Opinion: It's time for MSU to explore QB options beyond Payton Thorne

Michigan State football has its fair share of flaws on both sides of the ball, but the time has come to address the quarterback.

The Spartans’ defense did about as well as they could against Michigan’s offense this past Saturday night, forcing a fumble on the Wolverines’ first possession and holding U-M to four field goals inside the red zone.

However, Michigan State’s offense did not capitalize on the chances that the defense gave them by forcing the Wolverines to consistently settling for three points. Instead, the Spartan offense routinely ended up going ‘three-and-out’, particularly in the second half.

Part of the blame can be put on offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, especially in short yardage situations. But, redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne made poor reads throughout the night, which was a major contributor to Michigan State’s ineptitude in Ann Arbor.

Thorne has lost the consistency that he had last year. Yes, the redshirt junior has dealt with minor injuries throughout the year, but that’s not a good excuse for every game. Furthermore, MSU was coming off a bye week, and Thorne should have felt as healthy as he has since the end of Week 1.

Thorne has a tendency to stare down receivers, allowing opponents to close in faster on his intended target. He doesn’t fool the defense with his eyes, and doesn’t look to keep the ball and run on option plays. One of the responsibilities of the quarterback is to get the offense in the best play call based on what he sees from the defense, but Thorne has often checked plays at the line that have ended up in negative or zero sum plays.

Thorne is a captain of the team and isn’t going to lose his starting job this season. However, Michigan State needs to hold an open competition for the job this spring and into fall camp, even with Thorne likely returning for his final year of eligibility.

For how talented the wide receiver room is, Michigan State needs a quarterback that will consistently deliver them the ball on time and on target. While senior Jayden Reed will be off to the NFL draft, the Spartans will 9presumingly) return sophomore Keon Coleman, freshman Germie Bernard and redshirt-junior Tre Mosley.

The Spartans must win three of their final four games to reach the 6-6 mark of bowl eligibility. That’s a tall task with games against No. 14 Illinois and No. 16 Penn State still to come.

If Michigan State is ineligible for a bowl before the Penn State game, Mel Tucker should start Noah Kim or Katin Houser for the remainder of the season. If the Spartans are still in contention for a bowl berth, then you let Thorne ride out the season.

With the transfer portal lurking now, giving Houser playing time is something Michigan State’s coaching staff should really consider. If he were to depart, that would be a bad look for MSU considering that Houser is easily the highest-rated prospect among the Spartans’ quarterback options.

Thorne may have another year of eligibility, but next season the program is better suited with Houser. Making the switch would be a statement that Tucker’s regime has overturned Mark Dantonio’s roster for good.