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Michigan State football offense goes cold in 9-6 loss at Nebraska

MSU (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) hosts Rutgers next Saturday in the regular-season finale and senior day.
Credit: Steven Branscombe, Getty Images
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez runs against Michigan State safety David Dowell in the first half on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Lincoln, Neb.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Even with a new starting quarterback, Michigan State football continues to operate in rerun mode.

A dominating defense. An offensive offense. On repeat.

Rocky Lombardi took over Saturday, with Brian Lewerke resting his injured shoulder, and the Spartans continued to sputter along with the ball.

But the physical MSU defense time and again stopped Nebraska and talented freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez from driving. And Lewerke actually ended up contributing to the Spartans’ first two scoring plays, a pair of Matt Coghlin field goals.

And their only scores.

Lombardi’s fumble midway with about 10 minutes to play set up the Cornhuskers for a game-tying field goal, then MSU went three-and-out on its next drive.

Aided by short field after a wind-deadened punt, Nebraska’s Barret Pickering booted his third field goal of the fourth quarter with 5:13 to play from 47 yards out to give Nebraska a 9-6 victory.

Offensive stagnation

Lombardi got his second start of the season and his first since leading MSU to a 23-13 home win over Purdue. And immediately, it appeared the Spartans may have found something.

The redshirt freshman guided MSU down the field for a time-consuming drive that appeared to be the ball-control blueprint. Coghlin’s 34-yarder capped a 10-play, 50-yard drive that lasted 4 minutes and 45 seconds. That was with 7:46 left in the first half.

And then things went quiet for both teams.

It was the only score of the half. MSU managed just 79 more yards the rest of the half on its final 29 plays. Nebraska got just 132 yards and was held scoreless.

MSU got another Coghlin field goal early in the fourth quarter after an 11-play, 66-yard drive that ate up 6:14 off the clock.

But then they went cold again in the wind and snow. A special teams penalty set up Nebraska for a short drive and a field goal. Then Lombardi fumbled deep in MSU territory on a missed blitz pickup. The Huskers tied it after the defense stopped Nebraska at the 3.

The Spartans had two chances after the last field goal. The Spartans punted near midfield as the first drive stalled, then came up empty after moving into Nebraska territory as Matt Sokol dropped Lombardi’s fourth-down pass.

Lombardi finished 15 of 41 for 146 yards with an interception and the fumble. He also ran nine times for 53 yards, while Connor Heyward had 80 yards rushing on 21 carries as MSU had 289 yards.

The Big ‘D’

That spoiled yet another staunch effort from MSU’s defense, which held Nebraska to just 248 total yards and 145 passing for Martinez, who was 16 of 37. Devine Ozigbo had 74 rushing yards.

The Spartans forced a pair of fumbles and allowed 103 rushing yards, with Martinez held to just 17.

Two of Nebraska’s three scoring drives began from its own 45 or closer.

What’s ahead

MSU (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) hosts Rutgers next Saturday in the regular-season finale and senior day. It is a chance for MSU to build its bowl resume and find some offensive consistency against a Scarlet Knights team that remains winless in conference play.

Nebraska is 4-7 (3-5), earning a signature win for first-year coach Scott Frost.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!

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