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    • Michigan State football misses opportunities in 24-17 loss to Wolverines
    New Jersey

    Michigan State football misses opportunities in 24-17 loss to Wolverines

    Seren Anwen Posted on

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    ANN ARBOR – Drives continue to stall in the red zone. Costly penalties at an inopportune moment. A botched onside kick. A targeted ejection.

    One self-inflicted mistake after another proved costly for Michigan State football. And Michigan took advantage, extending its rivalry winning streak to three in a row.

    The Spartans got off to a dominant start Saturday night at Michigan Stadium, but the Wolverines took full advantage of every MSU break en route to a 24-17 victory.

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    MSU had one last chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but Aidan Chiles’ fourth-down rollout throw to Aziah Johnson was aborted in the end zone, running out time for the Wolverines.

    After five straight night games, MSU (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) next hosts hot-blooded and undefeated Indiana (8-0, 5-0), which defeated Washington 31-17 on Saturday. Kickoff time and television network for next Saturday’s game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing have yet to be determined.

    Michigan (5-3, 2-2) hosts No. 1 Oregon next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CBS).

    The Spartans defeated the Wolverines 352-265, including 163-119 on the ground. However, UM did not commit a turnover and was not flagged for a penalty, while MSU had six for 35 yards and Chiles lost his fourth fumble of the season for his 11th total turnover. The second-year quarterback finished the game 17 of 23 for 189 yards and a touchdown, while Nate Carter ran for 118 yards and a touchdown and added 56 receiving yards.

    MSU’s electric start turns ugly at the end of the half

    MSU’s offense came into its own, punching the Wolverines in the mouth early, often and repeatedly in the first 25 minutes.

    On possession to start the game, the Spartans hit UM with five different ball carriers, gaining 68 yards on 14 plays. Chiles opened up the ball with his legs and hit Carter for a 26-yard screen pass before the drive stalled as it neared the goal line.

    MSU was setting up for fourth-and-2, but Chiles took a delay of game penalty that put the Spartans ahead by 5 yards and forced them into a 25-yard field goal attempt. But kicker Jonathan Kim, who set a school record six games in a win over Iowa a week ago, hit a bullseye and ended an 8-minute, 8-second drive with no points.

    The Spartans’ defense suffocated UM with a three-pointer and Chiles and Co. went right back to work with the same plan. This time, on fourth-and-1, Carter got past a block from right guard Brandon Baldwin for a 2-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left in the first quarter. The Spartans had 135 total yards and a 93-1 rushing advantage as they built a 7-0 lead.

    But Michigan’s defense increased the pressure and penetration from there, and MSU managed just 15 yards in the second quarter. And Wolverines quarterback Davis Warren found a short passing rhythm with tight end Colson Loveland and took advantage of coverage errors in the middle of the MSU defense. The Wolverines scored on a 10-yard TD connection between the two 29 seconds before halftime, but struggled on the snap and missed the PAT. The Spartans appeared to be heading into the locker room with a lead.

    But after Carter made a 15-yard run on the first play after kickoff, MSU took a risk. Chiles rolled away from the pressure and looked down, not feeling the pressure from behind. Defensive end Josaiah Stewart got a strip sack, the ball bounced to the UM sideline and defensive tackle Kenneth Grant pounced on it at the MSU 37 with 14 ticks left.

    The Wolverines took a 9-7 lead when Dominic Zvada kicked a 37-yard field goal just before time expired. They also cut MSU’s lead to 160-116 through two quarters, even though the Spartans had a 119-37 rushing advantage.

    Just before U-M’s TD drive, MSU lost starting punter Kaden Schickel on a punt early in the second quarter to an apparent left leg injury as he raced downfield to make a tackle on a punt. He was carried back to the locker room with a towel on his head.

    A poor finish to the half leads to MSU ugliness in the second half

    The Wolverines almost matched the way the Spartans opened the game, returning the kickoff 75 yards in 11 plays with 5:11 left in the second half. The difference is that they hit the end zone on Alex Orji’s 2-yard touchdown run after the backup quarterback had previously completed a 29-yard run on that drive. The Wolverines converted three times on possession in the third, including the scoring run that made it 16-7 with 9:49 left in the third quarter.

    A particular faux pas by the team, in which Sam Edwards made a fair catch as Alante Brown played the ball, forced Chiles and the offense to launch a key counterattack at the Spartans’ 5. Chiles moved it from there with a 30-yard throw to Montorie Foster on third-and-4 to extend the possession before stalling at the UM 28. Kim kicked a 46-yard field goal off a near-perfect snap from Edwards, who was replacing Schickel, bringing MSU within 16-10 with a 3 left:45 left in the third.

    Kim then attempted an onside kick, with his guard unit sputtering and looking back at him as it spread out. It gave away the attempted ploy and the Spartans were also caught offside before UM recovered and put the Wolverines on a drive on the MSU side of the field that went nowhere.

    But UM continued to convert on third downs, mixing Orji runs with Warren throws and mixing its play-calling with trick plays. An Orji run at the end of the third quarter and a review between periods led to MSU linebacker Jordan Turner being sent off and he will miss the first half against Indiana under Big Ten rules.

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    Four plays later, Donovan Edwards took a throw from Warren early in the fourth quarter and, with MSU’s linebackers on the ground, threw a perfect pass to a wide-open Loveland for a 23-yard score with 13:20 left. Warren found Loveland equally open for the 2-point conversion to extend UM’s lead to 24-10.

    But the Spartans responded with a methodical push that reflected their dominance early in the game, with two third-down conversions on the ground by Carter and Lynch-Adams. Facing third-and-12 at the Wolverines’ 20, Chiles hit Nick Marsh on an in-route, and the freshman wide receiver shook off two UM defenders with a stutter-step cutback at the 10 and snaked advance to the end zone. Another long snapper, Jack Carson-Wentz, set up Kim’s extra point that made it 24-17 with 6:12 left.

    MSU’s defense forced a three-pointer and a bad punt put Chiles near midfield. He immediately took an intentional grounding penalty and moved the Spartans 15 yards further, but hit Jack Velling to recover it. Then Chiles dodged the pressure and hit Carter on third-and-10, and the running back kept his balance for 30 yards in Michigan territory. MSU then received a false start penalty before Chiles’ final throw was knocked down.

    Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

    Subscribe to the Spartan Speak podcast to receive new episodes weekly Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And check out all our podcasts and daily voice briefings freep.com/podcasts.

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    Seren Anwen
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