Chris Solari Detroit Free Press Published 3:50 PM EST Nov 10, 2018 EAST LANSING — Michigan State football appeared ready to take Ohio State into another fourth-quarter fight. Then Mark Dantonio opted to take a safety instead of punting out of his own end zone with a freshman punter. And everything unraveled from there. With backup quarterback Rocky Lombardi in the game, the Spartans fumbled on their next two offensive plays. The first was a snap in the end zone that bounced off in-motion receiver Laress Nelson that Ohio State pounced on for a touchdown. The next was a fumbled option pitch from Lombardi to La’Darius Jefferson that the Buckeyes recovered and turned into a field goal. Those 10 points for No. 8 Ohio State in 3 minutes and 20 seconds proved to be the difference, as the 24th-ranked Spartans suffered a 26-6 defeat Saturday that officially eliminated MSU from its slim chance at sneaking into the Big Ten title game. That leaves the Spartans (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) playing only for a better bowl spot in the final weeks, starting next Saturday at Nebraska, with game time and TV network to be announced Sunday. More: Michigan State football vs. Ohio State reacts: That went downhill fast QB problems Lombardi took over for junior starter Brian Lewerke on the final drive of the first half and moved MSU in for a field goal with 30 seconds left. Lewerke had largely been ineffective with his right shoulder continuing to affect his passes,… [Read full story]
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