Spartan defense contains Maryland attack  

The No. 1 rushing defense in the country held Maryland to 26 yards on the ground Saturday. Going into the game, the Terrapins were averaging 246 rushing yards per game.  

Maryland running back Tayon Fleet-Davis would lead his offense with 26 yards alone, and quarterback Kasim Hill lost 16 yards on six carries against the Spartans. 

Hill went 8-of-21 through the air, before Tyrrell Pigrome made an appearance in the game, going 0-of-3 and losing 9 yards on two carries.

Junior linebacker Joe Bachie broke up two passes, forced a pair of fumbles and had a total of seven tackles in the game. 

Quarterback dilemma continues 

One of the many conversations being held after Rocky Lombardi's career performance last week against Purdue, in place of an injured Brian Lewerke, is about the position battle between the two quarterbacks. 

Lewerke started against the Terrapins after not starting last week due to his dinged-up right shoulder. But after Lewerke threw an interception at the start of the fourth quarter, he was replaced by Lombardi, who played the rest of the way.

Despite being pulled from the game, Lewerke will remain the starting quarterback going forward, according to Dantonio. But Dantonio said having a serviceable backup in Lombardi doesn't hurt. 

"Brian Lewerke is our quarterback, and we'll work it from there," Dantonio said after the game. "Just like any major league baseball team, if your starter gets into problems and you have an ace reliever, you use him, and that's the way we'll look at things right now."

Lewerke went 11-of-20 on the afternoon for 87 yards. Lombardi completed zero of his two pass attempts to go with an interception that was almost ran back for a touchdown, before wide receiver Darrell Stewart Jr. forced a fumble in the end zone for a touchback. 

Connor Heyward sets career-high  

Sophomore running back Connor Heyward ran for a career-high 157 yards against the Terrapins. Heyward averaged 10.5 yards per carry in the victory, and is the first Spartan to reach over 100 rushing yards in a game this season.

The last player to reach over 100 rushing yards in a game was senior running back L.J. Scott against Washington State last season in the Holiday Bowl. Scott did not travel with the team Saturday. 

Heyward scored two of the Spartans' touchdowns, one for 18 yards and another an 80-yard game-sealing sprint. 

Overall, the Spartan offense would gain 269 rushing yards. Before Saturday's game, the most rushing yards MSU had in a single game was 165 in its season-opener against Utah State on Aug. 31.