EAST LANSING - Michigan State entered its season opener favored to win by more than three touchdowns.
The No. 11 Spartans escaped with a 38-31 victory Friday night after a late rally against Utah State in East Lansing.
"I think our football team has got a dose of reality, in all honesty," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday. "I think that they step back, they probably thought that they were going to come in and play a little better than they did or thought maybe Utah State didn't have the football team maybe that they did - a combination of one or the other.