Tag: Rocky Lombardi

Tucker: Lombardi feeling better, still unsure who starts at QB vs. Penn State

Head coach Mel Tucker is hopeful he’ll know who will be his starting quarterback against Penn State by Wednesday.

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Head coach Mel Tucker is hopeful he’ll know who will be his starting quarterback against Penn State by Wednesday.

Tucker told reporters during his weekly press conference that junior Rocky Lombardi was feeling better on Monday, and that he is hoping to have a decision made on who will start at quarterback by Wednesday.

Lombardi was replaced by redshirt freshman Payton Thorne in MSU’s last game vs. Ohio State after Lombardi suffered an apparent head injury. Lombardi had been struggling vs. the Buckeyes prior to the injury, completing only 5-of-11 pass attempts for 33 yards and one interception.

Thorne experienced more success in replacing Lombardi vs. the Buckeyes. He completed his first 11 passes of the game, and finished with 147 yards and one interception on 16-of-25 passing attempts. Thorne also ran for 42 yards and one touchdown this past week.

Lombardi has started all six games this year. Should Thorne get the start, it would be his first career start as a Spartan.

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Locked On Spartans: Well that was a less-than-ideal weekend

Wil and Matt rant about their frustrations with the Michigan State football offense and all of the things that ail it.

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Wil and Matt rant about their frustrations with the Michigan State football offense and all of the things that ail it. Then Wil somehow gets positive in segment three.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Could Lombardi’s injury open door for Thorne to take over as starting QB?

With Rocky Lombardi’s status unknown after suffering a head injury, now could be the time for Payton Thorne to step in as the starter.

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So much can change from week-to-week, and that is especially true with Michigan State football.

Coming off an upset of then-undefeated Northwestern, the Spartans were dismantled by short-handed No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, 52-12. There were many to blame for this blowout loss, and that included the offense led by Rocky Lombardi — who generated only one first down and 51 total yards on seven drives before Lombardi was knocked out of the game after suffering an apparent head injury.

After last week’s upset victory of highly-ranked Northwestern, I felt Lombardi had earned the starting quarterback spot throughout the rest of this season and heading into the off-season. However, that statement is already being challenged by another struggling performance and injury for Lombardi, combined with some positive results from redshirt freshman Payton Thorne.

So it appears the quarterback situation at Michigan State remains uncertain for yet another week. This is something that has become the norm this season.

As a whole, the Spartans have failed to show consistency from week-to-week this year and the quarterback position has definitely been part of that struggle. Lombardi has put together some really solid performances, including playing a key role in each of the Spartans’ upset victories this year. However, stringing together consistent game-to-game efforts has been a problem for the junior signal-caller.

Thorne has shown some flashes in his brief game experience this season, with Saturday being his best performance yet. Thorne completed 16-of-25 passing attempts for 147 yards and one interception. He was also able to utilize his running ability with 42 yards and one touchdown.

Outside of the stats, the offense seemed to just jell and play more efficiently with Thorne at quarterback. He doesn’t appear to possess the same deep ball threat as Lombardi, but he was able to take what the defense gave him and move the ball down the field with more ease against Ohio State.

“Payton (Thorne) did some good things, obviously we’re able to move the ball, whatever sustained drives consistently, but we weren’t able to move the ball as spurts,” head coach Mel Tucker said during his post-game press conference. “So, we need to be able to build on those things that we did well, just like every week. Spurts are not going to get it. You can’t play in sections, can’t play in spurts. You got to be consistent in performance and it’s not just up to one guy.”

With the severity of Lombardi’s injury and his status unknown — Tucker didn’t confirm any details on his injury — this could be the opportunity for Thorne to get a test run as the starting quarterback position. The coaching staff has road with Lombardi all season so I wouldn’t be surprised if no change occurs, but an injury preventing Lombardi from playing could be all that Thorne needs to showcase why he should be the starter.

MSU has only two games left on the season — a road trip to Penn State next week and a crossover game against a Big Ten West opponent on Dec. 19. These on paper are going to be two winnable games, and opportunities for the Spartans to grow. If there’s any chance Lombardi isn’t at full strength, then it’s time to give Thorne an audition at quarterback.

I said last week Lombardi earned the right to be the starter moving forward, but if he’s hurt then it’s time to give Thorne his chance. Like Lombardi, he has also earned that opportunity through his play this year so let’s give Thorne a chance to show us what he brings to the table long term.

