3 Up, 3 Down: Game-winning drive lifts Michigan State over Indiana
In a back-and-forth battle between the Big Ten East division's bottom-dwellers, Michigan State landed the final blow with a clutch touchdown drive in the final four minutes to knockout Indiana, 24-21, and bring the Old Brass Spittoon back to East Lansing.
The Spartans improve to 4-7 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten play, giving interim head coach Harlon Barnett his second career win and avoiding a last-place finish in the division. Here are three positive and three negative takeaways from today's game...
Three Up
1.) Montorie Foster, Maliq Carr carry the offense
Michigan State had its most productive passing games of Big Ten play with Montorie Foster and Maliq Carr leading the way. Foster, the senior wide receiver, was particularly effective, dicing up the Hoosiers to the tune of seven catches for 93 yards. He also had a sick one-handed grab and turned it into a touchdown by spinning away from one tackler, and running through a weak attempt at a strip from another for a 29-yard score.
Meanwhile, Carr was a major part of the game plan today, and finally got to see the player who has been billed as a weapon and mismatch for the past two years. The redshirt junior tight end had three catches for 27 yards on MSU's first possession, which was capped by a 17-yard touchdown reception for Carr. The junior finished the day with eight catches for 88 yards, and he added the game-winning touchdown on Michigan State's final drive. Carr could have had an even more productive performance had his touchdown reception on a flea-flicker not been overturned by an illegal shift penalty.
2.) Michigan State's final drive
After surrendering the lead with four minutes to play, Michigan State mounted an eight-play, 75-yard drive in just one minute and 19 seconds to retake the lead and ultimately win the game. The drive featured a little bit of everything — a fourth-down completion from Houser to Carr to keep the Spartans alive, a big scramble up the middle from Houser to put MSU in scoring position, and another huge completion downfield to Carr, who absorbed a massive hit and stayed on his feet to lumber into the endzone.
On top of the drive winning the game for Michigan State, it's also great experience for Houser, who will have confidence in his ability to lead the Spartans down the field as his career continues. The offensive unit has taken a lot of lumps this season, but they came through in the clutch today.
3.) Punter Ryan Eckley
After an inconsistent start to the season, punter Ryan Eckley has really come into his own over the past several weeks. Today, the freshman was outstanding, averaging 51 yards per punt on four attempts, including three which were downed inside Indiana's 15 yard line and one downed at the one yard line. Eckley had the unenviable task of replacing All-American punter Bryce Baringer this season, and after splitting time with Michael O'Shaughnessy for the punting duties, he's looked like the long-term option for the Spartans.
Three Down
1.) Short-yardage situations
Another week, another complete failure from Michigan State's offense in short-yardage situations. All of people, myself included, have pointed the finger at offensive coordinator Jay Johnson's play-calling on 3rd- or 4th-and-short plays, and while that's warranted, this is mostly about a complete lack of push from the Spartans' offensive line. Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic deserves just as much blame here as Johnson. Outside of Kenneth Walker, the Spartans have not had an effective run game for four years, and even with Walker this program struggled in short-yardage.
Michigan State's run production was as anemic as ever again today, totaling just 72 yards on 34 rushes (2.1 yards per carry). Fortunately, the Spartan faithful only have to watch those two coaches run this offense for one more week before Johnson and Kapilovic are handed their walking papers.
2.) Katin Houser's accuracy
If feels a harsh to put Houser in the "Three Down" category after he threw for a career-high 251 yards and three touchdowns today. With that said, the freshman's accuracy comes and goes, and he missed on several throws that could have resulted in big plays for the Spartans. Houser also threw two interceptions, though he was bailed out on the second one after Indiana's defender fumbled and MSU recovered.
Houser completed 26-of-41 pass attempts (63%) which is very good. However, Houser's throws to the sidelines don't have much zip on the ball, leading to questions about the freshman's arm strength. Is that an area he can improve? Or, is that just who he is as a prospect? One area that is correctable is Houser's tendency to have happy feet in the pocket. Correcting that will help with his accuracy next season. It will be interesting to see what Michigan State's quarterback room looks like in 2024. The Spartans are likely to have another battle on their hands at the game's most important position.
3.) Michigan State's defense wears down
The Spartans were lights out to start the game, but as we've seen in recent weeks they once again wore down as the game came to a close. Some of this is out of MSU's control — the defense in particular has been stripped of any and all depth by injury. Michigan State's inability to sustain drives offensively is also a factor in this.
All those things combined allowed Indiana to hang around in a game in which they were getting outplayed, and then take a 21-17 lead on an 11-play, 75-yard drive with just 4:06 left in the game. The Spartans surrendered 210 yards on the ground, 192 yards through the air and were also pushed back on the Hoosiers' final drive of the game, but held on for the win.
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