EAST LANSING — Everything Michigan State football feared could go wrong came true.
Turnovers and missed scoring chances on offense, and penalties on both sides of the ball allowed Utah State to stay in the game late. The Aggies’ high-tempo offense made big plays against MSU’s defense. And a season of promise for the 12th-ranked Spartans nearly opened with a tremendous thud.
Then junior quarterback Brian Lewerke came to the rescue.
The Aggies returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter to pull within a score, then scored the go-ahead TD with 5:05 to play.