Michigan State holds off furious Nebraska comeback, wins 27-22
Early in the fourth quarter, there was no question Michigan State would beat Nebraska. In the end, Sparty barely held on after a furious Nebraska comeback. Everything that could go wrong for the Spartans did in the final 10 minutes.
How it happened
Nebraska failed to capitalize on a Randy Gregory interception on the second play of the game. That would be a sign of things to come.
The Spartans ran a double play fake pass as Tony Lippett hauled in a 55 yard touchdown.
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Jeremy Langford opened the lead up early in the second quarter as he ran in a 30 yard touchdown. This came one play after a Macgarrett Kings punt return setup great field position for the Spartan offense.
The Spartans held a 17-0 halftime lead. They missed plenty of opportunities as they only scored 3 points off 3 Nebraska turnovers.
The lead ballooned to 27-3 when the Tony Lippett scored on a 33 yard reverse late in the third quarter.
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Nebraska staged a fourth quarter led by punt returner De’Mornay Pierson-El.
He setup an Ameer Abdullah touchdown with a 33 yard punt return.
Pierson-El then scored on a punt return to cut the deficit to 27-22 with 3 minutes to play.
After a missed Spartan field goal, Nebraska drove down the field. State corner Trae Waynes picked off Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong to wrap up the W at the 17 yard line.
Oct 4, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive end Marcus Rush (44) wraps up Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (4) during the 1st half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Noteworthy Nuggets
Ameer Abdullah averaged 7.3 yards per carry coming into tonight’s game. He averaged 1.9. His performance was an afterthought.
Ed Davis displayed incredible speed off the edge.
BIG refs continue to mistake hand and arm signals of punt returners. For whatever reason, any arm motion is being considered a fair catch signal.
The Spartan defense owned young Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong. Through the first three quarters, he couldn’t read the defense. Armstrong was sacked 4XXXX times
State lost their focus and started celebrating early in the 4th quarter.
This game was a blowout through the first 45 minutes and Nebraska came within 25 yards of winning. College football is awesome.
Up Next:
The Spartans take on Purdue next Saturday at 3:30