Lawrence Thomas and a few of his Michigan State teammates tuned in last Saturday night to see Alabama’s Derrick Henry win the Heisman Trophy. When Henry heard his name called and all 6-foot-3, 240 pounds of him stood to accept his award on the stage in New York, the Michigan State players got exactly what they wanted.
Thomas, a senior defensive lineman, and the rest of the Spartans defense will line up against a Heisman Trophy winner for the second straight year after facing Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in 2014. Getting a chance to line up against the most outstanding player in the country plays right into the underdog role Thomas and his teammates cling to so often.