Michigan State pulled off a bit of a surprise result, defeating perennial Big 10 power Ohio State 20-17.

The Spartans win was something of an upset but not a massive one as Ohio State had shown itself to be a little bit vulnerable. They had escaped in a couple of close games and not really been consistent enough to be a sure bet.

And the chickens came home to roost against a hard-nosed Michigan State team that wanted to make a statement. In fact, they think this isn't the statement they want to make.

"We have so much potential," said MSU Head Coach Jim Rogers. "We haven’t put a full game together yet. This was a good win, but we are capable of so much more."

Flyhalf Lucas Ring and inside center Lucas Koefelda   were very effective in getting through the Ohio State line and played strong defense.

"Ring does such a good job directing the team as our 10, as well as his leadership role as our captain," said Rogers.

Fullback Tom Downey, hooker Caleb Drenner, and rookie flanker Miles Bell showed well also.

Still the game came down to the end. Eduardo Ferdinandi came off the bench to play wing and he was tabbed to take the penalty goal at the end of the game, and he coolly slotted it for the win.

The win puts Michigan at 2-0 but they are not in 1st in the Big 10 East because Ohio State, at 2-1, has more bonus points. MSU will need to beat or tie Michigan to take 1st. A loss with a bonus point will do the job, too. If Michigan wins and scores four tries and MSU gets no bonus point they could concede second to the Wolverines.

Michigan State now sits in 1st due to the head-to-head tiebreaker over Ohio State (which sits 2-1). The Big 10 does not use the bonus point system. Now they face Michigan and a Wolverine win would leave all three teams—Buckeyes, Spartans, Wolverines—at 2-1. At that point the tiebreaker could break any way. If Michigan State were to lose to Michigan by more than three but less than 26, Ohio State would likely be first (as we figure it). A big win for Michigan would put them over the top.

A win or tie for Michigan State clinches the #1 seed for MSU.

"We aren’t worrying about first in the East much," said Rogers. "We’re thinking about Michigan. The Battle for the Mitten is always tough with emotions always running so high. They’re playing well, so we just need to stick to our game plan and maintain possession.