Spartan Football Essentials: Surviving a Slow Start & 3rd Down Struggles to Restate History
Offense
Before Kenneth Walker ran to the front of the Heisman Trophy race he ran right to the front of the Michigan State history books. Walker’s five-score day came from 197-yards off 23 tough carries. It included a 58-yard score, and three catches for 11-yards. No player in the history of the Michigan St.-Michigan game cemented his legacy quicker than Walker did today. If someone walking out of Spartan Stadium immediately began work on a temporary Walker statue, it would not be a surprise. Walker delivered it all in front of a national audience today against one of the better defenses around.
Things didn’t start well for the MSU offense. Payton Thorne’s first interception was more like a perfectly placed punt, but did seem to rattle him a little bit. Thorne might have pressed for a while, suffered a second interception after a deflection, but he did find a way to settle down and regain any lost composure. Thorne knew they’d play all 60-minutes today, and that MSU could not come back if their quarterback completely lost his cool.
Thorne and company shook off some bye week rust in the second quarter, then got things going to score 37 points. There were very few that thought MSU could score 37 on Michigan, but many that felt that MSU’s best chances to win would be found north of 30-points. While Walker scored all five touchdowns for MSU, it was a team effort on that side of the ball to get MSU over a hump that looked too big to climb over for most of the day.
Thorne spread the ball out to seven different receivers. Though none of them scored, that stat highlights some of the things Thorne did best today. He did a better than good job at the line of scrimmage. He stuck with his line as they struggled through penalties and big plays from the fine and physical Michigan front. And Thorne seemed to know that no offense could survive all of that, even with an elite back like Walker, without competent and measured play from their quarterback when it was needed most. Thorne did his part to steady the waters, then Walker took off and exploded to make history.
Defense
Once again, no unit on this football team was stretched and strained like the Spartan defense. Once again, they bent, more than they would’ve liked, but did not break. Michigan State could not have outscored the Wolverines 23-10 in the second half without the final stands and closing turnover from this defense. It took every player, coach, and adjustments at halftime to slow down a Michigan offense that scored 23 in the first half.
The defense had Michigan into a third and 5 after Thorne’s first interception, but the first bout of adversity struck fast. East Lansing native Andrel Anthony caught a perfect pass in stride and sprinted for a 93-yard touchdown. Anthony had a memorable breakout day in his hometown for the Blue, but even a second touchdown reception on a third down and 155 yards for the day was not enough to break the Spartan defense.
The Spartans’ hopes looked grim for a long time because Michigan converted so many third downs. Michigan converted five of their first nine, and 8-of-17 for the day. But MSU found a way to get off the field when it mattered most, stopping Michigan on four of the final six third downs. The sixth Michigan conversion put them up 30-14. The tide turned Green from there.
The defense gave up 333 yards in the first half but did pretty well when put in some difficult spots. The biggest thing was that the Spartan defense kept the game from getting out of hand. They kept MSU in it, and absolutely saved their best for the finish.
Special Teams
Though rain wasn’t much of a factor during the game, the weather did seem to matter. It looked like a number of fair catches were weather related. While this unit didn’t make a lot of big plays today, they did avoid the big mistake that can be so costly when you’re trying to come from behind.
Both teams looked a tad cautious with a wet ball and field. Michigan found a way to make four field goals, but also bobbled a punt snap that some will see as the warning sign that this game was about to tip from Blue to Green. While MSU seemed more content to secure possession, Michigan did get 96-return yards, giving this the Spartans’ special teams unit something to work on as they start preparation for Purdue.
Intangibles
Michigan State had home field advantage, but Michigan created the more essential on-field momentum with the perfect pass play and sprint to start the game’s scoring. That start laid out the kind of day it would be for Michigan State. It was never going to be easy. You didn’t need a computer model to know the likelihood of an MSU come back from a 30-14 midway through the third was low. Good thing Spartan football was prepared to play all 60 minutes, and considers it a fundamental piece of their program’s culture.
At best, Michigan State could try to turn the game into a shootout and find a way to steal one. In reality, that’s exactly what they found. They got there by their commitment to play every down and taking advantage of killer Michigan turnovers late. They got there with every rep from the offseason through the final seconds of their history-making comeback to end October. And yet, in many ways it feels like things are just getting started for the Mel Tucker era of Spartan football.
Michigan now has a one-game edge over Michigan State in the modern era of this rivalry. Once again, this one day out of 365 reminds both sides just how hard these siblings compete against each other on every single day of the year. This Spartan victory already stands out among 100-plus battles between the two. But as we all know, “It’s never over. It’s just getting started.”
Extra Points
If there were any doubters left, they’ve got to be pretty darn quiet now. For all the shot-callers and talking heads that questioned Mel Tucker’s 2021 Spartans, they have been served. Claims of MSU being untested, overrated, and unworthy, went into the mist as the Spartans came back from 30-14 to win this instant classic, 37-33. Tucker pulled MSU through the trenches of deep water to become the first Spartan head coach to start 2-0 against Michigan. That’s no small feat, just ask Paul Bunyan.
