Junior quarterback Connor Cook played well in limited action. He went 5-of-6 for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Damion Terry and sophomore quarterback Tyler O’Connor saw action as early as the first quarter. Even fourth-string junior quarterback Tommy Vento saw playing time in the fourth quarter.

“In the second half we played a lot of young players, and anytime you do that there’s growth,’ head coach Mark Dantonio said. ‘We’re always looking for growth on this team.”

Terry said he knew he was going to play in the first quarter because there is a package designed for him.

“It was a great learning experience,” he said. ‘I was nervous, but they threw it the first play so the nerves went away.”

MSU's defense dominated the Eagles all game. EMU had only one yard of offense at halftime and finished with 135 yards, due in large part to a 43 yard pass from senior Rod Bolton to senior Tyler Allen. MSU forced six turnovers.

“I feel like we could have done a much better job of forcing more turnovers,” junior defensive end Shilique Calhoun said. “They came out and played hard every snap, I definitely respect them for that.”

Junior wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. had a short, but productive afternoon. He took a punt back 43 yards to set up the first MSU touchdown. He added one catch for 18 yards after carrying the ball twice for 36 yards.

Sophomore running back Delton Williams led the Spartans in rushing with 103 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.

MSU was helped by six turnovers from EMU and the lack of a first down in the first half. EMU moved the ball with more efficiency in the second half but the score was already out of hand.

“There are some things we need to correct,” Dantonio said. “But not many.”