EAST LANSING — With one opponent left on its Big Ten regular-season schedule, quarterback once again became a concern for Michigan State football.
It’s not just a question of whether Rocky Lombardi will start at Penn State on Saturday after another lackluster performance; there’s also a question of whether the junior will be healthy.
Lombardi got knocked out of the game late in the second quarter of the Spartans’ 52-12 shellacking by No. 4 Ohio State.
MSU coach Mel Tucker did not have an immediate update after the game on Lombardi, who has started all six games this season for MSU.
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“Rocky’s banged up,” Tucker said. “I don’t know what the extent is, I’ll find out here in a little bit, and we’ll see how he is. And I know he’ll be ready when he’s ready.”
Lombardi was 5-for-11 passing for 33 yards, including a pass from his own end zone which was tipped at the line of scrimmage and picked off for a touchdown by Ohio State defensive tackle Haskell Garrett. On the next drive, Lombardi was drilled on a sack by OSU’s Tyreke Smith with 4:29 left in the half as his head bounced off the turf. He appeared dazed and went to the locker room.
Thorne took over and finished 16-for-25 passing for 147 yards and added 42 yards rushing. That included big plays such as a 31-yard scramble, a 55-yard bomb to his high school teammate Jayden Reed and Thorne’s first career TD, a 20-yard dash in which he plowed into the pylon at the end.
“Payton did some good things,” Tucker said. “Obviously, we were able to move the ball. We weren’t able to sustain drives consistently.”
Injury update
Aside from Lombardi, MSU lost cornerback Kalon Gervin late in the game to an apparent back injury. Three others — safety Tre Person, defensive end Drew Beesley and defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory — left the game with medical issues but returned.
Defensive tackle Jalen Hunt was not in uniform after suffering a lower left leg injury against Northwestern. Wide receiver Ricky White and tight end Trenton Gillison also remained out, as did center Matt Allen.
Tight end Matt Dotson returned for the Spartans, and the senior had one catch for 9 yards. Freshman running back Jordon Simmons was in uniform after missing the Northwestern game, but he did not play.
Penalty problem
MSU had 10 penalties for a season-worst 101 yards. That also tied their season-high for flags (10 for 86 yards vs. Michigan).
That included four 15-yard penalties on defense and another on Tucker for getting frustrated at linebacker Chase Kline’s late hit out of bounds personal foul call in the third quarter.
“When teams get a 15-yard penalty, their likelihood of scoring on that drive skyrockets,” linebacker Antjuan Simmons said. “They went from like a 15, 20% of that scoring chance to like 40, 50. That momentum swung. I mean, you can’t you can’t have that. You can’t shoot yourself in the foot.”
Well-wishes for Day
Along with 23 players out, the Buckeyes also played without head coach Ryan Day, who tested positive for COVID-19 and remains in isolation. Also missing, according to the Columbus Dispatch, were co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, QB coach Corey Dennis and special teams coach Matt Barnes.
“I wish him the best and a speedy recovery,” Tucker said of Day. “This is a bizarre time right now.”
The Buckeyes (5-0), like the Spartans, had their game against Maryland canceled due to the Terrapins’ COVID-19 issues last month.
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