Rocky Lombardi Throws 3 TDs as Unranked MSU Upsets No. 13 Michigan

In the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, the Michigan State Spartans upset the 13th-ranked Michigan Wolverines 27-24 at the Big House on Saturday. 

The Spartans entered their rivalry game coming off a season-opening loss to Rutgers last week in which they committed seven turnovers. Head coach Mel Tucker got his team back on track with a marquee win that keeps the Spartans in the mix for the Big Ten East title. 

Coming off a statement win last week against Minnesota, head coach Jim Harbaugh's team couldn't keep its positive momentum. The Wolverines head into the most difficult stretch of their season with a 1-1 record. 

Rocky Lombardi had another big game with 323 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Ricky White torched Michigan's secondary with 196 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions. 

Notable Game Stats

• Rocky Lombardi, QB (MSU): 17-of-32, 323 yards, 3 TD
• Ricky White, WR (MSU): 8 receptions, 196 yards, TD
• Connor Heyward, WR (MSU): 2 receptions, 15 yards, 2 TD
• Joe Milton, QB (MICH): 32-of-51, 300 yards; 12 carries, 59 yards
• Blake Corum, RB (MICH): 5 carries, 15 yards, 2 TD
• Giles Jackson, WR (MICH): 7 receptions, 58 yards
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Michigan Still Searching for Offensive Identity

After scoring 49 points last week against Minnesota, Michigan seemed to have found the right quarterback to fit Harbaugh's system. 

Joe Milton was an efficient 15-of-22 for 225 yards through the air and had 52 rushing yards on eight carries in the win over the Golden Gophers. Saturday didn't look much different from a statistical standpoint, and the talent is clearly there for him to become a quality quarterback:

Despite the numbers from Milton, the Wolverines offense had eight of their 12 drives end in a punt. Of those eight drives, five were five plays or fewer. 

Some of the fault for Michigan's offensive problems lie at the feet of the coaching staff. On a 3rd-and-4 play from Michigan State's 6-yard line, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis called a Wildcat play for Hassan Haskins instead of keeping Milton under center. 

Michigan settled for a field goal and a 14-10 deficit instead of potentially tying the game with a touchdown. 

History shows that Harbaugh wants to use a power running game to carry his offense. Even though the Wolverines finished with 152 yards on the ground, they didn't have any one player take over the game. Milton led the team with 59 yards on 12 carries. 

Until Harbaugh and Gattis put their full trust in Milton to run the offense without restrictions, the Wolverines will continue to struggle against quality competition. 

Big Plays Key Spartans' Upset Win

Proving last week's ugly performance was a fluke, Michigan State rebounded thanks to a number of big plays on offense. 

Lombardi didn't have an efficient passing game, completing only 53.1 percent of his attempts. But the passes he did complete seemed to eat up big chunks of yards. 

Michigan's defense did a good job to shut down the Spartans rushing attack. They averaged 3.3 yards per attempt on 38 carries. 

On the biggest drive of the game with Michigan State leading 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Lombardi led the team 92 yards on 11 plays in less than five minutes. He capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown to Connor Heyward. 

Lombardi averaged 10.1 yards per attempt and 19 yards per completion against a Michigan defense that only allowed 326 yards of total offense last week against Minnesota.

Of course, Lombardi had help on the outside thanks to a star-making performance from White. The true freshman from Marietta, Georgia, had the most receiving yards by a Spartans wideout against Michigan since 1999:

This is supposed to be a rebuilding year for Michigan State. Tucker is in his first season as head coach after Mark Dantonio's surprise retirement in February. He's working with a group of players largely recruited under the previous regime. 

But the early returns for Tucker and the Spartans suddenly look very promising for what's to come. If Lombardi continues to make big plays and White establishes himself as a No. 1 receiver, they will cause problems for a lot of teams in the Big Ten this season. 

What's Next?

Michigan State will travel to Kinnick Stadium for a matchup with Iowa on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. ET. Michigan will play No. 17 Indiana at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 7.