Solari: Michigan State's strong second half fails to stop skid
Spartans leave points on the board in frustrating loss to rival Wolverines
EAST LANSING – Michigan State gave itself a chance.
But that’s not enough in college football. Just ask Michigan about last year.
The Spartans rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, holding the second-ranked Wolverines to just a field goal for most of Saturday’s second half and trailing by just 7 points with 1 second left.
But MSU also squandered a number of other opportunities en route to a 32-23 loss, its first loss to rival U-M since 2012 and its first home loss to the Wolverines since 2007.
“We keep facing those same issues and like I said, there is no moral victories and there are missed opportunities and things like that,” senior quarterback Tyler O’Connor said. “But we just have to keep overcoming, keep teaching people and wherever this season leads us.”
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It’s the fifth-straight loss to open Big Ten play for MSU (2-6 overall). It’s the longest losing streak of coach Mark Dantonio’s 13-year career as a head coach. It’s also the Spartans’ first six-game skid since losing eight in a row between the last game of the 1981 season and the beginning of 1982. MSU also is 0-5 in the conference for the first time since an 0-5 start to the 1980 season.
“It is as high as it can be,” co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said of the Spartans’ frustration level. “Nobody likes losing, especially with the success that we’ve had around here. It’s not an easy pill to swallow.”
MSU travels to Illinois next week needing four wins in its final four games to reach a bowl game.
Saturday wasn’t the blowout many projected. But the Spartans missed a number of chances for more points in a game that could have helped make it four-straight wins over Michigan.
MSU converted just one of three fourth-down attempts, two of them in the second half, and missed a field-goal try with 10:43 left in the fourth quarter while trailing by 20 points.
“When you play a good football team, you can’t miss on opportunities. You have to make good on opportunities,” Dantonio said. “A lot of that is play-calling, a lot of that is my decision-making. A lot of that is execution. That’s why I always say it’s all inclusive. It’s all inclusive. But at the end, I’m proud of our guys, I’m proud that we came out to play.”
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O’Connor started and finished the game at quarterback for MSU. Both Damion Terry and Brian Lewerke got a chance to play in the fourth quarter. However, both left with injuries.
Terry exited with an upper-body injury following a big hit by three Wolverines defenders. Michael Geiger missed a field goal to squander Terry’s lone drive. Lewerke threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Monty Madaris after replacing Terry. On his next drive, though, Lewerke had to be helped off without applying pressure on his left leg after being twisted awkwardly on a fourth-down sack by Jabrill Peppers.
“I wanted the other two quarterbacks who are coming back next year to have a taste of this football game,” said Dantonio, who did not reveal the extent or severity of either injury.
O’Connor returned for MSU’s final drive, leading the Spartans to a TD in 36 seconds. His 5-yard lob to Donnie Corley in the end zone made it 30-23 with 1 second to play.
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MSU went for the 2-point conversion down just 7 points. O’Connor’s option pitch bounced off Gerald Holmes’ shoulder, and Peppers picked it up and returned it for 2 points for Michigan.
“I’m going to keep scratching for every inch and every point we can get,” Dantonio said, adding that MSU wouldn’t have been able to advance an onside kick anyway and time would have run out.
O’Connor directed a strong opening drive. The Spartans powered the ball 75 yards in a 12-play show of force. LJ Scott carried the ball on 10 of those plays and caught a pass on another, punctuating it with a 5-yard scoring run off left end.
Scott finished with a season-high 139 yards rushing.
After Peppers scored Michigan’s first TD to close an eight-play, 80-yard dissection, MSU continued to move the ball on its second drive. However, it stalled at Michigan’s 38 and the Spartans were stopped on fourth-and-1 when Peppers swooped in, grabbed Holmes by the waist and whipped him to the ground for no gain.
O’Connor started the third quarter at QB after ending the half with an interception that led to a U-M field goal. He moved the Spartans to Michigan’s 2-yard line, where they ran the ball four straight times. Scott lost 2 yards on fourth-and-goal as MSU turned the ball over on downs.
“We wanted to finish a game and play tough all four quarters, and I think you saw that from the defense,” senior linebacker Riley Bullough said. “I think if we could have played a better first half, there could have been a different outcome.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.
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