Michigan State football has a case of the drops, but here's how they are trying to fix it

EAST LANSING — Michigan State football quarterback Brian Lewerke remained resolute while taking questions on Tuesday about his receivers dropping passes. MSU receivers have dropped 24 passes this season, the most in the BIg Ten, according to Pro Football Focus.

But Lewerke didn’t bite. 

“Sometimes guys drop passes, but sometimes I have to put the ball in a better spot,” he said.

[ Dantonio preaches MSU must 'drive forward' after consecutive losses ]

Coming off a brutal two-week stretch offensively, where the Spartans scored just 10 points total on the road against top-10 opponents Ohio State and Wisconsin, the players said drops were a focus during their bye week. MSU hosts No. 6 Penn State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC). 

“You can’t think about that (during the game) because if you’re thinking about that, you’re going to mess up the next one,” senior tight end Matt Seybert said. “If that happens, you’ve just gotta think that you’re the man regardless and you’re going to catch the next one and look for the next opportunity to make up for it.”

Bye weeks are often a time for reflection with no specific opponent to game plan for. A struggling offense like MSU's can work on themselves and improving small aspects of the game.

“For us as wide receivers, making more explosive plays, catching the ball, and doing what we can do,” senior wideout Darrell Stewart said.

The mental errors, whether they are dropped passes or mixed blocks, that MSU has had in the last two games have been uncharacteristic for a program that built itself largely on playing more disciplined than the opponent. 

“The team that makes the least mistakes usually wins,” Stewart said.

Seybert said the key to working past mental errors is a short memory.

“With missed assignments and things like that, during the game if that ever happens you’ve gotta forget about it and move on to the next one,” he said. “Then in the film room, when you’re watching film, don’t make the same mistake again next week.”

More on Spartans:MSU returns to grind against another top-10 team in Penn State

Coach Mark Dantonio said he retains confidence in his pass catchers.

“You've got to have confidence and you're just not dropping, sometimes it's going to happen and sometimes it's a pass break up or maybe a little high or whatever, but you have to make some catches,” he said. “We've had some drops but also had some great catches. I know everybody hates to hear me say it, but I'm going to stay positive with our guys and believe in them. I think that's the best thing that I can do.”

Lewerke said his best tactic for dealing with dropped passes is to remind his wideouts that he has confidence in them.

“You address it and make sure people know it’s a thing,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve made a ton of mental mistakes that need to be fixed. The good part about it is that they’re easily fixable. It just takes more focus from guys.”

Lewerke, Seybert and Stewart used the word “trust” in describing the relationship between the quarterbacks and pass catchers. 

“I feel like we have good trust,” Seybert said. “I know we’ve had a few problems with drops as a team, but the trust is there for sure. … You’ve gotta forget about the bad stuff and know that good stuff is coming.”