You might be surprised to learn that these former Michigan State football players scored at the end of the Dantonio era.
Some players rack up points and attention for Michigan State football, and others only score once. Did you know these players scored?
During the offseason, we all dig into our favorite program’s past. Here at Spartan Shadows, we are no different. So, naturally, when someone mentioned Tre’Von Morgan and his touchdown against Penn State in 2020, that got me thinking: who are some obscure Michigan State football players that have scored, or players that you would not expect to score?
So, I started doing some digging into the end of the Mark Dantonio era from 2016 until 2019 to answer this question.
Quite a few of these players are recognizable names, but it came when few would expect it. For example, if a player recorded a pick-six in the season before they became a full-time starter, would you remember it? That was my logic while making this list.
So, without further ado, I present to you: “Wait, they scored? And how?”
2016: Justin Layne vs. Northwestern
To begin this list, we will start with the season we all want to forget: 2016. In a year where everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Spartans, we were introduced to a few players that played pivotal roles in the following season’s 10-3 resurgence. One of those players was Justin Layne who was a two-way player in 2016, with his switch to cornerback being the game before, against BYU.
Following a quick Josiah Price touchdown, the Spartan defense came out eager to prove their worth. Justin Layne provided that, picking off Clayton Thorson and returning the ball to the house to put the Spartans up 14-0. At the time, this appeared to be the point where the Spartans would seize the momentum and be back to form and regain dignity for the season.
Unfortunately, the defense did not get that memo, and this would be the last time the defense would be mentioned against the Wildcats. They took the day off against Northwestern and surrendered 54 points. The Spartans, after scoring 41 points between the previous three contests, scored 40, making this a 94-point affair for homecoming.
Layne would go on to start full-time for the Spartans in 2017 and 2018, as well as sometimes playing receiver in 2018. He would record two more interceptions between the two years, but not find the end zone again. He was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2018 and was taken in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in that spring’s draft.
The Wildcats’ 54 points against Michigan State football would outdo their men’s basketball efforts against the Spartans, as the men’s basketball team put up 52 and 45 in their contests with Tom Izzo’s Spartans a few months later.
2016: Monty Madaris vs. Michigan
Among the forgettable 2016 season was a marginally close contest against the Wolverines. The Spartans, with their losing streak now up to five games, hosted the undefeated school from down the road.
After LJ Scott got the Spartans up early, the Wolverines cruised to a comfortable 30-10 lead. Tyler O’Connor was pulled in favor of Brian Lewerke, and the madness began. Lewerke hoisted a late wobbler that RJ Shelton pulled down, and then he found Monty Madaris for a 20-yard touchdown. This made the game 30-17, and Lewerke would go on to lead the Spartans to the Michigan red zone before being stopped on fourth down, and ultimately breaking his leg when he was sacked.
An MSU touchdown with under five seconds to play led to a 2-point conversion attempt that was housed by Jabrill Peppers, leading to the 32-23 Michigan final score. This touchdown was one of the more forgettable touchdowns of the rivalry during the 2010s. Madaris is not the only Spartan to record his only career touchdown against the Wolverines during this decade, as Jalen Watts-Jackson (2015, as we all know) and Paul Lang (2012) also accomplished this.
Madaris was a background receiver for most of his time as a Spartan, and this was his only touchdown. Additionally, it was his only season with more than five catches. Madaris’s 322 yards from scrimmage that season was enough to get him noticed by the Cincinnati Bengals after the 2017 NFL Draft, and he impressed enough in rookie camp to earn a summer camp spot. Unfortunately, a failed physical designation led to his release before even playing a preseason game.
2016: Demetrius Cox vs. Rutgers
During the 2016 season, everything that could go wrong for the Spartans did go wrong. The Spartans limped into their game against Rutgers with an embarrassing 2-7 record, and all seven of those losses came in their last seven games. The Spartans were on the verge of eight straight losses for the first time in 99 years. Rutgers came into town to face the Spartans, but luck was not on the Rutgers sideline.
