchdown with just under 30 seconds remaining in the half. The Spartans would take a 21–14 lead heading into halftime.

The Hoosiers would receive the ball to start the 2nd half and would put together another lengthy drive of 12 plays, 81-yards, and taking 6:32 off the clock, settling for a Logan Justus 26-yard field goal to put the score at 21–17, MSU. The Spartan offense would move the ball to the Indiana 46-yard line before being forced to punt, giving the ball right back to the Indiana offense who would score after a 13 play, 80-yard drive capped off by a Donovan Hale 12-yard touchdown reception from Penix Jr., giving them their first and only lead of the game at 24–21. The Spartan offense would receive great field position after a Brandon Sowards punt return of 22-yards (which was aided by a procedure penalty against Indiana that tacked on an additional 5-yards to the return) set them up at the IU 26-yard line. Several plays later, Brian Lewerke would connect with Matt Seybert on a 10-yard touchdown pass, with Michigan State retaking the lead 28–21. After a defensive stop, the Spartans would add onto their lead with a Matt Coghlin 44-yard field goal, putting the score at 31–24, MSU. The Hoosiers would tie the game at 31 apiece on their next possession on a Whop Philyor 11-yard touchdown pass from Michael Penix Jr. With 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Michigan State offense would take possession of the ball. On the first play of the drive, Brian Lewerke would connect with Darrell Stewart for a 44-yard completion, immediately putting MSU in field goal range. They would drive all the way to the Indiana 3-yard line, taking the clock all the way down to 8 seconds before Matt Coghlin would make the go ahead 21-yard field goal, giving MSU a 34–31 lead; Indiana would receive the ball with 5 seconds remaining. With time running out, Michael Penix Jr. would fumble the ball after a lateral, and Michael Dowell would recover the ball in the end zone to end the game on a defensive touchdown, giving MSU a 40–31 victory.

at Ohio State

Series Record Previous meeting Result
15–32 Nov 10 , 2018 OSU, 26–6
Week Six: Michigan State at Ohio State– Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 25 Michigan State 0 10 0010
No. 4 Ohio State 3 24 0734

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

  • Date: October 5, 2019
  • Game time: 7:44 PM
  • Game weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 104,797
  • Referee: Larry Smith
  • TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Maria Taylor (sideline)
  • Sources:

at Wisconsin

Series Record Previous meeting Result
30–23 Sep 24, 2016 UW, 30–6
Week Seven: Michigan State at Wisconsin– Game summary
1 2 34Total
Michigan State 0 0 000
No. 8 Wisconsin 7 10 02138

at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI

  • Date: October 12, 2019
  • Game time: 3:45 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly Cloudy
  • Game attendance: 80,470
  • Referee: Daniel Capron
  • TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), Rick Pizzo (sideline)
  • Sources:

Penn State

Series Record Previous meeting Result
17-15-1 Oct 13, 2018 MSU, 21-17
Week Eight: Penn State at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 6 Penn State 7 14 7028
Michigan State 0 0 707

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

Illinois

Series Record Previous meeting Result
26-18-2 Nov 5, 2016 Ill, 31-27
Week Nine: Illinois at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Illinois 3 7 02737
Michigan State 14 14 3334

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

at Michigan

Series Record Previous meeting Result
36–70-5 Oct 20, 2018 UM, 21-7
Week Ten: Michigan State at Wisconsin– Game summary
1 2 34Total
Michigan State 7 0 3010
No. 15 Michigan 0 17 101744

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI

at Rutgers

Series Record Previous meeting Result
7–3 Nov 24, 2018 MSU, 14-10
Week Eleven: Michigan State at Rutgers– Game summary
1 2 34Total
Michigan State 10 7 3727
Rutgers 0 0 000

at SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ

  • Date: November 23, 2019
  • Game time: TBA
  • Sources:

Maryland

Series Record Previous meeting Result
8-2 Nov 3, 2018 MSU, 24-3
Week Twelve: Maryland at Michigan State – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Maryland 7 0 9016
Michigan State 3 10 0619

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

  • Date: November 30, 2019
  • Game time: TBA
  • Sources:

vs. Wake Forest (Pinstripe Bowl)

Series Record Previous meeting Result
First meeting
Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Michigan State 10 10 7027
Wake Forest 7 14 0021

at Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York

  • Date: December 27, 2019
  • Game time: 3:20 PM
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Adam Amin (play-by-play), Matt Hasselbeck (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
  • Sources:

Wake Forest jumped out to a 7–0 lead, when quarterback Jamie Newman hit Kendall Hinton for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The Spartans scored ten unanswered points, first on a Matt Coghlin field goal and then on a 15-yard interception return by Mike Panasiuk, to take the lead, 10–7. The Demon Deacons regained the lead on a second quarter touchdown pass from Newman to Donovan Greene, making the score 14–10. The Spartans answered again, scoring a touchdown on an 8-yard scramble by quarterback Brian Lewerke to go ahead 17–14. Newman then threw his third TD pass, this time to Jack Freudenthal, putting Wake Forest up 21–17. MSU tightened the gap to 21–20 with another Coghlin field goal just before halftime. In the third quarter, the lead changed for the fifth time, as Lewerke connected with Cody White for a 10-yard touchdown pass to give MSU a 27–21 lead. MSU failed to put more points on the board with two turnovers in Demon Deacon territory and a missed field goal. However, the Spartan defense was up to the task, holding Wake Forest scoreless in the second half.

Brian Lewerke, who threw for 320 yards and one touchdown while adding 46 rushing yards and a touchdown, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.[12] With 366 total yards, Lewerke surpassed Connor Cook as the all-time Spartans leader in yards from scrimmage.

Players drafted into the NFL

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
4137Josiah ScottCBJacksonville Jaguars
7225Kenny WillekesDEMinnesota Vikings

References

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