MSU Football: Is it time Payton Thorne Starts At Quarterback?

Rocky Lombardi's status hasn't been updated, but even if he can go next week, it might be time to look elsewhere.

East Lansing, MI – Redshirt freshman Payton Thorne replaced Rocky Lombardi late in the second quarter after he went down with an injury.

It's tough to say he faced the same pressure his teammate did, considering Ohio State led 28-0, and the Spartans hadn't come close to threatening the Buckeyes. 

However, Thorne moved the ball, giving life to a Michigan State offense that had already punted five times, and allowed a zero-yard pick-six following a tipped Lombardi pass in the endzone.

"Payton (Thorne) did some good things," said Mel Tucker. "Obviously, we able to move the ball. We weren't able to sustain drives consistently, but we were able to move the ball in spurts … But spurts are not going to get it."

He connected on 16 of his 25 passes for 147 yards, including a throw to Jayden Reed that went 55-yards and the lone touchdown of the day – a 20-yard score using his legs.

The offense moved better with Thorne on Saturday than it did Lombardi, there's no denying it, but most of the trips came up empty.

"That's what it comes down to on offense. If you don't score on offense, who cares if you have 500 yards, if you only score 10-points … you can rack up as many yards as you want, but if you aren't scoring, then you aren't doing anything."

Lombardi's status hasn't been updated, but even if he can go next week, it's time to hand the reins to Thorne against Penn State.

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