Michigan State's disappointing 2012 season continued Saturday with a loss to Nebraska, who overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to win on a last-second touchdown, 28-24.
What began as a promising season for Michigan State, which brought dreams of a Big Ten Championships and a Rose Bowl berth, has quickly turned simply into a quest for bowl eligibility. At 5-5, the Spartans are one win away from a bowl with only two games to play.
The story of Saturday's loss has been the story of the entire season for Michigan State -- losing the close games. All six conference games have ended as one score games, however, the Spartans have finished on the losing end four-of-six times.
Pete Rossman of SB Nation's Michigan State blog, the Only Colors, writes that despite the massively disappointing season thus far, there is still some reason to remain optimistic moving forward.
It's not that the Spartans have forgotten how to win close games, it's that they've been much more of a coin flip this year. Little solace, I know . . . It's been a disappointment, and I think there's very few who would disagree with me. That said, there's still a purpose to keep playing. [A win] will put the Spartans in their sixth straight bowl game; a crappy bowl game yes, but nevertheless it's postseason football. This season's been a lot of bad things. There's still good things out there though.
Michigan State's next contest comes against the Northwestern Wildcats on Nov. 17. The Spartans must win either that game or their following game with Minnesota to get to six wins and be eligible for postseason play.
The Michigan State Spartans took a 17-14 lead over the Nebraska Cornhuskers after three quarters Saturday.
Michigan State took the lead on a 25-yard field goal by Dan Conroy early in the second quarter. Nebraska stopped Michigan State on third down inside the Nebraska 10, but a personal foul penalty gave Michigan State a first down inside the five. It's second and goal for the Spartans as the fourth quarter opens.
A 46-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Maxwell to Tony Lippett in the second quarter gave Michigan State a 14-7 lead. Taylor Martinez answered with a 71-yard touchdown run to tie it at 14-14.
Michigan State took an early 7-0 lead on an 11-yard touchdown run by Le'Veon Bell. Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez led the Cornhuskers to a tying score with 2:07 left in the first to make it 7-7 after one quarter, setting up the touchdown with a 59-yard run and then passing to Ameer Abdullah to cap the drive with a 2-yard touchdown.
Bell's touchdown run capped off an 11-play drive that started at the Michigan State 45 after Kurtis Drummond intercepted Martinez. Michigan State was aided on the drive by two pass interference calls against Nebraska.
Bell has 26 carries for 159 yards. Andrew Maxwell has completed 6-for-24 passes for 123 yards.
Martinez is 8 for 19 passing for 52 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He has 156 rushing yards on nine carries. Abdullah has 15 carries for 73 yards.
A 46-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Maxwell to Tony Lippett in the second quarter gave Michigan State a 14-7 lead over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at halftime Saturday, until Taylor Martinez answered with his second long run of the game to tie it at 14-14.
Maxwell threw into triple coverage, but Lippett was able to go up and get the ball among three Nebraska defenders.
On Nebraska's next possession, Martinez broke free outside and scored on a 71-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Nebraska had a scoring chance earlier in the second quarter, driving inside the Michigan State 15, but the defense stopped Nebraska on third down and Brett Maher missed a 30-yard field goal.
Michigan State took an early 7-0 lead on an 11-yard touchdown run by Le'Veon Bell. Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez led the Cornhuskers to a tying score with 2:07 left in the first to make it 7-7 after one quarter, setting up the touchdown with a 59-yard run and then passing to Ameer Abdullah to cap the drive with a 2-yard touchdown.
Bell's touchdown run capped off an 11-play drive that started at the Michigan State 45 after Kurtis Drummond intercepted Martinez. Michigan State was aided on the drive by two pass interference calls against Nebraska.
Michigan State also had a scoring opportunity earlier in the first quarter, but Dan Conroy missed a 49-yard field goal.
Bell has 15 carries for 116 yards. Andrew Maxwell has completed 6-for-15 passes for 89 yards.
Martinez is 7 for 14 passing for 56 yards. He has 156 rushing yards on eight carries. Abdullah has 11 carries for 53 yards.
An 11-yard touchdown run by Le'Veon Bell has given the Michigan State Spartans a 7-0 lead over the No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday, but Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez led the Cornhuskers to a tying score with 2:07 left in the first to make it 7-7 after one quarter.
Bell's touchdown run capped off an 11-play drive that started at the Michigan State 45 after Kurtis Drummond intercepted Martinez. Michigan State was aided on the drive by two pass interference calls against Nebraska.
On Nebraska's next drive, a 59-yard run by Martinez got the ball inside the Michigan State 5-yard line. On third-and-goal, Martinez found Ameer Abdullah for a 2-yard touchdown reception.
Michigan State also had a scoring opportunity earlier in the first quarter, but Dan Conroy missed a 49-yard field goal.
Bell has 10 carries for 58 yards. Andrew Maxwell has completed 4-for-11 passes for 35 yards. Bennie Fowler has one catch for 11 yards.
Martinez is 3-for-7 passing for 6 yards. He has 73 rushing yards on two carries. Abdullah has five carries for 44 yards.
The Michigan State Spartans are determined to work their way to success, says head coach Mark Dantonio. The team has suffered a number of close losses in 2012, but a strong effort saw them upset then No.20 Nebraska.
