EAST LANSING, Mich. — Sae Tautu wasted no time making is impact in BYU’s convincing 31-14 win over Michigan State Saturday in Spartan Stadium.
Suspended for the first half of the MSU game for targeting in BYU’s win over Toledo, he took to the field in the third quarter with the Cougars trailing 7-3.
Tautu sacked Spartan quarterback Tayler O’Connor, blowing up Michigan State’s first possession of the second half. Then, on MSU’s second possession, he did it again, forcing the Spartans to give back the ball and essentially forcing MSU coaches to replace O’Connor with backup Damion Terry, who threw a devastating interception to BYU’s Michael Davis at a critical juncture of the game.
“He was frustrated having to sit out part of that Toledo game and then missing the first half of this one,” said BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.
“So, when he finally came in after the half, he was hungry. He made big plays.”
BYU’s defense, which switched defensive end Harvey Langi to middle linebacker where injured Butch Pau'u vacated, limited Michigan State to just 206 total yards, just 85 of it on the ground. It was the fewest yards gained by a Michigan State team since Nebraska in 2011.
For his short work in one half, Tautu ended up leading the Cougar defense with Fred Warner in tackles with 6, three of them solo. His sacks totaled 9 yards in losses.
The interception by Davis was his first of his career as a Cougar corner.
“I thought our offense and defensive lines controlled the line of scrimmage throughout this game,” said Sitake. “I think that was a key to this win, is how they got physical and took control. Our leaders stepped up and took control of this game in the second half.”
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