- Admin
- #1
No. 10 Michigan State turned the ball over three times in the first half, giving No. 19 Nebraska a bevy of chances to keep things close early on in Saturday night’s Big Ten matchup. Despite this, the Huskers turned those three MSU gaffes into zero points, setting the tone for an eventual 27-22 Michigan State win.
Michigan State’s defense was up to the task and shut out the Huskers in the first half while the Spartans offense built up a 17-0 lead. The Spartans continued to dominate through the third quarter, stretching its lead to 27-3, until Nebraska put forth a spirited fourth quarter comeback attempt that fell just short.
Huskers standout running back Ameer Abdullah scored on two short touchdown runs in the fourth, the second of which cut the lead to 27-16 with 4:10 to go. The Spartans then regained possession, hoping to wind down the clock, but Nebraska stuffed MSU’s Jeremy Langford (29 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD) on a 3rd-and-2 to force a punt.
That’s when things got interesting.*
Nebraska’s De’Mornay Pierson-El fielded the punt near the far sideline at his own 38-yard line, made a few men miss and found a crease. 62 yards later he was in the end zone and the Huskers were all of a sudden within five points after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
An ensuing onside kick from Nebraska failed, but the Spartans were unable to run the clock out when Langford was forced out of bounds on a third down run. Next, a Michael Geiger 37-yard field goal attempt clanked off the left upright with 1:07 to go and the Huskers took over at their own 20.
With the chance for Nebraska to march down the field and steal a win, Michigan State fans were finally able to exhale when Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. was intercepted by MSU’s Trae Waynes with 30 seconds left to seal the win.
The tense finish took away from what was a solid performance by the Michigan State defense. Armstrong’s late-game interception was the Huskers’ fourth turnover of the game and the second interception by Armstrong. Abdullah, a senior in the Heisman conversation, ran the ball 24 times but picked up only 45 yards – a 1.9 yards per carry average. Nebraska entered the game second in the country in rushing, but were only able to muster 47 yards on the ground.
MSU quarterback Connor Cook struggled, completing just 11 passes on 29 attempts. His lone touchdown of the game was a 55-yard connection with Tony Lippett. Lippett, a senior wideout, later took a double reverse 32 yards for the Spartans’ final score of the evening and finished with 134 all-purpose yards.
The win was crucial for the No. 10 Spartans. Not only did the team improve to 4-1, but it ensured a win over a ranked opponent in what is a wide open Big Ten and what has become a wide open national landscape. MSU was far from perfect on the evening, but it did enough to pick up a victory.
Teams like Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas A&M all joined Michigan State with one loss – with the Spartans' lone defeat coming on the road to Oregon. There’s still a long way to go, but the Spartans’ College Football Playoff chances look alive and well – especially if SEC and Pac-12 teams keep beating each other.
The Big Ten picture is crowded. Though Nebraska dropped its first game of the year, it looks like the class of the west division, especially after Wisconsin lost to Northwestern. In the east, Michigan State joins Ohio State with 4-1 overall records and 1-0 records in conference.
It will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.
Follow @SamDCooper
Michigan State’s defense was up to the task and shut out the Huskers in the first half while the Spartans offense built up a 17-0 lead. The Spartans continued to dominate through the third quarter, stretching its lead to 27-3, until Nebraska put forth a spirited fourth quarter comeback attempt that fell just short.
Huskers standout running back Ameer Abdullah scored on two short touchdown runs in the fourth, the second of which cut the lead to 27-16 with 4:10 to go. The Spartans then regained possession, hoping to wind down the clock, but Nebraska stuffed MSU’s Jeremy Langford (29 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD) on a 3rd-and-2 to force a punt.
That’s when things got interesting.*
Nebraska’s De’Mornay Pierson-El fielded the punt near the far sideline at his own 38-yard line, made a few men miss and found a crease. 62 yards later he was in the end zone and the Huskers were all of a sudden within five points after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
An ensuing onside kick from Nebraska failed, but the Spartans were unable to run the clock out when Langford was forced out of bounds on a third down run. Next, a Michael Geiger 37-yard field goal attempt clanked off the left upright with 1:07 to go and the Huskers took over at their own 20.
With the chance for Nebraska to march down the field and steal a win, Michigan State fans were finally able to exhale when Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. was intercepted by MSU’s Trae Waynes with 30 seconds left to seal the win.
MSU quarterback Connor Cook struggled, completing just 11 passes on 29 attempts. His lone touchdown of the game was a 55-yard connection with Tony Lippett. Lippett, a senior wideout, later took a double reverse 32 yards for the Spartans’ final score of the evening and finished with 134 all-purpose yards.
The win was crucial for the No. 10 Spartans. Not only did the team improve to 4-1, but it ensured a win over a ranked opponent in what is a wide open Big Ten and what has become a wide open national landscape. MSU was far from perfect on the evening, but it did enough to pick up a victory.
Teams like Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas A&M all joined Michigan State with one loss – with the Spartans' lone defeat coming on the road to Oregon. There’s still a long way to go, but the Spartans’ College Football Playoff chances look alive and well – especially if SEC and Pac-12 teams keep beating each other.
The Big Ten picture is crowded. Though Nebraska dropped its first game of the year, it looks like the class of the west division, especially after Wisconsin lost to Northwestern. In the east, Michigan State joins Ohio State with 4-1 overall records and 1-0 records in conference.
It will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.
- - - - - - -
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!Follow @SamDCooper