The pantheon of memorable plays with catchy names executed by Michigan State under ninth-year head coach Mark Dantonio has a new entry. And that 10 seconds came back to the Spartans when they blocked a punt for a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining before the play started. The Hawkeyes dropped only one spot, to fifth, after losing to MSU 16-13 in the Big Ten Championship Game, even though they proved to be the overrated and offensive-challenged team we thought they were.
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Oh, sure, this Alabama defense is much better than that Alabama defense, and no one has to remind Lane Kiffin anymore to run the dang ball, a strategy that, had it been employed for four quarters last New Year’s Day, might’ve allowed Derrick Henry to shoulder the Tide past the Buckeyes. “No matter who’s out there, we’re going to play until the end”.
Dantonio has presaged his team’s events before. “I had to grit it out being in a situation like this, playing for a championship”. They tied for the Big Ten title that season, but lost out on the tiebreaker and didn’t get to go the Rose Bowl.
LJ Scott scores on a powerful 3rd-and-goal run in the final minute to send Michigan State past Iowa.
Clearly, Dantonio is not actually a soothsayer. “This night is especially tough, because we went all season without a loss and then we lose tonight”.
“I was surprised myself, considering the fact I fumbled a few times (earlier in the season) and nearly fumbled a few times in this game”. Of course, there was the miracle in the Big House.
Long said bumping Michigan State past Oklahoma had nothing to do with avoiding the possibility of having the Sooners play close to home in the Dallas area. Where the real intrigue lies is at the top of each program.
Swinney had wide grin on his face most of the time, and raised both fists in the air, pumping them to the fans’ applause when Clemson was announced as the top seed. Michigan State takes its 9-0 record into games this week against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Florida.
“We weren’t getting big runs”, Dantonio said.
Bacon tells us this game is hard to call, since Minnesota coach Jerry Kill’s sudden retirement means “you’ve got a coach who’s been there for about five games”, but the Gophers have shown that they can be a unsafe team.
Standing amidst yet another trophy presentation Saturday night, Mark Hollis was tasked with once again explaining how things have gotten to be so good for Michigan State. That may sound dubious to some, but when weird things happen, explanations from above are often sought. Hollis said. “Maybe. We have so many special kids on this team”. Ultimately, just one rung higher in the final rankings. Alabama is the only team that also played in the first four-team playoff last season, but lost 42-35 to eventual national champion Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. “Championship football teams do that”. “We had opportunities to make plays”.
“Everyone else might have doubted us, but we didn’t doubt ourselves”. So no surprise that the Spartans are ready for whatever playoff matchup is in store. And the Spartans will not be intimidated by the setting or the stage, which coincidentally is the same field (AT&T Stadium) where it beat Baylor a year ago in the Cotton Bowl.
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Most of the players said they looked forward to having a chance to end on a high note.
