Michigan State's Brian Lewerke now fully aware of Michigan rivalry

EAST LANSING — Brian Lewerke’s introduction to the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry in 2016 certainly had its ups, but ultimately, it ended on a whimper.

After moving the ball well against a talented Michigan defense as a redshirt freshman, Lewerke was driving in the red zone late in the fourth quarter. As he flushed out of the pocket to avoid pressure, he was met by Jabrill Peppers. A sack and a broken tibia later, Lewerke’s season was over.

The quarterback got his revenge in 2017, though, doing enough in a 14-10 win amid a monsoon. It was never a pretty affair, but the Spartans left Michigan Stadium with a victory, their eighth in 10 tries.

And with a hated rivalry game next, Lewerke gets to do it all over again, facing a similarly stout Michigan defense. The game may largely effect who competes in the Big Ten East division come November.

“October sort of points towards November,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. “If you can play well in October, then you're going to be in the hunt for things in November. So that's our intent as we move forward, but yeah, I think it intensifies things.”

At the beginning, Lewerke, from Arizona, didn’t quite get what Wolverines vs. Spartans meant when he first got to East Lansing. It wasn’t until game week — and the behind-the-scenes preparation — that he began to see what the rivalry’s all about.

“All the players talking about it," Lewerke said. "our video that we have before the game has past Spartan players talking about how big this game is and how much it means to them. So just kind of like the week leading up to it.”

Just like any typical Michigan team, the Wolverines feature one of the best defenses in the nation. They allow just 129.1 yards passing through the air per game, No. 1 in college football.

“They are a very aggressive defense,” Lewerke said. “You got a taste of that last year for really the first time. It will take preparation, preparing for the blitzes, make sure you see them coming and make sure you know how to pick them up and change protection and stuff like that.”

Michigan State struggled a year ago on offense against the Wolverines, though an assist can be given to the rain. The Spartans picked up just two first downs in the second half, playing conservatively and leaning on their defense.

But in present time, both teams are coming off confidence-boosting wins against ranked Big Ten opponents. MSU stunned Penn State on the road while Michigan soundly blew out Wisconsin at home.

It sets up a clash between two bitter rivals, and also a showdown between Lewerke and Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson, who makes his debut in the rivalry on Saturday.

“The confidence is always high coming off a win like that,” Lewerke said. “Any opponent we would be playing this week, obviously it's Michigan, but we'll be ready 100 percent for that next person.”