Spartans Lose Momentum, Unable to Ever Climb Back in Loss to Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Would've, could've, should've.
Those are the words that will be uttered in the mouths of many fans tonight, but ultimately, Michigan State "didn't" in its biggest game of the season, its rivalry showdown with the Michigan Wolverines.
It didn't matter that the Spartans started Saturday night's game with 135 total yards compared to Michigan's 14 yards after the first quarter.
It didn't matter that Michigan State's defense held the Wolverines' offense scoreless with 2 minutes remaining in the first half.
What mattered was the 24-17 final score that favored Michigan. What mattered was that the Spartans were never able to bounce back from that first hit of adversity.
After Michigan State had shown signs of improvement in the red zone last week, the offense reverted back to bad habits that had held it back in its three straight losses when it opened up Saturday's contest with what had been a very promising drive.
It marched all the way down to the Wolverines' 2-yard line, thanks to a 47-yard effort on the ground and a 26-yard catch-and-run by running back Nate Carter on a screen pass. It was a rather surprising start, considering Michigan entered the contest as a top-10 rushing defense.
But once the Spartans got within 6 yards of the goal line, they just couldn't finish the job, almost doing too much rather than simply running it up the middle.
Facing fourth-and-2, Jonathan Smith chose to keep his offense on the field, but a delay-of-game penalty against the unit would force the Spartans to move back and settle for the field goal. A very rare event would follow, as Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim missed from 25 yards out, a week after turning in the game of his career.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Michigan State would get a shot at redemption, again making its way down to the red zone on a trip it needed to capitalize on this time around.
The Spartans would once again find themselves in a fourth-and-short situation in the red zone, and again, Smith elected to go for it. Carter would punch it in for the touchdown to give his team the early advantage.
The second-year Spartan led Michigan State both on the ground and in the air with 118 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards.
Michigan State's defense continued to thrive on the Wolverines' next two possessions, allowing just 36 yards between the two drives.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines began to slow down the Spartans' offense, holding them to just 18 yards on their next two possessions.
With just under 3 minutes to go before halftime, Michigan's offense would finally start to gain traction, producing a 10-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown reception from Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland. The Wolverines decided to go for 2 and were unable to convert, allowing the contest to remain in the Spartans' favor.
But that would last just two plays, as Michigan defensive end Josaiah Stewert would chase down Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles from behind, forcing a fumble that the Wolverines would recover at the Spartans' 34-yard line.
Michigan was able to capitalize, drilling a 37-yard. After leading 7-0 at the 2-minute timeout, the Spartans found themselves down 9-7 at the break.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, they would have to wait to respond coming out of the locker room as Michigan got the ball to start the third quarter. With that possession, it marched for its longest drive of the night -- 11 plays for 74 yards, capped off by a 2-yard touchdown rush by Wolverines quarterback Alex Orji, who occasionally shared reps with starter Davis Warren throughout the contest.
Michigan took a 16-7 lead.
The Spartans needed to answer to keep their heads above water. Facing third-and-4 on its own 24-yard line, at risk of coming away with another empty possession, Chiles would let it loose, connecting with wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. for a 30-yard gain as the Spartans crossed midfield.
But the Spartans would ultimately have to lean on Kim, as Michigan State was stuffed on its next third-down attempt, a loss of 2 on third-and-1. The kicker drilled the 46-yard field goal, making it a one-possession game again.
Finally, the Spartans' defense was able to show some of the success it had early on in the contest, stopping the Wolverines' offense with a three-and-out and setting up their own with a chance to take the lead.
But it didn't happen. Instead, the Wolverines forced a three-and-out of their own and would capitalize with a five-play, 60-yard drive to give itself a commanding 23-yard touchdown catch from Loveland.
This time, however, Michigan State's offense was able to answer, putting together its longest drive since the opener. A 13-play, 75-yard drive would be capped off with a 20-yard catch-and-run to the end zone by freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh.
A game that had previously seemed out of reach was back to within a one-score margin.
The Spartans' defense would get a second straight stop, giving the offense the ball back with just over 4 and a half minutes to go.
Michigan State slowly, but surely made its way all the way down to the Wolverines' 16-yard line. Michigan held the Spartans to a fourth-and-short situation, game on the line.
On one final attempt, Chiles tried to thread the needle with a pass to tight end Jack Velling in the end zone. But the ball was nearly picked and fell to the turf.
Michigan got the ball back with just under 2 minutes remaining in the contest. Orji stepped in to finish off the visitors, sealing their fate with two first downs off of runs.
The Spartans fall back to .500 and will look to bounce back with a victory over Indiana at home next weekend.
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