Ann Arbor- In a game that wouldn’t play out as many had predicted went down to the wire in front of a packed house in Ann Arbor. For anyone on either side of the battle knows that when these two meet, nothing matters but the then and now. MSU came into this game as a heavy underdog (-12) something they didn’t mind one bit. Michigan on the other hand came in ranked as high as 7th in the country and on a four game winning streak. One prediction panned out and that was the forecast for tonight. Most predictions pointed towards wind and pouring rains late in the game and they were spot on.
This game matched two stellar defenses and offenses that are nothing to write home about. Michigan which lost its starting quarterback in the Purdue game when Wilton Speight took a nasty hit after he was down. In that Purdue game John O’Korn came in and guided Michigan to the victory. Looking at that game it looked like he would be able to lead Michigan to a victory against State after a bye week. MSU on the other hand came in fresh off an big win against a ranked Hawkeye team in Iowa.
The game got under way with Michigan taking the opening kick and embarking on a 16 play drive. On the drive the offense ran smoothly picking up yardage and first downs. The drive eventually stalled out on a 3rd and 7 from the MSU 11 yard line, when O’Korn couldn’t connect with sophomore Eddie McDoom. Quinn Nordin would then come in and boot a 30 yard FG to give Michigan the early lead 3-0. Many of Michigan Fans thought this drive would be a sign of what was to come as they were able to move the ball well.
On MSU’s first possession they would take the ball and proceed to go three and out and not picking up one yard. Michigan Fans again liked what they saw as the defense came out on fire giving the ball back to the offense. On the next possession Michigan would pick up a first down, but on 1st and 10 Ty Isaac took the handoff from O’Korn and ran for eight yards and hit by Joe Bachie which caused a fumble that was recovered by Chris Frey. That play was the beginning of the Michigan woes.
MSU would take that fumble and turn it into six points on the ensuing possession. Devin Bush Jr. gifted MSU with 15 yards on a unsportsmanlike penalty. On the drive State picked up 38 yards on the ground which was a sign of things to come. MSU scored on a 14 yard run by quarterback Brian Lewerke to give them the lead 7-3 with 2:59 left in the 1st qtr.
On the next three possessions neither team could do much as they punted the ball back and forth. MSU would be the first to show some type of flow again as they went on a nine play drive for 83 yards in 3:45. On the drive Lewerke went 5 for 5 for 72 yards. The touchdown came on a pass from Lewerke to Madre London giving MSU a 14-3 lead with 8:07 left in the 2nd qtr. Not one of 112,432 fans in the stadium would dare think that 14 points would be enough for either team to win this rivalry game.
After the MSU touchdown MSU would have the ball again for a total of three possessions and punt on two, the other came after a catch, run and fumble by Michigan TE Sean McKeon that was recovered by Justin Layne of State. Michigan also would have the ball three times after the touchdown. Two possessions ended in punts and the third was that fumble by McKeon that stopped a drive that had Michigan moving the ball well.
The Spartans took the opening kickoff of the second half and proceeded to do what they had done in all their previous possessions; punt the ball. Then the heavens’ gave forth rain that would make life miserable for everybody in the stadium. Some put on rain ponchos others wet suits and well some just sat there and soaked it all in. The rain and wind made the conditions unbearable for players’ and fans’ alike. As for me operating in the role of photojournalist, I must say that I wasn’t prepared for the weather. I had protection for my equipment but not for myself. I was soaked from head to toe and haven’t dried out yet.
Winning or losing the turnover battle in a game usually gives a great advantage to the team who turns the ball over least. In the case of Michigan tonight they turned the ball over five times to MSU’s zero. The five turnovers coupled with the rain were a definite recipe for disaster, but somehow Michigan remained in the game right up until the very end. Even with five extra possessions State was only able to cash in one for a touchdown and that’s all they needed.
Michigan’s defense rose to the occasion by forcing the Spartans to punt from their own 2 yard line. Michigan took advantage after a 40 yard punt and a 9 yard return by freshmen Donavan Peoples-Jones giving them the ball on the 33. On 1st and Ten O’Korn found FB Khalid Hill on a 18 yard catch and run to the 15 yard line. on 2nd and 13 O’Korn found Grant Perry for what appeared to be a 17 yard touchdown, but Perry was ruled down at the one. on the very next play 5th year senior Khalid Hill bulled into the end zone for a 1 yard TD.
The weather continued to wreak havoc on the game as MSU would have six more possessions in the second half in which six ended with punts and one fumble recovered by Michigan. Likewise the Wolverines would have the ball six times. Three of those six ended with John O’Korn being picked off three times. two of the three resulted in punts. The last possession came down to who would have bragging rights for the next year. On 1st and 10 from the MSU 37 yard line O’Korn took the snap with 00:01 left on the clock and dropped back for one more play. O’Korn unloaded a pass towards the end zone towards Michigan’s Eddie McDoom, Kekoa Crawford and Zach Gentry, but MSU defenders led by Matt Morris Morrissey, Justin Layne and Joe Bachie batted the ball away for the win.
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