The boo birds were out in the first half, as the No. 21 MSU football team (2-1) trails Eastern Michigan (0-3) 7-3 at halftime.
MSU’s struggles to develop a consistent passing game continued, as junior quarterback Andrew Maxwell completed 9-of-19 passes for 31 yards, an average of 1.6 yards per pass attempt.
Maxwell dealt with a number of dropped passes, including a 24-yard pass to junior receiver Bennie Fowler in the end zone, but there were also several instances where the junior quarterback was simply off target.
The Spartans problems in the passing game were made worse when Fowler fumbled a screen pass deep in MSU territory, giving EMU the ball at the MSU 23-yard line.
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to capitalize on the turnover, as sophomore quarterback Tyler Benz found junior receiver Donald Scott on the very next play for a touchdown pass to put Eastern Michigan in front 7-3, with 3:58 to go in the second quarter.
The Spartans special teams continued to struggle, with senior kicker Dan Conroy missing a 39-yard field goal, before later connecting on a 35-yard field goal.
Sophomore running back Nick Hill also muffed a punt and was later replaced by junior running back Le’Veon Bell as MSU’s punt returner.
Bell finished the first half with 17 carries for 117 yards and was the Spartans only consistent form of offense in the first half.
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