EAST LANSING — Things are not going easy for No. 12 Michigan State.
Utah State, which like the Spartans returned almost all of its starters, is giving MSU fits in the first half at Spartan Stadium. The Aggies held the lead for long stretches of the opening two quarters, but quarterback Brian Lewerke threw a pair of touchdown passes, including one with 28 seconds before halftime, to put the Spartans ahead 20-14 at the break.
Here are a few observations:
• PASSING PROFICIENCY: Lewerke has guided the MSU offense to two scores, completing 13 of 19 passes for 190.