Sports: Football Program on a Steady Rise
MSU’s third straight bowl game appearance and second straight Paul Bunyan trophy signal progress in the football program.
Real progress is percolating within MSU’s football program, despite some off-field distractions at season’s end. No single moment was more illustrative of the program’s uptick than when freshman Larry Caper broke a tackle and scampered 23 yards for the winning touchdown to beat Michigan 26-20 in overtime.
Not only did it gain a thrilling win against an undefeated archrival—one fawned upon by media pundits (at the time)—but it secured a back-to-back triumph that had been elusive since the 1960s. The win triggered a three-game winning streak and altered the momentum of the season. It was a defining moment, and as memorable a play as last season’s tackle by linebacker Adam Decker that stopped Iowa’s Shonn Greene on fourth down to seal a 16-13 MSU win.
The following week, MSU beat the Illini in Champaign, IL—debunking the myth that MSU would lose after beating the Wolverines. One by one, such myths have been slayed by Mark Dantonio and his staff. By season’s end, MSU had earned a third straight bowl appearance.
The media turned their attention to an incident between some football players and some students at a residence hall after the end of the regular season. Known as a disciplinarian, Dantonio took prompt action, dismissing two players from the team and suspending eight others.
None of the distractions could wipe away the fact that the Spartans beat Michigan for the second straight year. It was a signature win that reversed a dismal 1-3 start, a stretch reflective of MSU’s youth and inexperience at quarterback and running back and shifting lineups in the offensive line and defensive backfield. The win led to a three-game winning streak for the Spartans.
After a 44-3 rout of Montana State, MSU lost by a whisker to Notre Dame and Central Michigan before getting spanked in Madison, by Wisconsin. Late against the Fighting Irish, trailing 33-30 but advancing to the Irish endzone, sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins, under pressure, threw an interception that ended MSU’s chance for a seventh straight win in South Bend.
The loss against Central Michigan was even more heart-breaking. Trailing MSU late in the game, the Chippewas recovered an onside kick thanks to a fortuitous bounce, then converted a “mulligan” field goal with three seconds left to pull off a 29-27 upset.
The Spartans were beaten soundly at Wisconsin by the Badgers, who held a three-touchdown lead late in the game. A couple of fourth-quarter MSU bombs reduced the final margin to 38-30.
Reeling from this start, MSU seized a golden opportunity (or, at least a maize one) to turn around its southward path. Michigan—undefeated at 4-0, leading the nation in rushing, and steeped in praise from sports pundits—came to town. Could Mark Dantonio, who had already broken a number of historical trends, lead MSU to win two-straight over Michigan for the first time in four decades?
The answer was a resounding “yes.” The Spartans began playing inspired defense, throttling Michigan’s backs and depriving its wunderkind freshman quarterback of scrambling space. Overall, the defense mustered four sacks for 38 yards and 10 tackles for loss for 55 yards. Led by sophomore Kirk Cousins’ 152 yards passing and 75 yards rushing, the offense carved out a 20-6 lead before the Wolverines connected on some big plays and knotted the score. In overtime, a Wolverine pass into the endzone was broken up by senior safety Dan Fortener and intercepted by junior cornerback Chris L. Rucker. MSU then handed the ball to freshman Larry Caper, who broke a tackle and scampered into the endzone as delirium engulfed Spartan Stadium. Final score: MSU 26, UM 20.
This win helped catapult MSU to a three-game winning streak as the Spartans beat Illinois and Northwestern by identical scores of 24-14. Against the Wildcats, Blair White, whose spectacular rise from walk-on to go-to starter has been featured by the Big Ten Network, earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for his 12 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
MSU, now second in the conference at 3-1, hosted league-leading and undefeated Iowa in a nationally-televised night game. It was an opportunity to move into the inside track to the league title. In a hard-hitting, smashmouth game, typical of historic Big Ten slugfests, the Spartans and the Hawkeyes went toe-to-toe, trading goal-line stands in what seemed like a stalemate. Late in the game, fireworks erupted. The Spartans converted on a fourth-and-18 with the “hook and ladder,” where tight end Brian Linthicum caught a Cousins pass and then pitched to Blair White for a gain of 38 yards. Cousins then threw a 30-yard TD pass to White to go ahead 13-9. But Iowa mounted a final drive and ended with a fourth-and-seven with two seconds left in regulation time. The Hawkeyes connected on a slant pass for a touchdown and won 15-13—deflating a crowd verging on euphoria.
The loss carried on to Minneapolis, where the Gophers, minus their top wide receiver, still won 42-34. But MSU—as has been its tendency in the Dantonio era—regrouped for straight wins against Western Michigan, 49-14, and Purdue, 40-37. The shootout in West Lafayette, IN, saw more big plays than Wyatt Earp pulled off at the O.K. Corral and secured the critical sixth win for MSU, which became bowl eligible despite a 42-14 setback in the finale against Penn State.
Many players performed with distinction. Junior middle linebacker Greg Jones, second in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 141 tackles, became the first Spartan to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Outside linebacker Eric Gordon was second in tackles for MSU. Senior defensive end Trevor Anderson and freshman defensive tackle Jerel Worthy both emerged as a disruptive force. Fortener and Chris L. Rucker were among the many playmakers in the defensive backfield.
Senior kicker Brett Swenson set MSU career records in total points, field goal points and PATs, and leads the NCAA FBS with 370 career points. Sophomore returner and wide receiver Keshawn Martin showed his explosiveness with touchdowns scored from a 93-yard return, a 91-yard reception, and a 84-yard run; his 85-yard return against Purdue set up Swenson’s fourth—and winning—field goal. Senior wide receiver Blair White, a three-time Academic-All Big Ten selection, led the league with TD receptions and joined teammates Jones and Swenson on the All-Big Ten First Team. Sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins showed leadership along with a pinpoint accurate arm, throwing to the likes of White, wide receivers B.J. Cunningham and Mark Dell, and a stable of tight ends, including junior Charlie Gantt, sophomores Garrett Celek and Brian Linthicum, and freshman Dion Sims.
Among the players who provided senior leadership were Anderson; offensive linemen Rocco Cironi and Joel Nitchman; fullback Andrew Hawken; and defensive backs Fortener, Kendell Davis-Clark, Jeremy Ware and Ross Weaver.
Mark Dantonio boasts perfect staff continuity with assistants Pat Narduzzi , Don Treadwell, Harlon Barnett, Dan Enos, Ted Gill, Dan Roushar, Mark Staten, Mike Tressel, and Dave Warner all in their third seasons at MSU.
Because Dantonio has shunned quick fixes, his rebuilding process will need due time to take hold, after which the program should be solid year in and year out.