Michigan State Football: Who should start at QB against Northwestern?

Who should be Michigan State football’s starting quarterback in Week 7 against Northwestern?

After a third straight loss with practically no offense in sight, is the Tyler O’Connor era for Michigan State football over? Fortunately for Spartan fans, changes seem to be on the horizon as Mark Dantonio made the quarterback switch in the fourth quarter.

Must Read: MSU Football: 3 things we learned from BYU loss

For the second time in three games, O’Connor was pulled late in the game because he couldn’t get the offense going. In fact, he led the Spartan offense to just six points in three-plus quarters against Wisconsin before he was pulled the first time.

The fifth-year senior quarterback struggled to gain confidence throughout the BYU game, completing just 7-of-11 throws for 58 yards and taking sacks on back-to-back third downs before getting benched.

Damion Terry, not Brian Lewerke, came in for O’Connor and completed 6-of-10 passes for 63 yards and an interception. You might knock those numbers, but he did give the offense a spark and he came in off the bench ice-cold, so that interception was probably due to the fact he didn’t get many throws in on the sideline beforehand.

Oh yeah, and he had a rushing score.

Moving forward, it seems like Dantonio is willing to take a look at all positions and find out who the top guys will be — even the quarterback spot. He said that the coaches spoke ‘extensively’ about the QB position, which usually indicates there’s a problem and changes need to be made.

This offense hasn’t gotten anything done with O’Connor under center. Yes, it’s understandable that his offensive line has been shaky, but he had plenty of time to throw against BYU on Saturday yet missed a couple.

A lot of it also had to do with the play-calling as no passes were drawn up in the second quarter, not one, against a team that allowed 450-plus yards through the air the week before. That’s unacceptable, but it proves that the coaches don’t trust O’Connor enough to sling it around.

So who starts against Northwestern this week?

I would say that the only way Lewerke gets in the game is if the starter struggles. Therefore, I doubt he gets the nod to begin the game, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Terry out there for another shot. He was given a small sample size to prove his worth, and I think he still played well enough to get consideration.

Sure, his one interception killed a crucial drive, but it’s not his fault that the defense couldn’t stop anybody as BYU tacked on another score. He scored a touchdown and accounted for more offense in less time than O’Connor had.

Terry was the spark the offense needed and I think he should get a shot on Saturday. If he struggles, bring in the true freshman Lewerke. O’Connor has turned the offense stale, something Connor Cook worked hard to avoid.