Michigan State football spent the last two weeks dealing with an opposing quarterback who could hurt a defense with his legs; this week was no different. The Spartans' rush-lane discipline had been poor, and a threat like Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph presented another problem for MSU on Saturday.
It wasn’t enough of a problem to fall 31-3, but that’s the reality, which sums up the state of MSU’s football program.
“We got our ass kicked,” head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “We lost a bunch of one-on-ones. So we got to coach the guys better. Period.”
From the Badgers’ first drive, it was clear how the remainder of the afternoon would play out. Joseph kept the Spartans guessing, and they guessed wrong every time. Wisconsin ran simple option plays: either the quarterback kept the ball, or he handed it off to the running back. But stopping the option takes gap discipline and the ability to win the line of scrimmage, two things the Spartans couldn’t accomplish all day.
The Badgers’ first drive consisted of 10 run plays, four of which were quarterback scrambles. Joseph tallied 39 rushing yards on those attempts, taking off whenever he saw an opening in the Spartans’ defense. The former Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year concluded his day with 13 carries for 141 rushing yards.
On the corresponding drive, Joseph continued his extraordinary half, breaking off his longest rush of the game. He took it 26 yards down the left sideline before Wisconsin eventually cashed in for a two-touchdown lead.
Although the rushing attack crushed the Spartans, play calls through the air capped off both drives. MSU became so reliant on stopping the run that it began to overcommit on everything. Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes picked up on that tendency late in each drive, resulting in 20- and 15-yard touchdowns caught by wide receiver Jacob Harris.
Those two plays were just nine of Joseph’s completions on the day, an almost embarrassing total for an offense that looked unstoppable against the Spartan defense.
The damage was done early. Wisconsin headed into halftime with a 17-3 lead, but the Badgers kept pouring it on.
A three-play, 54-yard drive opened up the third quarter; once again, it was Joseph. Back-to-back rushes gained seven yards for the Badgers before he burst through the line for a 47-yard quarterback keeper touchdown.
