Michigan State gets shot to reshape perception in return to Ann Arbor

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke was sitting on a couch in his buddy’s basement for what he considers one of his favorite memories as a Spartan.

Lewerke was a true freshman waiting his turn in 2015 when Michigan State last made the 65-mile drive to Ann Arbor to play Michigan. He wasn’t on the travel list. So the West Coast native found a friend with a big projector screen in East Lansing and joined a couple dozen others for his introduction to the hostile, in-state rivalry game. He was ready to slink back upstairs, depressed by a loss, when Jalen Watts-Jackson returned the most memorable blocked punt in recent history.

“I started jumping on the couch and nearly…