East Lansing — They played football at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, and for a program that has had little to get excited about in more than a year, it was at least one afternoon that carried some optimism about what lie ahead.
Of course, what also couldn’t be ignored — beyond last season’s tumble from the College Football Playoff to a 3-9 record — was that Michigan State is still operating under the cloud of a sexual assault investigation involving three unnamed players. All three, who have yet to be identified, are suspended and staffer Curtis Blackwell has been suspended.