EAST LANSING – Jordan Turner dropped into coverage on the snap, backpedaling into the middle of the Michigan State football defense with his eyes trained on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.
Turner glanced to his right, seeing a double-stack of wide receivers starting their break off the line. Instantly and instinctively, the linebacker sensed what was coming.
Facing third-and-4 early in Saturday’s second quarter, Howard looked and kept his focus to his left. Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka broke to the inside and ran a stop route, parking himself near midfield. Turner and cornerback Charles Brantley broke on the ball before it ever left Howard’s hand.
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But Turner had a half-step on his teammate as both elevated in front of Egbuka, snagging the ball at its peak as they collided and taking off the other direction for a 36-yard return deep into Ohio State territory.
“We worked that drill last week, and coach said I was moving too fast, so I had to slow down,” Turner recalled Tuesday. “The opportunity came, and it was like practice came to the game.”
Michigan State Spartans linebacker Jordan Turner (7) recovers the fumble during the second quarter the NCAA football game against Ohio State University at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Already trailing 10-0, Turner’s pick set the Spartans up for their only score in an eventual 38-7 loss to the Buckeyes. It came four plays after a Jack Velling fumble, allowing Aidan Chiles and the offense to atone with a 12-yard touchdown pass on the next play.
And it showed how much Turner, a Wisconsin transfer from Farmington Hills who opted to play his final season of eligibility at MSU, has made an impact on a linebacker group…
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