It took 10 quarters, but MSU’s offense finally looked something like what fans were hoping for prior to this season as the Spartans built a 35-10 halftime lead against Youngstown State.
Sophomore quarterback Connor Cook started for the second straight game and threw for four touchdowns and 191 yards in the first half.
Cook led the Spartans to touchdowns on their first three possessions starting with junior running back Jeremy Langford’s 3-yard run and later passing touchdowns to Andre Sims Jr. and sophomore fullback Trevon Pendleton for MSU’s first scores through the air this season.
Youngstown State made it 21-10 after a touchdown from Martin Ruiz with 4:57 left in the half.
Head coach Mark Dantonio said this week he’s desperately searching for a play or a player to provide a spark for MSU’s anemic offense. The unit was able to get into a rhythm with Cook at the controls and looked the most cohesive it has all season.
Sophomore defensive end Shilique Calhoun scooped up a Ruiz fumble and on the next play Cook found sophomore wideout Macgarrett Kings Jr. for a 24-yard touchdown. Less than two minutes later, the Spartans were in the end zone again as senior wide receiver Bennie Fowler recorded his first touchdown of the season with 1:50 left in the half.
Kings leads all receivers with four catches for 61 yards while Langford paced MSU on the ground with seven carries for 39 yards.
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