EAST LANSING — It took Indiana less than two minutes on Saturday to put a big scare in Michigan State football’s quest for bowl prospects. It seemed like a small problem.
It turned out to be more than just a passing scare in the freezing air. It was the harbinger of an epic disaster to come.
The Spartans lost a 17-point second-half lead in catastrophic fashion, with breakdowns in every phase of the game. A 79-yard touchdown by Shaun Shivers of the Hoosiers, then an 88-yard kickoff return by teammate Jaylin Lucas. A Payton Thorne interception on MSU’s next game led to a field goal. Then a walk on the ground tied Indiana with Josh Henderson’s 1-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
MSU kicker Ben Patton missed a 22-yard field goal attempt left as regulation time expired, then was blocked a second in overtime. The Hoosiers in the second overtime scored a touchdown and a two-point play and kept MSU from scoring for a 39-31 win in front of a nearly empty Spartan Stadium crowd.
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The crushing loss means the Spartans (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) must now win next Saturday’s regular season finale at No. 12 Penn State to qualify for a bowl game. Game time and TV network have yet to be announced.
The Chills became the eighth straight running back to eclipse 100 yards, finishing with 115 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns, including a 1-yard one in second overtime. Quarterback Dexter Williams II, 1 for 6 for 7 yards in regulation and first overtime, hit tight end AJ Barner for 24 yards on the first play of the second OT, and connected with Barner for the two-point conversion. Williams rushed 16 times for 86 yards and a score.
MSU had one last chance and reached the 10-yard line, but Payton Thorne’s pass to Jayden Reed was out of the end zone and incomplete.
Thorne went 27 of 42 for 298 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Jalen Berger rushed 21 times for 119 yards and Elijah Collins had 107 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 19 carries. Keon Coleman caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
The Spartans beat Indiana 540-288, had 30 first downs to the Hoosiers’ 11 and topped possession time.
speed bump
Indiana (4-7, 2-6), which had lost seven straight, opened the game with a 43-yard kickoff return from Jaylin Lucas to begin its first midfield drive. It took just four plays for Dexter Williams II to round the left end, get through Xavier Henderson’s diving tackle try and dance along the sideline for a 34-yard touchdown. The replay of whether the quarterback went out of bounds proved inconclusive for the referees, and the call gave the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead 1:48 into the game.
MSU’s defense held the Hoosiers to 31 yards in the first half after that drive.
The Spartans responded with a 19-yard field goal from Patton on their next possession, stalling at the 2-yard line with two straight rush plays and an incompleteness.
Thorne headed a touchdown early in the second quarter, set up by a 29-yard run from Berger. The junior quarterback tried to hit Collins in the flat, but the pitch was too fast and went through the hands of the running back. However, the ball deflected to tight end Maliq Carr, who slid and caught it for 5 yards, his first career touchdown to give MSU a 10-7 lead.
Berger threw a 36-yard run on the Spartans’ next possession, Thorne hit Tre Mosley for 13 yards on third-and-7 and Collins finished it with a 1-yard TD run for a 17-7 lead.
MSU forced a three-and-out, and Coleman scored on a two-yard reception for a 24-7 halftime advantage.
Thorne went 13 of 15 for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the half, and Berger ran for 97 yards on 14 carries. The Spartans beat the Hoosiers, 274-81.
Terrible turbulence
The Spartans opened the second half by nearly fumbling the kick-off, then went three times after a missed chip flicker and a third pass from Thorne to Daniel Barker.
It took Indiana one game to get back into the game. Shaun Shivers took a stint from Williams down the right side and found nothing but the open field in front of him. He edged Henderson for a 79-yard touchdown just 1:20 into the third quarter to cut the Spartans’ lead to 24-14.
MSU responded with a six-play, 69-yard drive, capped off by a 31-yard run from Collins after catching a 22-yard swing pass. Thorne also hit Reed for 22 yards on third-and-4 to extend the drive. The Spartans appeared to be heading for an easy win, up 31-14 with 6:17 left in the third.
Everything fell apart from that moment.
Lucas ran through MSU’s kickoff coverage unit and edged Chester Kimbrough into the end zone to make it a 10-point game 13 seconds later. Then, after the Spartans kicked off the ensuing kick off, Thorne’s pass to receiver Germie Bernard was kicked in the air after the rookie was tagged just before the ball landed. Indiana’s Jonathan Haynes snatched it in the air at MSU 29.
The Spartans defense held IU to a 40-yard field goal, but the Hoosiers tied the game with a nine-play, 70-yard drive that continued into the fourth quarter.
Williams and Lucas set Indiana up for the even touchdown with big runs, then Josh Henderson converted a fourth-and-one with a 2-yard run to MSU 1. He scored on the next play.
MSU ran for 70 yards on 14 plays, giving Patton a chance to win with a 22-yard field goal attempt. But Auburn’s left-footed transfer missed the wide left and its 28-yard attempt was blocked in overtime after a high snap.
However, the Spartans’ Michael Fletcher blocked Indiana kicker Charles Campbell’s 27-yard field goal attempt to send the game to second overtime.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Learn more about the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
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