Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's thumping of Washington State in the Holiday Bowl

Michigan State looked prepared and dialed in – and then adjusted on the fly

 

SAN DIEGO — This turned into steamrolling, with Washington State appearing resigned to its fate — until a couple misleading scores late. But it didn’t begin that way. Michigan State made it happen.

This was MSU’s most complete performance of the season. The Spartans looked prepared, focused, like they wanted to be here, like winning the Holiday Bowl was the most important thing ever in the world. And when Washington State’s defensive backs looked up to the challenge early on, MSU kept trying to figure it out until it did. Until the dam broke.

MSU was playing an opponent of like physical abilities. Only it didn’t seem that way. That’s what three weeks of motivated preparation without major injury or distraction looks like against a team that’s in the same bowl game for the second straight year, playing for a coach who flirted with another job, with two playmakers dismissed from the team and a record-setting quarterback sidelined with a wrist injury. 

The Spartans couldn’t worry about any of that. This was about them. This was about their program momentum, their season legacy and who they want to be. And, frankly, after Thursday, who they are on the verge of becoming.

I don’t remember MSU truly missing a tackle when the game was in doubt. The Spartans swarmed to the ball and tackled in space better than I’ve seen all season.

Brian Lewerke and his wideouts — namely Cody White and Felton Davis — found a rhythm on scrambles and deep passes we haven’t seen. And the ground game, while not prolific, was sound and surprisingly consistent. By using running back LJ Scott almost exclusively in the first half, MSU showed the importance of this game. It didn’t prioritize the bowl experience of its other capable backs. This was about this game. MSU was all in on this game. And it showed.

 Brian Lewerke found a rhythm that we’d hadn’t seen before

 Lewerke closed the first half by completing 10 of 11 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns, the last six of which were a rhythm I’ve not seen from MSU’s sophomore quarterback in 14 previous starts.

That Lewerke found this zone — on deep passes and improvisations especially — against a defense that’s known to put pressure on QBs and did Thursday night, is a sign of his continued ascension as a passer. We had seen the fancy legwork from him before. That was on display early, per usual, and helped loosen up the Cougars’ defense, I believe, with a couple demoralizing runs when Washington State thought it had him corralled. 

Lewerke finished 13-for-21 passing for 213 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in an abbreviated performance. MSU pulled him temporarily with a 35-10 lead — and after he suffered a scary blow to the head on a scramble near the goal line with the Spartans leading 28-3. Damion Terry finished off that touchdown drive. 

It was hard not to feel good for Terry, whose career began with so much hype and hope and never materialized. He did throw an awful-looking interception later — a reminder of why Lewerke’s availability is so important and perhaps the reason Mark Dantonio went back to Lewerke in the fourth quarter, with the lead at 18 points. Still, Terry got in and got in the end zone in his final game.