ANN ARBOR - Brian Lewerke left his debut in the rivalry against Michigan last year with a broken leg.

Given a second chance at the Wolverines, the redshirt sophomore quarterback departed Ann Arbor with a few bumps and bruises but, more importantly, a win.

Lewerke helped lead Michigan State (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) to a 14-10 upset against No. 7 Michigan (4-1, 1-1) on Saturday night.

"Definitely the best win I've ever had, probably in my life, high school or college career," Lewerke said. "Very fun."

One week after taking a step forward in his development with a win against Iowa, Lewerke made another leap by securing his first road victory with the Spartans. He finished with a season-low in total yardage (155), but also recorded his second straight turnover-free performance - this time in poor conditions - after struggling with ball security the first three games of the fall.

"I thought he played extremely well, just being a leader on the field," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said.

Lewerke finished 11-for-22 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown and led Michigan State in rushing with 15 carries for 61 yards and a score. Michigan entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation in both total defense and rushing defense.

"They're very solid," Lewerke said of Michigan's defense. "They definitely deserve the attention that they're getting. They did a good job of getting pressure on the quarterback.

"I'm not going to shy away from scrambling, I'm not going to shy away from running the ball. I took some pretty good shots today, too. Obviously, I'm not going to shy away from any of that."

Following a Michigan fumble, Lewerke led a six-play, 46-yard scoring drive late in the first quarter as he split the middle of the Wolverine defense and dove into the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Spartans a 7-3 lead.

"His ability to run the ball just creates plays for our offense that we haven't had in the past and really gets us out of situations that we put ourselves into," Michigan State senior center Brian Allen said. "It's awesome to see him save us really when things go wrong and it's awesome the confidence he has as a redshirt sophomore."

Lewerke pushed the Michigan State lead to 14-3 midway through the second quarter when he threw a screen pass to Madre London for a 16-yard touchdown. That proved to be all the scoring the Spartans needed as they went without a point in the second half for the second straight week, but still won the game.

Heavy rain and wind swept through Michigan Stadium in the second half and the Wolverines finished with five turnovers. The Spartans, meanwhile, had none.

"I was just trying my best not to turn the ball over," Lewerke said, "because I knew if we gave them good field position it might be a different ball game."

Michigan quarterback John O'Korn threw a trio of second-half interceptions in poor conditions while Michigan State opted to keep the ball mostly on the ground. Dantonio said it was "smart," not conservative, play calling as the Spartans had just two first downs in the second half.

"My dad had told me before the game to score as many points as you can in the first half," Lewerke said, "because the second half you're not going to be able to pass the ball."

There were a few close calls for Lewerke, including late in the fourth quarter as Michigan State was attempting to ice the game. Facing third-and-3, Lewerke fumbled the snap before scooping it up, running to his left and picking up the first down, partially aided by rolling over the top of Allen.

"It was a quarterback-designed run so I knew where I was supposed to go, I knew I had blockers on that side," Lewerke said, "so I was just trying my best to get a first down."

Allen was focused on his own assignment and didn't realize Lewerke fumbled the ball at first.

"He wasn't out there at the right time so at first I thought, maybe it was a bad snap - it was wet," Allen said. "I saw on the scoreboard (he fumbled) then I asked him and he laughed about it."

Lewerke appeared in four games last year (two starts) as the broken leg against Michigan cut his season short. Now five games into this season, he has completed 61.3 percent of his passes (95-for-155) for 1,057 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He also leads Michigan State in rushing at 61.8 yards per game with 53 carries for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

"I think as each game goes," he said, "I'm getting more comfortable just with everything."