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MSU vs. OSU: Ohio State demolishes Michigan State 52-12

The Buckeyes controlled this game from start to finish, despite the key players missing from the Buckeyes resulting in a 52-12 squash.

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We should’ve seen this coming into the game, despite all the players that would be missing for the Buckeyes. Ohio State completely had their way with Michigan State and we could just never get anything going on any side of the ball. The Buckeyes ended up winning 52-12. The first play for the Spartans saw Rocky Lombardi and Connor Heyward miscommunicate on a RPO that resulted in a yard loss. They preceded to go three-and-out and give the ball to the Buckeyes.

The Spartans looked like they held strong after Shakur Brown defended a third down pass, but a Michael Fletcher roughing the passer nullified it and gave the Buckeyes a new set of downs. Justin Fields proceeded to march down the field and run it in for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.

Both teams traded punts, but then Justin Fields went to work which started with a 44-yard run and ended with 28-yard passing touchdown to Garrett Wilson to make it 14-0 Buckeyes. The Spartans then went three-and-out for the 4th time in the 1st quarter!

The Buckeyes had a methodical drive complete with two third down conversions and culminated with a Fields 1-yard touchdown run. The Spartans finally got their first true first down on a 17-yard pass to Jalen Nailor, but stalled out from there.

The Spartans forced a punt, but the punt was inside the 1-yard line. Lombardi attempted a pass, but the pass was blocked on the line and was caught by Haskell Garrett for a pick six, making the score 28-0. On the next drive for the Spartans, Tyreke Smith was able to get off the edge and sack Lombardi which resulted in a head injury for Lombardi and took him out of the game.

Payton Thorne came into the game and completed an 8-yard pass to Jalen Nailor on his first attempt on the game. Thorne had more completions and passing yards on his first drive than Lombardi had the whole game to this point. The drive ended on a 4th down attempt that Thorne initially got, but got stripped and was recovered by Ohio State. That took us to the half with the score being 28-0.

It was a quiet start to the third quarter but leave it to Ohio State to put more points on the board. Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run to make it 35-0.

Michigan State finally answered on the next drive that started with a 55-yard pass to Jayden Reed and finished with a 20-yard rushing touchdown for Payton Thorne to put the Spartans on the board.

The defense then forced a fumble after Chase Kline hit Chris Olave and was recovered by Antjuan Simmons. Then one play later, gave it back to Ohio State on an interception just out of reach for Nailor. Ohio State drove down the field after two consecutive penalties against Michigan State, one against Chase Kline for unnecessary roughness and one against Mel Tucker for unsportsmanlike conduct. Ohio State could not get a touchdown though and settled for a field goal to make it 38-7.

Thorne used the run game the next drive to get into Ohio State territory and threaten to score again. Unfortunately they could not capitalize and had Matt Coghlin come on for 32-yard field goal that was good.

Ohio State went three-and-out and but an incredible 74-yard punt from True Chrisman trapped the Spartans on their own 2. Spartans quickly punted the ball back to the Buckeyes, so that Fields could get another quick touchdown. Fields found Olave for a 41-yard touchdown to end his day against the Spartans.

The Buckeyes next drive saw their backup quarterback run for a 48-yard touchdown. The Spartans got the ball one more time, but could not do much with it and punted away with less than two minutes left. Ohio State brought on more backups and a bad snap resulted in a safety to make the score 52-12. The Spartans fumbled the return and gave it back to the Buckeyes ending the game.

Lombardi finished the game with 5/11 passing for 33 yards, three rushes for -9 yards and an interception. Thorne finished his relief effort with 16/25 passing for 147 yards, nine rushes for 42 yards and a touchdown and an interception.

Jayden Reed led the way for the receivers with 5 catches for 79 yards.

Antjuan Simmons was the heart of the defense, with the most tackles on the team and a fumble recovery.

The Spartans end their season next week against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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WATCH: Rocky Lombardi taken out of game after head injury

The Spartans have gotten off to a rough start against the Buckeyes. Now they have lost their quarterback, Rocky Lombardi, for the game.

