The rematch of one of 2014’s greatest non-conference tussles lived up to the hype on Saturday night. And in East Lansing, No. 5 Michigan State got its revenge on No.7 Oregon with a 31-28 win.
Oregon vs. Michigan State final score, and three things we learned from the Spartan’s 31-28 win
Revenge is a dish best served at a Sparty party.
Both teams came out firing, with touchdowns on their opening drives, but the Spartans took control in the first half, forcing two Vernon Adams interceptions and shutting down the potent Ducks on a fourth and goal try, then heading into halftime up 14-7. Both teams got back to throwing haymakers in the second half, with Oregon scoring on a Bralon Addison punt return in the third quarter and Michigan State cashing in two long drives on L.J. Scott touchdown runs.
Oregon wasn’t done, and rallied to the 31-28 margin with an 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter. After forcing a punt and driving into Michigan State territory, though, the Spartans stiffened, and handed the Ducks a loss in return for their 46-27 defeat in Eugene in 2014.
Three things to know
1. Michigan State’s defense won out this time. Michigan State’s offense was good. Oregon’s defense was better than expected, especially after a miserable Week 1 performance against Eastern Washington. But the showdown in this game was always Michigan State’s vaunted defense against Oregon’s explosive offense — and the Spartans defused the Ducks late, forcing Adams to take a sack on a late third down and chasing him just enough to force an errant pass to Bralon Addison on a fourth-down throw. Adams played gamely all night, but he couldn’t do what Marcus Mariota did in 2014: Overcome the Spartans.
2. Adams is still a work in progress. The injury to his index finger on his throwing hand clearly impacted Oregon’s ballyhooed graduate transfer, as his passes wobbled for most of the night. And Adams missed the most important throw of the game, sailing a pass just beyond Charles Nelson with seconds to play.
By trying to absorb the entirety of Oregon’s offense in just months, Adams is doing something no Oregon QB in recent memory has — and he’s doing all right, throwing for more than 300 yards on the night and running well when not pressured. But he’s also not Mariota, and the delta between his performance and the 2014 Heisman winner’s seems like enough to make Oregon something less than the juggernaut than it has been.
3. Gosh, these games are fun. This game was a meeting of two of college football’s current heavyweights, and neither one was outclassed on this night: Michigan State was just slightly better than Oregon at home. Both teams could still compete for a College Football Playoff spot with strong runs through conference play.
And, really, if that’s true, why shouldn’t more excellent teams schedule each other early on in the regular season? These games are more fun for fans than intersectional snoozers, and while styles won’t make fights quite as well as they do with Oregon and Michigan State in every potential matchup, they’re better than most alternatives.
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