Dashaun Mallory burst through the middle of the line of scrimmage, but he had help. Teammates Jack Camper, Jalen Hunt and even linebacker Noah Harvey brought pressure.
The scene led to Mallory's first sack of the season on U of M quarterback Joe Milton.
"Mallory, he's a third-year player. Great strength at the point of attack, taking advantage of his time on the field," Ron Burton, MSU defensive line coach said on Monday. "We have given him a chance to get out on the field last game; he had (about) 25 plays."
He even had a tackle for loss and a sack. Against Iowa this Saturday, which will be aired at noon on ESPN, getting pressure on Hawkeye quarterback Spencer Petras will be key.
Mallory's play, along with fellow defensive lineman Camper, Jacob Panasiuk, Hunt, Naquan Jones and others was the difference last Saturday and likely will continue to be the difference for much of the remainder of MSU's season.
But it also starts on the offensive side too. Even without starting center Matt Allen, MSU didn't give up a sack last weekend.
Nick Samac, stepping in at center, helped MSU — who had largely controlled the line of scrimmage last Saturday — improve along the offensive line too.
"Nick has played before," MSU Head Coach Mel Tucker said. "He has shown in practice he can get the job done. We were confident he could come in there and give a very strong effort, along with the rest of our offensive line. Coach (Kapilovic) is an outstanding offensive line coach, run-game coordinator. He breeds confidence in those guys, really preaches technique and fundamentals, ... an attitude with how we need to play upfront."
After a game where quarterback Rocky Lombardi got strip-sacked twice, MSU didn't turn the ball over once.
The numbers showed for this too. Lombardi threw for 323 passing yards and averaged 19 yards per completion, a deep ball that was gone last season but showed up along with an offensive line against one of the best defensive fronts in the country equipped with Michigan's Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson — who are both projected to go in the NFL Draft after this season in the first two to three rounds.
"I think in fairness to the O-Line, I think the protection the first week was all right," Lombardi said. "We had a few miscommunications that really resulted in some unfortunate plays for us, but those guys have been working so hard for so long and they communicate well with each other now."
But there's a tall task for MSU in facing Iowa. Interior defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon had 11 tackles, three for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble against Northwestern.
That's not a stat line you see often from a guy playing along with the interior.
"As long as all of us know who we should block, we'll be alright," Lombardi said.
Iowa's offensive line brings into Saturday a combined 73 starts, but 36 of them come with starting left tackle Alaric Jackson.
This game, like many Iowa-Michigan State matchups, will be won in the trenches.
Side notes: a homecoming for the quarterback
Lombardi, who is from Clive, Iowa, which is about 120 miles west of Iowa City, was an all-state quarterback at Valley High School in Clive, where he went 30-6 as a starter.
Now, he has the MSU passing attack as one of the tops, statistically, in the Big Ten coming into a game. He said he circled as a junior in high school: the last time Iowa and MSU played at Kinnick Stadium? 2012, Iowa won 19-16.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
"My mom doesn't get to come to a lot of games because I've got four other siblings all involved in sports," Lombardi said. "... It'll be nice to have her come to the game and my sisters get to come see me play. It doesn't really happen that often. So, it'll be emotional for me."
