Michigan State 31, Rutgers 24: Kneejerk Reactions

MSU 55, Purdue/Rutgers 45

I'm just going to get right to the bullets:

• Injuries - Not sure even how to explain this one. Connor Cook was hobbling. L.J. Scott was "hampered." Madre London left the game with injury. Josiah Price didn't play, again. Jack Conklin was available for emergency duty, but didn't appear. Kodi Kieler played, but was also hobbling. Jack Allen was helped off of the field late in the game. Lawrence Thomas left the field with injury. And Darian Hicks was injured and didn't return. That doesn't even include Ed Davis, R.J. Williamson, Vayante Copeland or Dennis Finley who are all out long-term. That's 13 different contributors injured.
• Leonte Carroo exposed MSU's secondary - some of this has to do with the barebones secondary, but Leonte Carroo was absolutely unstoppable with 7 catches for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Carroo was a mismatch for anybody in the secondary.
• Connor Cook got to air it out a bit - Coming into this game, Cook hadn't gotten much of an opportunity to throw the ball around much against Central Michigan or Purdue. He got 38 attempts against Rutgers, and had a bit of an up-and-down game. The interception in the end zone was ugly, but he led the final drive to win and averaged 9.4 yards per attempt. Postgame, he sounded happy to get a little more of an opportunity.
• The receivers are for real - Aaron Burbridge, Macgarrett Kings, DeAnthony Arnett, and R.J. Shelton all had phenomenal grabs in this game. Good to see there is depth somewhere.
• Special teams are real special - A bad snap on a punt, a blocked field goal, a kickoff out of bounds, and a banked-in field goal. This will continue to be a concern all year, until a game goes by without a major gaffe.
• A win is still a win - despite the injuries, the gaffes, and the apparent (lack of) quality on this team, they're still undefeated and have won 32 out of the last 35 games.
• It's that week - #BeatMichigan