Following three interceptions and a fumble return touchdown in 2015, Demetrius Cox was named a member of the All-Big Ten third team as the Spartans made the College Football Playoff. His 2016 season was much like the Spartans that season: underwhelming. Cox recorded lower numbers in every defensive category besides tackle assists in 2016.
On this cold November day, Cox tried to turn his season around as well.
Early on, the Spartans struck with a Josiah Price touchdown on their second drive. On the ensuing possession, Cox stole a Gio Rescigno pass and returned it 30 yards for the touchdown. This was Cox’s only career pick-six, and it came at a point where most Michigan State fans had just wanted the season to end.
The Spartans’ seven touchdowns in this game did not help them in the next two weeks, as they lost out the rest of the season. As for Cox, he went undrafted in that spring’s NFL draft, landing with the Cincinnati Bengals, along with the aforementioned Monty Madaris. He was claimed off of waivers by the Carolina Panthers and recorded four tackles in four games that season. Those would turn out to be his only career games in the NFL.
2016: Trishton Jackson vs. Rutgers
Trishton Jackson is a forgotten name in the Michigan State football receiving room. During his time in the green and white, Jackson was behind the likes of Felton Davis, RJ Shelton, Madaris, Donnie Corley, Darrell Stewart Jr., Hunter Rison, and Cody White.
Following the Cox pick-six, the game settled into a lull, until the Spartans held the ball at the midfield stripe. Tyler O’Connor ran play-action and then hit Jackson on a crossing route with a wobbler that just cleared a Rutgers defensive back, and he did the rest of the work. He sprinted up the field and powered through three Rutgers’ players in the final five yards, falling into the end zone to give the Spartans a 21-0 lead. The Spartans would go on to score four more touchdowns and stifle Rutgers on offense.
This was Jackson’s only touchdown for the Spartans, as White and Rison each passed Jackson on the depth chart in the offseason and he did not score in 2017 before transferring after the Holiday Bowl. This touchdown was one that even I did not remember, despite it being the first MSU game I attended at Spartan Stadium. Most of us had tuned out of the 2016 Michigan State football season by the time November rolled around, with MSU basketball just getting started. As a result, this big play touchdown is forgotten about.
Following the 2017 season, Jackson transferred to Syracuse and would go on to record a 1,000-yard season. Jackson declared for the draft after that season, with all his highlights being from Syracuse, and has bounced around the NFL.
Jackson is currently on the Vikings along with Jalen Nailor, for those wondering.
2017: Tyson Smith vs. BGSU
During the 2016 season, there were many reports of a divided or unfocused locker room. One undeniable part of that 2016 season that weighed on players was the health of cornerback Tyson Smith.
Smith, a top-300 recruit who was a true freshman during that season, suffered a stroke. After fighting through the depth chart to receive serious playing time against Michigan, Smith was done for the season as football took a backseat. Understandably, losing a teammate to a stroke is a serious situation, which can account for some of the locker room being melancholy over concern for their teammate.
After receiving the all-clear from doctors, Smith returned for the 2017 season. He kicked off the year with a bang. Following a BGSU field goal, the game settled at 3-0 for a quarter, leaving Michigan State fans worried about the status of their team. In the second quarter, the team lit on fire, scoring twice to make it 14-3 at the half. Dantonio’s squad barely took a break, recording two more touchdowns to make it 28-3. With some starters getting breaks amid a four-possession lead, Smith took the field and promptly responded with a pick-six. On his first game back, Smith recorded his only career touchdown.
During the 2016 season, there were many reports of a divided or unfocused locker room. One undeniable part of that 2016 season that weighed on players was the health of cornerback Tyson Smith.
Smith, a top-300 recruit who was a true freshman during that season, suffered a stroke. After fighting through the depth chart to receive serious playing time against Michigan, Smith was done for the season as football took a backseat. Understandably, losing a teammate to a stroke is a serious situation, which can account for some of the locker room being melancholy over concern for their teammate.
