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The Cornhuskers' late comeback made it a little too close to comfort, but Michigan State still passes their first conference test.
Michigan State remains supreme in the Big Ten, passing their first conference test in East Lansing despite a late comeback effort from Nebraska. The Spartans easily handled the visiting Cornhuskers for three quarters, and held on to the 27-22 victory Saturday night after three late Nebraska scores.
Nebraska's night was riddled with missed opportunities in Michigan State territory. The Cornhuskers had three first half drives start in on the opponent's side of the 50 and ended up with zero points -- two ended in punts and one ended in a fumble.
Punting was a theme for Nebraska throughout the night. They had six punts on their first eight drives (the other two ended in turnovers), and even punted once from the Michigan State 31. The punt was naturally a touchback, resulting in just an 11-yard field position difference. The next drive ended in a 26-yard punt, giving the Spartans the ball at their own 20 again, but Connor Cook's 55-yard touchdown pass to Tony Lippett countered Bo Pelini's field position game quite effectively.
The Spartans outgained Nebraska 257-85 in the first half, holding the vaunted Nebraska running game to less than one yard per carry in the opening two periods.
Michigan State's defense may have had another dominating performance, but the secret to their success continues to be wide receiver Tony Lippett. The senior came into the game averaging 19.1 yards per catch with six touchdowns, and had two more scores against the Cornhuskers -- one on a reception, one on the ground. He averaged 34.7 yards per catch in this game, and continues to be one of the conference's most explosive playmakers.
Nebraska's fourth quarter comeback bid began with a pair of short Abdullah touchdown runs -- the first time he really made any noise all game. Things really picked up after the Cornhuskers made a stop on defense, forcing a Michigan State punt that they returned 62 yards for a touchdown.
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Michigan State drove down the field, seemingly on their way to sealing the game, but ran out of bounds on third down and missed the ensuing 37-yard field goal to give Nebraska one last chance.
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The Cornhuskers were able to move down the field rapidly, nearly scoring the leading score on a catch that was made out of bounds, but Tommy Armstrong threw an interception to seal the victory for the Spartans.
Three things we learned
1. Yes, the Big Ten East is better. At least at the top, that is. This was a matchup between the strongest teams in each Big Ten division, and the Spartans looked like the better team for nearly all of it. Most people assumed that before this point, but Michigan State had not yet played a notable opponent outside of Oregon -- a game they lost. The Spartans now have a relatively easy rode before their November 8 home date against Ohio State, with road trips to Purdue and Indiana before hosting Michigan.
2. The Spartans are who we thought they were, mostly. The Spartans' defense came up big for most of it, absolutely dominating the Cornhuskers at the point of attack for three quarters. It's easy to overlook their offense, but Michigan State moved the ball effectively against Nebraska, through the air and on the ground. Connor Cook averaged 8.1 yards per attempt and the team averaged 4.4 yards per rush, compared to 5.8 and 1.3 yards, respectively, for Nebraska.
This performance is hard to read, because Michigan State completely controlled the game for about 50 minutes before it almost all fell apart. The defense still looks elite, despite the late near-collapse, but the offense needs to start turning yardage into more consistent scoring to put these kinds of games away early.
3. Nebraska is still the favorite in the West. I mean, who else? Northwestern? Minnesota? Iowa? The division is a complete mess at the moment, but until we see a team besides Michigan State that can stop Abdullah, we'll hold our breath on crowning anyone else the favorite. The Cornhuskers have a trio of playmakers in Abdullah, Kenny Bell and Jordan Westerkamp (Nebraska's only bright spot with nine receptions for 158 yards), as well as one of the top defensive linemen in the nation in Randy Gregory.