Michigan State Football: 3 things we learned vs. BYU

What three things did we learn about Michigan State football from its loss Saturday to BYU?

Will things ever get better? Michigan State football suffered its third straight loss on Saturday, this time at the hands of the BYU Cougars at home. This is the Spartans second straight home loss and third overall, marking the first three-game losing streak for Mark Dantonio since 2009.

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The Spartans looked lifeless in the defeat to BYU, and it was a disappointing sight to see Michigan State basically give up when down 10-7 in the third quarter.

Just like the student section did at halftime, the Spartans headed for the exits in their minds. Michigan State continues to be a disappointment this season after starting the year ranked No. 11. It will be a long road back to relevancy either this year or next.

What three things did we learn from the Spartans’ ugly loss?

1. Tyler O’Connor isn’t the answer

We’ve known this for quite some time now, but it’s refreshing to actually see the coaching staff realize it enough to take O’Connor out in the fourth quarter and let Damion Terry do his thing. Sure, fans would have liked to see redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke, but it’s still a positive change, nonetheless. Terry was 6-of-10 for 63 yards and an interception. He also scored with his legs. Change, in this situation, is good.

2. Dave Warner should no longer be calling plays

Come on, Dave. It’s been six weeks and we still haven’t seen a mix-up in the play-calling. The game started off great. The offense ran a number of passes on first down and the Spartans went the length of the field to take an early 7-0 lead. That game plan worked.

Then, he failed to call a single pass play in the second quarter, leading to zero points and a 7-3 halftime lead. From that point on, it was damage control. Warner’s play-calling has gotten worse over the past few weeks and a BYU assistant even admitted that the Spartans didn’t do anything that they hadn’t prepared for.

3. Something is off with this team

It’s hard to truly put a finger on it, but this doesn’t feel like a normal, hard-nosed Michigan State team. In years past, mistakes would be corrected and everything in the coaches’ power would be done to avoid consecutive losses. We are now on loss No. 3 in a row and there’s no sense of urgency with the players nor the coaches.

The defense didn’t seem to care much in the second half, the offense was pitiful and the play-calling remained vanilla. Someone needs to light a fire under this team as soon as possible or they’ll be sitting at home in December and January, watching bowl season.