EAST LANSING, MICH. – Football people like to talk about the football gods as if what happens on the field is a matter beyond the observed strategizing and execution, as if the events of a game were predestined to develop as they do.
Saturday night at Spartan Stadium, regardless of whoever decides football outcomes and however they do it, it seemed quite clear the football gods were not on the side of the No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers (6-1, 2-1). Despite digging themselves out of a stunning 14-point fourth quarter deficit in front of one of the most rabid crowds in Michigan State history, the Badgers were defeated by the No. 16 Spartans (6-1, 3-0) on the final play of a 37-31 all-time classic.
MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins capped a stellar day with a miracle 44-yard Hail Mary heave to wide receiver Keith Nichol, who caught the football amid a total scrum at the goal line off a deflection and hammered his way into the endzone as time expired.
Nichol was initially ruled down at the one-yard line, but an official review overturned the call on the field, spurring the euphoric Spartan sideline onto the field in celebration while the incredulous Badgers raced to their locker room as if they could not get off the field fast enough.
“It doesn’t make sense right now, what they just went through and what they just experienced, but it will over the course of time,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “As coaches, we’ll kind of put the pieces together for them.”
The stunning, quick-strike nature of the final play was monumentally crushing for the Badgers, but the matter in which the final quarter unfolded also undoubtedly magnified the postgame disbelief and disappointment. After receiving the football with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter, the Spartans unfurled a 13-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to wide receiver Keshawn Martin.
Cousins played arguably his finest game of the season, completing 22 of 31 passes for 290 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The touchdown, which came at the 10:58 mark in the fourth quarter, extended Michigan State’s lead to 31-17 and seemed to deflate a Wisconsin team that had seen the proverbial wheels fall off the wagon after a quick 14-0 start in the first quarter seemingly took the air out of the Spartan Stadium crowd.
“It’s just a shocker,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “It’s one of those things where we’ve got a great team, we’ve got great players on this team and great character. We believe.”
Shockingly, the Badgers had plenty of reason to believe even though they ultimately squandered the early two-score lead. Wisconsin’s first score came on the first drive of the game, with Wilson finding tight end Jacob Pedersen in the endzone on a nine-yard pass that capped a an 11-play, 80-yard drive. Wilson completed 14 of 21 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Michigan State returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 25-yard line, where running back Edwin Baker took the handoff from Cousins on the next play and fumbled after a hit by Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor. Cornerback Marcus Cromartie recovered the football, and the Badgers took advantage three plays later as running back Montee Ball rushed for a nine-yard touchdown.
“Some of [the loss] was due to mistakes, some of it Michigan State made plays,” linebacker Chris Borland said. “We’ve got to continue to improve. We didn’t perform very well today, but they’re a good team, so they took advantage of that.”
The most crushing miscue came with only 37 seconds remaining in the second quarter, when the Badgers elected to punt on a 4th-and-5 from their own 36-yard line. However, linebacker Kyler Elsworth came off the left edge completely unblocked and blocked Brad Nortman’s punt, ricocheting the football back to Wisconsin’s goal line, where wide receiver Bennie Fowler pounced on it for a MSU touchdown. Suddenly, it was halftime, and Wisconsin trailed 23-14.
The only scoring from both teams in the third quarter came from Welch, who connected on a 33-yard field goal with 8:28 left. After Martin’s touchdown four minutes into the fourth quarter, Wisconsin finally responded. Wilson, who found some redemption after his two costly interceptions, capped a three-play, 43-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown scamper with 8:10 remaining to draw Wisconsin to within seven points at 31-24.
UW’s defense held tight, forcing three consecutive MSU punts. With 1:26 remaining in the game, Wilson found Ball on a two-yard pass to even the score at 31. Ball, despite being knocked out near the end of the second quarter with a head injury, led all rushers with 18 carries for 115 yards and one touchdown.
With 1:26 remaining on the clock, the Spartans received the ball and spent eight plays before the grand finale unfolded with four seconds remaining.
“Sometimes you’re a team that has the miracle, and sometimes you’re the team that gets the miracle on you,” center Peter Konz said. “That’s just the way sports are. We’ve played the game long enough to be mature about this and move forward and get better.”
