Bloomington, Ind. — The question all week was whether the momentum from MSU's 35-point comeback last week would carry over to Saturday's game at Indiana.
It looked like the Spartans had delivered a decisive answer on the game's opening possession. MSU went on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with senior quarterback Drew Stanton's 38-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Devin Thomas.
But then something happened. The offense went dry. The Spartans couldn't run the ball. Or throw the ball. And they struggled to move the chains. After its opening drive, MSU didn't get another first down until early in the fourth quarter.
As in several other games this year, penalties, a struggling offensive line and dropped passes contributed to the loss of momentum.
"We came out and did what we wanted to on the first drive, and then, unfortunately, weren't able to follow it up with much of anything," Stanton said. "If the quarterback doesn't play well and he's not making throws … then we're not going to be successful."
After going 7-of-9 for 83 yards and the touchdown in the first quarter, Stanton went just 3-of-13 for 17 yards and an interception the rest of the way.
The Spartans had just 21 yards of offense in the second quarter while Indiana had 11 first downs, 147 yards of offense and 20 points to take a 30-7 halftime lead.
"Every play that they ran, we've seen," senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan said. "It wasn't a matter of them having a great scheme or a great strategy, it was just a matter of us not making the plays and getting the job done."
As Stanton cooled, Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis heated up, throwing for 114 yards and three touchdowns in the second quarter alone.
Lewis wasn't Indiana's only offensive standout. MSU's cornerbacks gave wide receiver James Hardy soft coverage most of the day, which he used as a platform to show his versatility.
He got behind sophomore cornerback Kendell Davis-Clark in the first quarter and hauled in a 30-yard score. He beat Davis-Clark again in the second quarter with a slant move for a two-yard touchdown . His third score came by improvising in the end zone as Lewis scrambled. He finished with a school-record four touchdowns.
"He's a 6-foot-7 beast," junior strong safety Sir Darean Adams said. "But we knew what they were going to run at us. Coach always says execute. We didn't execute at all."
