Recap: Minnesota dominates Michigan State, 34-7
Spartan fans are officially hitting the emergency button on the 2022 season.
Michigan State did not respond to the loss last week and rolled over to take a 34-7 beating from Minnesota at home to fall to 2-2 on the year. Minnesota dominated on both sides of the ball from the opening kick and racked up over 500 yards of offense against Michigan State’s meager defense.
For the second straight week, the quarterback facing MSU had a career performance. Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns while standout running back Mohamed Ibrahim had 103 yards and one touchdown. There were no positive points for the Spartan defense who gave up over 500 yards for the second consecutive week.
Just like last week, Michigan State was down 14-0 before it even woke up and started playing. The lethargic start on both sides of the ball let the Gophers seize control of momentum and never let go. Payton Thorne struggled mightily without the help of the running game, which was nonexistent, and turned the ball over three times. Noah Kim got MSU’s only touchdown in the final 30 seconds with a nice pass to Germie Bernard over the top of the defense.
Michigan State falls to 2-2 on the year and are in desperate search for any answers. MSU will have to try to right the ship on the road against Maryland next week.
MSU avoids shutout
0:17 4Q: Backup quarterback Noah Kim made the most of his slim opportunity and drove the offense down the field in less than two minutes to get MSU on the board to avoid the shutout. Kim found freshman receiver Germie Bernard over the top.
Minnesota adds 2nd field goal late
1:48 4Q: Minnesota took the air out of the ball with a 14-play drive that spanned over 10 minutes of game time. The drive ended inside the MSU five yard line where Minnesota settled for a field goal to make it 34-0.
12:25 4Q: Michigan State had to punt once again after striking out on offense.
14:08 4Q: Minnesota capitalized off the latest Payton Thorne and scored its fourth touchdown of the afternoon. It has been Tanner Morgan's best game of his long career.
End of 3rd: Minnesota is inside the MSU 10-yard line and ready to make it a 30-point lead.
2:52 3Q: Payton Thorne tried to set up a screen to Jalen Berger but instead threw an interception to a Minnesota defensive end. Things cannot get any worse for MSU.
Minnesota tacks on another TD
3:26 3Q: Minnesota's offense did not skip a beat in its first chance of the second half. The bruising rushing attack was too much for the Spartan front seven to handle. Tanner Morgan capped the drive off with a six-yard touchdown to tight end Nick Kallerup.
10:19 3Q: Michigan State's offense looked like it figured things out at halftime and moved the ball effectively down the field into the Minnesota redzone. Looking to get the first points of the day, Thorne tucked the ball himself and dashed for the pylon but was stripped by a Minnesota linebacker and the Gophers recovered.
It's just been that kind of day for the Spartans.
End of 2Q: Minnesota happily let the final seconds of the first half clock after dominating the first 30 minutes.
2:45 2Q: Michigan State got one first down on the ground but nothing else and failed to capitalize on the fumble. Minnesota takes over at its own 20.
4:41 2Q: Finally, Michigan State gets a break.
Jacoby Windmon popped the ball free in the hole and Ronald Williams was there to fall on it to force the turnover and give Michigan State fans a glimmer of hope.
6:29 2Q: When things seemed like it couldn't get any worse for Michigan State, Payton Thorne gave the ball back to Minnesota after the offense gained the smallest shred of momentum. Thorne's pass was snagged on fourth and 3 and sets Minnesota up to go up four possessions in the first half.
10:14 2Q: The third down defense was nonexistent for most of Minnesota's third drive for Michigan State. The Gophers converted every time with timely runs from Ibrahim or passes underneath to move the chains into the red zone again until Morgan overthrew a receiver in the endzone to force the Gophers to settle for a field goal.
End of 1Q: Minnesota is facing third-and-2 from its own 34. MSU has a chance for its first third down stop of the afternoon.
1:29 1Q: Michigan State had to punt after three more unsuccessful plays on its second possession. The Spartans are in danger of falling behind three touchdowns before they even wake up.
Minnesota takes 2-touchdown lead in 1st quarter
2:57 1Q: Minnesota's offense is humming right along and looks primed to drop 60 points for the second consecutive week. The Gopher offense steadily moved the ball down the field once again through the air and Michigan State was helpless in stopping it.
Tanner Morgan found wide receiver Daniel Jackson on a fade who was too big and strong for Charles Brantley.
9:20 1Q: The Michigan State offense could only stay on the field for three plays and 30 seconds before punting. Two runs and a pass underneath the sticks was not enough to try to regain any momentum.
Minnesota strikes first for 7-0 lead
9:50 1Q: It looked like more of the same from Michigan State's overmatched defense. Minnesota marched down the field without much opposition after receiving the opening kick to get a touchdown lead in the first five minutes of the game.
Mohamed Ibrahim capped the drive off with a three-yard run after Minnesota tore the MSU defense up through the air for most of the drive. Tanner Morgan found open receiver after open receiver in the Michigan State secondary.
Pregame
How will Michigan State respond after getting knocked to the mat?
The Spartans were humbled by Washington last week in their first loss of the season and have a tough test against an undefeated Minnesota team on Saturday. Washington's offense exposed fatal flaws in Michigan State's passing defense and the Spartans will have to tighten up to avoid losing in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2020.
The Spartans got some good news before kickoff as wide receiver Jayden Reed, who missed last week's game at Washington, was in uniform, going through warm-ups and is expected to play. The Spartans also got defensive ends Avery Dunn and Dashaun Mallory back. It is Mallory's first time being active this season.
It wasn't all good news, though, as Michigan State will be without defensive tackle Jacob Slade for the second straight game and defensive end Jeff Pietrowski is out after leaving in the first half last week with a leg injury. The Spartans also continue to play without safety Xavier Henderson, who was injured in the season opener.
Minnesota is off to a 3-0 start after taking care of business against its weak nonconference schedule. Running back Mohamed Ibrahim (464 yards, seven touchdowns) is the engine of the Gophers offense after missing most of last year with an injury. Quarterback Tanner Morgan has plenty of experience in the Big Ten and should fare well against MSU's secondary, despite missing his favorite target Chris Autman-Bell.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Jared Ramsey.
Minnesota at Michigan State
▶ Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing
▶ TV/radio: BTN/760
▶ Line: Minnesota by 2½
▶ Records: Minnesota 3-0, Michigan State 2-1
▶ Series: MSU leads 30-17 (Last game: Oct. 14, 2017 — (at) MSU 30, Minnesota 27)