After receiving the all-clear from doctors, Smith returned for the 2017 season. He kicked off the year with a bang. Following a BGSU field goal, the game settled at 3-0 for a quarter, leaving Michigan State fans worried about the status of their team. In the second quarter, the team lit on fire, scoring twice to make it 14-3 at the half. Dantonio’s squad barely took a break, recording two more touchdowns to make it 28-3. With some starters getting breaks amid a four-possession lead, Smith took the field and promptly responded with a pick-six. On his first game back, Smith recorded his only career touchdown.
2017: Damion Terry vs. Washington State
Damion Terry is a callback to the past. Following the graduation of Connor Cook, all eyes turned to the quarterback battle between Tyler O’Connor and Terry. After the dreadful 3-9 2016 campaign, O’Connor graduated. Terry, after not impressing during 2016, was beaten out for the starting spot by Lewerke, who had impressed against Michigan before an injury that previous season. With only a year of eligibility left, Terry stayed as Lewerke’s backup for his final season.
Lewerke led the Spartans to a 9-3 regular season, and the Spartans played in the Holiday Bowl against Washington State. The Spartan offense came out strong (a rarity during the final Dantonio years) and was comfortably ahead 28-3 during the third quarter. The Spartans marched into the red zone, but, following a Lewerke rush, disaster struck. Lewerke had to leave the game with a stinger, leaving him out for the next few plays. Already inside the 10, the Spartans decided to rush their quarterback again. This rush was enough to send the Spartans into the end zone, with Terry getting only the second rushing touchdown of his career.
Considering it came in the back half of a blowout, this play and touchdown fall into my selection as an overlooked Spartan score. If I told you that a Spartan scored a rushing touchdown in the 2017 Holiday Bowl, I’m sure your guesses would be LJ Scott (he had two that night), Brian Lewerke, Madre London, and Gerald Holmes before even thinking of Terry.
This occurred in Terry’s final career game as a player, but he did have a brief coaching career. Terry served as a defensive quality control analyst for Cornell for the 2019 season. Per his LinkedIn profile, he now works with The Boston Beer Company.
While he was not the promised four-star quarterback we expected, Terry had the perfect ending to his career, scoring a touchdown in his last game and succeeding ever since he hung up his cleats.
2018: Matt Coghlin vs. Indiana
Michigan State’s 2018 season was a story of defensive superiority and offensive ineptitude. Following the 10-3 season in 2017, expectations were sky-high for 2018. Lewerke was mentioned as a Heisman dark-horse or potential first-round pick, Kenny Willekes and Joe Bachie were entering their second seasons as full-time starters, and Felton Davis had a catching radius of the entire field. Things quickly derailed, surviving a scare against Utah State (led by future first-rounder Jordan Love) only to fall to Arizona State the next week.
The Spartans, now at 1-1, entered their first conference game trying to get the season on track.
Then this game happened. This game was bizarre. Lewerke had his first career catch, Shakur Brown, a guy most people did not even know of, recorded a pick-six, Jalen Nailor iced the game with a 75-yard jet-sweep to be the leading rusher, the defense had five sacks, and Matt Coghlin ran in a touchdown. Wait, what? You read that right. The leading scorer in Michigan State history is aided by a rushing touchdown.
Michigan State’s 2018 season was a story of defensive superiority and offensive ineptitude. Following the 10-3 season in 2017, expectations were sky-high for 2018. Lewerke was mentioned as a Heisman dark-horse or potential first-round pick, Kenny Willekes and Joe Bachie were entering their second seasons as full-time starters, and Felton Davis had a catching radius of the entire field. Things quickly derailed, surviving a scare against Utah State (led by future first-rounder Jordan Love) only to fall to Arizona State the next week.
The Spartans, now at 1-1, entered their first conference game trying to get the season on track.
