Maryland football’s tough schedule to ends the season continues, as the Terps head to East Lansing to face No. 17 Michigan State. To get the scoop on the Spartans, we talked with Colton Wood, a football beat reporter for Michigan State’s The State News. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Michigan State struggled a lot last year, for really the first time in Mark Dantonio’s tenure. This year, things are back to normal. What went wrong for the Spartans in 2016, and what’s gone right in 2017?

What really went wrong in 2016 was that the Spartans struggled in close games. This season, that narrative has changed, and MSU has been the victors more times than not in hard-fought games. In 2017, the Spartans have a team that relies a lot on its youth more than it has in past seasons. The young, inexperienced players knew entering the season they had to step up. They have answered to the challenge and have rarely shown “rookie mistakes” this year. The defense, which lost several key players after last season, has been impressive and has kept the Spartans in games when it could have gotten out of hand if they let opponents run over them offensively.

Michigan State has made a habit of winning close games this season. How have the Spartans eked out so many narrow victories? Is that something they can sustain going forward?

The Spartans’ ability to finish as the victor in several of their closely contested games this season mostly traces to the big-time performances from the team’s offense. Six games this season have been decided by just one possession, and five of those have been wins for the Spartans.

In several of those contests, quarterback Brian Lewerke orchestrated quick and effective scoring drives in the closing moments of the game. Most recently, the sophomore signal-caller led a 10-play, 53-yard drive that set up a Matt Coghlin field goal with just seconds left on the clock against then-No. 7 Penn State on Nov. 4. The kick split the uprights, and MSU squeaked out an upset.

This is the first year Brian Lewerke has been the regular starter for the Spartans. How does he compare to Tyler O’Connor, last year’s main signal-caller?

Had the Spartans not struggled throughout last season, Tyler O’Connor would have been the Spartans’ quarterback throughout 2016. But with the team looking to find answers, they constantly rotated quarterbacks, thus giving Lewerke game-time experience. This opportunity seemed to have paid off, as Lewerke has shown flashes of brilliance this season, something Spartan fans didn’t get to see last year.

A difference between Lewerke and O’Connor is that Lewerke seemingly has remained calm under pressure and set his team up for success. MSU wasn’t able to win the close games last season, but this season, with exception of the triple-overtime loss to Northwestern, MSU has managed to finish out on top in close games. Statistically, however, both quarterbacks match up very similarly.

The Spartans run defense has been one of the best in the country this season. What makes that unit so tough for opposing backs? What should Maryland fans expect from Ty Johnson and co. on Saturday?

While this team is young, the linebacker corps is one of the most experienced units for MSU and have been the root cause of trouble for opposing running backs. After last season, only one starter was lost, while six letter-winners returned. Stopping the run has always been a priority for MSU for several years now, and they have prided themselves on that. This season, the Spartans have held six of their 10 opponents under 100 yards rushing.

For Maryland fans hoping to see a huge rushing performance headed by Ty Johnson, I wouldn’t hold my breath, but it will be interesting to see how MSU’s run defense responds after being scorched by Ohio State last weekend.

Michigan State will win this game if…

The Spartans can generate offensive momentum and not allow drives to stall out by making poor decisions or turning the ball over.

Maryland will win this game if…

MSU commits turnovers and the Terrapins can convert those takeaways into points.