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FINAL: Michigan State drops third straight with 27-13 loss to Maryland

Struggling in all three phases, Michigan State looked completely out of sorts in a 27-13 loss to Maryland.

The Spartans certainly had some good moments. A goal line stand at the beginning of the third quarter and a couple of efficient drives from the offense provided glimpses of hope. However, the team failed to generate any sort of momentum following positive plays. It seemed as though every good play was matched with at least one misstep.

Defensively, the Spartans were a tad better than their last game against Minnesota, but they still allowed Maryland to convert eight of 17 attempts (the defense also gave up a couple of fourth downs). Offensively, Michigan State completed seven of 14 third down attempts, with multiple three-and-outs.

After a solid first half, redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne went completely silent in the second half. Racking up 180 passing yards and a touchdown in the first 30 minutes, he finished with just 221 yards, completing 26 of 42 attempts.

The first half was extremely sloppy for Michigan State. While yards and time of possession were relatively equal for the two teams, a handful of miscues from MSU played a large part in Maryland’s 21-13 lead. Holding penalties on the offensive line stalled out two separate drives and the special teams botched an extra point attempt and missed two field goals, leaving seven points off the board.

While the first half wasn’t pretty, it could’ve been much worse for Michigan State. With under a minute left in the second quarter, Thorne threw a pick-six. Luckily for the Spartans, a personal foul penalty wiped the play off the board.

After a somewhat hot start, Michigan State’s offense went ice-cold in the second half. With a few three-and-outs, MSU finished with just eight total yards in the third quarter. The unit found a bit of life in the later half of the fourth quarter, moving 65 yards down the field on its second drive of the quarter. Following a few overthrows, Thorne tried to pick up the first down with his legs on fourth-and-ten, but he was well short of the line to gain and the offense turned over on downs.

While Maryland’s offense wasn’t quite as efficient in the second half, a pair of field goals gave the Terrapins plenty of breathing room.

Michigan State returns home next weekend to face No. 3 Ohio State.

March For Our Lives joins Michigan politicians to discuss midterm voting

March For Our Lives and local activist groups jointly hosted a ‘Protect our Future’ rally at the Michigan Capitol Building on Sept. 30 to promote voting rights and to discuss the issues at stake on the ballot in November’s midterm election.

David Hogg, gun control activist and co-founder of March For Our Lives, served as one of the main speakers at the rally, where he spoke about the issues that young people care about and how, he said, they are often overlooked by politicians.

March for Our Lives is a movement that was born out of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. in 2018. Since then, the group has been advocating for “civic engagement, education and direct action by youth to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence,” according to their website.

March for Our Lives was joined by RISE to Vote on Friday – a group centered around registering and encouraging people to vote.

Young people being the smallest group of voters means that the issues that young people tend to care most about are often the most unrepresented by elected officials, Friday’s speakers said.

November’s election will also be the first election to be held since Michigan’s voting districts were redrawn.

This is a historic election in Michigan because for the first time in Michigan, people will decide that the majority of the legislature is not the politicians.” Michigan Senator Curtis Hertel.

Often overlooked, MSU physics and astronomy offer plenty to undergraduates

The physics and astronomy department at Michigan State University is home to renowned and nationally-ranked astrophysics and astronomy programs. However, it’s an often overlooked portion of what the university has to offer.

Researchers from across the world converge in East Lansing to be a part of MSU’s team. One of the department’s main draws is the diversity of research within it.

Research opportunities aren’t restricted to post-graduate students or professionals either. MSU is known to offer undergraduates the chance to take part.

Astrophysics senior and MSU Astronomy Club Vice President Shane Painter cites the MSU Observatory Research Program, or MORP.

In addition to research, Painter said the MSU Astronomy Club is another great program to help potential astronomers land jobs.

However, its not the student clubs and research opportunities that have made the public take notice of MSU Physics-Astronomy in recent years.

The 2021 film Don’t Look Up featured fictional MSU astronomers warning the world of their impending doom and what they can do to stop it, much the planet’s demise.

Although there are some jokes in the movie about MSU not being very well known, research associate Elias Aydi said that the astronomy and physics department has a leading role in the sciences, especially in nuclear physics.

Despite those inaccurate jokes, he thinks the movie was a net gain for the department.

Some students are less positive about the outcomes of the movie, such as MSU astronomy club Vice President Shane Painter and MSU Astronomy Club president Matthew Bartnik.

“It was misleading in the sense that it portrayed a very linear mindset in regards to astronomy and research at MSU, when in fact we do a lot more than just observe comets and meteors,” Painter said in an email.

As some astronomy students prepare for their futures beyond the education they have received at MSU, they will continue to hold their undergraduate beginnings in East Lansing close to their hearts.

Based on original reporting by Alex Faber, Jaden Beard and Maggie George.