Michigan State football's Rocky Lombardi explains why Michigan game means more to Spartans
Rocky Lombardi said he does not look at point spreads.
Still, being a 25-point underdog against rival Michigan football raised the eyebrows of Michigan State football's new starting quarterback.
"(Twenty-five) points seems to be a little bit of a stretch for me," the junior said Tuesday on a video call. "I don't even really look at that stuff, honestly. ... If we can take it one play at a time and execute each play the way we're supposed to, we'll go out there and have a productive day. And hopefully we'll win the game.
"So really, it doesn't matter what the odds are. It matters, can we execute every play to the best of our abilities, and can we keep moving the ball forward?"
The Spartans and Wolverines kick off at noon Saturday in Ann Arbor (Fox). U-M has won the last two meetings and three of the past four. MSU's last win was during Lombardi's true freshman year in 2017.
"It means more to us than other games because we're in-state," Lombardi said. "It's for the pride of the state, it's for the pride of the university. Two great universities coming together and competing to see who's the best."
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football's Rocky Lombardi: Why Michigan game means more