Then this game happened. This game was bizarre. Lewerke had his first career catch, Shakur Brown, a guy most people did not even know of, recorded a pick-six, Jalen Nailor iced the game with a 75-yard jet-sweep to be the leading rusher, the defense had five sacks, and Matt Coghlin ran in a touchdown. Wait, what? You read that right. The leading scorer in Michigan State history is aided by a rushing touchdown.
Coghlin would kick the extra point following this play, too, in case you are curious. He became the first Spartan in 60 years to accomplish this feat and finished the season 18-for-22 on field goals along with this one touchdown. He has since become the leading scorer in MSU history and now plays in the USFL.
2018: Darrell Stewart Jr. pass to Brian Lewerke vs. Michigan
Another touchdown against Michigan being labeled as forgettable? The 2016 and 2018 seasons were horrific for Spartan offenses, and the few touchdowns that occurred were unspectacular or happened amid games where the offense had already doomed the team before said touchdown occurred.
This play is neither of those, but the end result of a Michigan victory and humiliation of the Spartans makes it a mention on this list.
Following a Michigan fumble inside their own 10-yard line, the Spartans lined up for second down on the Michigan 4. Lewerke went to adjust the protections, and the Spartans executed a Philly special. Darrell Stewart Jr. threw the ball to a wide-open No. 14 in the end zone to tie the game. This play gave Lewerke a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown against the Wolverines during his career.
Unfortunately, this was the only Spartan score as Lewerke finished 5-for-25 for 66 yards, and the offense only had 94 total yards on the day. As a result, this play and Lewerke touchdown is mostly forgotten about by Spartan fans. The next game, Lewerke was out with an injury, leading to Rocky Lombardi’s debut.
Lewerke would lead the Spartans for the 2019 season as well but never could recapture his 2017 magic. He still finished his career in the top five for Michigan State in passing, passing touchdowns, and total offense. In 2019, Lewerke went undrafted and signed with the New England Patriots before landing on the New York Giants practice squad the next year. He was promoted to the active roster for a game but did not receive a snap. Currently, he plays for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL.
2018: Max Rosenthal vs. Maryland
Following Lombardi’s debut against Purdue, the Spartans traveled to Maryland. Lewerke was ruled healthy enough to play more than just the holder on field goals and received the start.
This game was forgettable in a major sense. Lewerke improved on his numbers against Michigan, but barely. He went 11-for-20 for 87 yards and an interception. Rocky Lombardi got a few reps but went 0-for-2 with an interception. The only way this game was not a Spartan embarrassment was that Connor Heyward had the game of his life at running back. Heyward, who at that time was a full-time running back instead of a utilityman, rushed for 157 yards and a pair of scores. Between his two scores, Heyward broke a tackle and coughed the ball up when lunging for a touchdown. Max Rosenthal had lined up at fullback on the play and was the first to the ball, falling on it in the end zone.
This play gives Rosenthal the weirdest stat line I have seen in a college football game: 0 carries for 0 yards, 0 receptions on 0 targets, 0 return yards, 0 defensive snaps, and one touchdown. The Spartan defense did the brunt of the work the rest of the way, as they held Maryland to three points on the game and Heyward’s second score iced the game.
The Spartans would only win one more game the rest of the year, with losses to Ohio State, Nebraska, and Oregon in their bowl game. Including this game against Maryland, the Spartans gave up 55 total points in their final five games, or 11 points a game. Take out the intentional safety given up against Ohio State, and that number is down to 10.6 points per game. Between Warner and injuries, it is hard to tell which hampered the Spartans more. This amazing defensive year was wasted. Justin Herbert and Penei Sewell’s offense mustered seven total points and still beat the Spartans.
Rosenthal would record one more touchdown as a Spartan, this occurring in a 44-10 defeat at the hands of Michigan the following year. This gives him the distinction of being the last player to score against Michigan in the Dantonio era. Following the arrival of Mel Tucker in 2020 and the removal of the fullback position, Rosenthal transferred to Illinois. He is still there now, being a member of the quality control staff and tight ends, per his X (formerly Twitter) bio.
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