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The Spartans have gotten off to a rough start against the Buckeyes. Now they have lost their quarterback for the game. On a 2nd down, late in the second quarter, Rocky Lombardi was scrambling out of the pocket looking for a pass, but Tyreke Smith was able to get around the edge and come from behind and sack him for a loss of 9 yards. Lombardi was tackled into the ground and had a hard collision with his head. Lombardi looked a little dizzy and had trouble getting up off the ground initially. He was taken to the sideline and into the locker room. Payton Thorne came in for the next play and took over for the injured Lombardi.

Lombardi finished the game with 5/11 passing for 33 yards, three rushes for -9 yards and an interception.

Here is the highlight below:

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Locked On Spartans: A GLORIOUS SATURDAY WAS HAD BY ALL

Wil and Matt revel in a victory Monday and breakdown Michigan State football’s big win over No. 8 Northwestern.

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Wil and Matt revel in a victory Monday and breakdown Michigan State football’s big win over No. 8 Northwestern. They talk about the improvement in the run game, Rocky Lombardi’s decision making and take a vibe check of the program under Mel Tucker.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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MSU Football vs. Northwestern: Five takeaways from Spartans’ upset victory over Wildcats

Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s victory over the Wildcats, and what this win means for MSU moving forward.

For the second time this year, Michigan State football has pulled off a major upset, this time against No. 13 Northwestern, 29-20. The Spartans entered this match-up as a two-touchdown underdog, but were able to shock the Wildcats with a massive upset.

“Culture doesn’t change overnight,” MSU Head Coach Mel Tucker said during his postgame press conference. “It just doesn’t. But wins like today show what type of football that we’re capable of playing when we’re more focused, when we’re process driven, when we play complimentary football, and when we take care of the football.”

The win over the Wildcats improves MSU to 2-3 on the season, with their other win coming against Michigan on Oct. 31.

Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s victory over the Wildcats, and what this win means for MSU moving forward:

Michigan State Football plays spoiler, upsets Northwestern 29-20

The Spartans beat previously unbeaten Northwestern at home in a major bounce-back game for MSU.

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What. A. Win.

Michigan State Football hosted a surging Northwestern Wildcats team on Saturday and we got to see a much different Spartans team than we saw in their losses to Indiana and Iowa. The Spartans ultimately beat the Wildcats 29-20 in a bounceback game for Mel Tucker’s squad.

After only scoring 7 points in those two outings, MSU put up 29 points on a Northwestern team that some said could be the best in the country.

Cornerback Shakur Brown had a huge game for the Spartans with his two interceptions on Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey. The defense as a whole played an exceptional game against Northwestern and really deserves a lot of the credit.

The rest of the credit probably goes to Michigan State’s offensive line. This was the first game this season where the Spartans were really able to establish the run, and they ran for 195 yards total on the day.

Rocky Lombardi accounted for 65 of those yards and also threw for two touchdowns, with one to Jalen Nailor and one to Jayden Reed. He only completed 11 of 27 passes but he made plays when he needed to and was electric on the ground.

MSU is currently scheduled to play Ohio State next week, although that game is now in jeopardy due to COVID-19.

WATCH: Jayden Reed’s second quarter touchdown puts Northwestern on upset alert

Jayden Reed has secured the second passing touchdown of the day for the Spartans as they look to upset the eighth ranked Wildcats.

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Michigan State has gone up 17-0 early in the second quarter against the 8th ranked Northwestern Wildcats. Rocky Lombardi has thrown his second touchdown pass of the day, this time to red-shirt sophomore Jayden Reed.

The second touchdown catch of the season for Reed came in a big spot, giving the Spartans a three score lead as they look to pull off a top ten upset over Northwestern. Michigan State looks to keep the momentum pushing into the half as they look to secure their second win of the season. Watch the touchdown catch here:

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WATCH: Rocky Lombardi and Jalen Nailor connect on 75-yard TD

Michigan State’s Rocky Lombardi and Jalen Nailor were able to connect on a 75-yard touchdown to begin the scoring against the Wildcats.

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The Spartans have come out strong against the No. 8 ranked Wildcats today. Not only has the defense held strong so far in the first quarter, but the offense struck early too.

Rocky Lombardi, who was benched two weeks ago after going 3/7 for 21 yards and throwing two interceptions, has started this game much better after finding Jalen Nailor deep down field for a 75-yard opening touchdown.

Michigan State went three-and-out on the first drive, but were able to hold strong on defense and force a turnover on downs to get the ball back. Lombardi then proceeded to find Nailor down field where Nailor could then use his speed to escape the defenders.

Watch it below:

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