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Michigan's late comeback not enough as MSU wins in overtime
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After being totally outplayed for 3 1/2 quarters, Michigan/s No. 22-ranked football team came up with a last-ditch rally to score two touchdowns in the 4:03 to tie Michigan State, 20-20, Saturday in the annual rivalry between the state’s top teams in East Lansing.
Michigan State won the game in overtime, 26-20.
Quarterback Tate Forcier, who led the comeback bid, threw an interception on Michigan’s OT possession and freshman Larry Caper twisted his way for 23 yards to score the game-winning touchdown for Michigan State.
It was the first loss of the season for Michigan in the first road game for the Wolverines, 4-1. Michigan State broke a three-game losing streak and improved to 2-3. Both teams are 1-1 in Big Ten conference play.
Despite the comeback, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez saw no reason for Michigan to celebrate.
“This one hurts,” he said. “We had a chance to win and we didn‘t execute. That was the story all day. We couldn‘t get into a rhythm.”
Michigan led the Big Ten in total offense and rushing offense before the game began but was held without a touchdown until there was just 4:03 left to play.
Michigan ran for just 28 yards on 28 carries. In the first half the Wolverines had minus-yardage rushing. Michigan State had 197 yards rushing.
Michigan had 251 yards of total offense to just 417 for the Spartans. MSU had the ball for more than 39 minutes, the Wolverines for just over 20 minutes.
“I was real proud of our guys,” said Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio. “I thought we outplayed them but that Forcier made things a little scary for us.”
A question about whether these were “the same old Spartans” a team with a history of blowing leads and not being able to finish games was not addressed by the coach.
“We knew what we had to do in overtime,” he said.
Michigan trailed 20-6 when the Wolverines took over with 4:49 to play. Michigan’s first touchdown came on a 60-yard pass from Forcier to Darryl Stonum. Stonum caught five passes for 97 yards.
Michigan got the ball back after a three-and-out by MSU, with 2:53 remaining and no timeouts left from their own nine-yard-line. It had been raining intermittently throughout the afternoon but at this point it was coming down hard. Forcier drove the Wolverines 91 yards in 13 plays.
The final play was a nine-yard scoring pass to Roy Roundtree on a crossing pattern with two seconds to play.
In the overtime MSU won the coin toss and Michigan took over. Forcier ran for five yards on the first play and he hit Martavious Odoms for six yards and a first down on the next play. Two plays later, Chris Rucker made a diving interception in the end zone.
On Michigan State’s first play in overtime, Glenn Winston fumbled a wet football and recovered, losing nine yards. Two players later, Caper was running toward the end zone.
“We were looking for a field goal and we wanted him to run to the center of the field but I looked up and he‘s going all the way,” said Dantonio. “It was a great thing to see.”
Michigan State was looking to veteran kicker, Brent Swenson, but he was not needed.
Michigan took a 3-0 lead less than three minutes into the game when Michigan safety Stevie Brown intercepted a Kirk Cousins pass and the Wolverines capitalized on a 36-yard field goal.
Michigan State then took command, driving 80 yards in 17 plays and taking up much of the first quarter as Caper ended the drive with a one-yard scoring run.
"I think that might have set the tone,” said Dantonio. “What we wanted to do was control the football.”
They controlled it and held off a hard-charging Michigan football team.
Michigan travels to unbeaten Iowa next week for its first night game of the season.
For more info: mgoblue, ESPN, Big Ten Conference, Detroit News
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