Michigan v. Michigan State Football: The Greatest Games

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2015 – “And he scores! On the last play of the game!”

Everything about this play is unbelievable. It’s the perfect storm of disaster, miracle and really, really bad luck.

#12 Michigan led #7 Michigan State 23-21 and faced fourth down with 10 seconds left in the game. Michigan punter Blake O’Neill was back to punt the ball away and probably set up a Michigan State Hail Mary situation. Michigan State had all eleven of their players on the line of scrimmage, ready to rush at O’Neill.

Instead of falling on the ball after the bad snap and taking the loss as many non-punter observers with perfect hindsight have suggested he should have done, O’Neill picked up the ball to try to punt it but unwittingly bounced the ball into the hands of Jalen Watts-Jackson, who took off running and was tackled across the goal line for the game-winning score on one of the most improbable “band on the field” moments in the history of football.

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Michigan State had a 0.2% chance of winning the game before the final play, according to ESPN, who opted to label the thing an “end of game touchdown” in their play-by-play record of the game, presumably because no one knew what to call it. Watts-Jackson had never touched the ball in a college game before and broke his hip upon being tackled, ending his season. But he said he would do it all over again.

Adding to the improbability of the moment is its importance. The win saved the Spartans’ College Football Playoff hopes while keeping them atop the Big Ten East, and it did so in front of 100,000 fans in their hated rival’s house and millions more watching live in primetime.

The shocked expressions of Michigan fans completely captured the unbelievability of the moment and found their way onto memes and t-shirts across the Midwest. Broadcasters George Blaha and Jim Brandstatter did not disappoint with their respective radio calls of the play.

Lost in all of this is the fact that the game was a pretty great game in its own right before that final play. It was Jim Harbaugh‘s game against Michigan State as the Wolverines’ head coach and, despite the fact that Michigan State was the better team statistically, outgaining Michigan 386-230 and picking up 20 first downs to the Wolverines’ 10, the Spartans never led until the clock read 0:00.

Michigan scored on a controversial one-yard touchdown plunge by Sione Houma in the third quarter to take a 17-7 lead, their largest of the game. They couldn’t quite shake Michigan State, however, who—with help from a 74-yard completion on a wheel route from Connor Cook to fullback Trevor Pendleton—scored to cut the lead to 23-21 in the fourth quarter.

The Wolverines halted the Spartans’ attempt at a game-winning drive with less than two minutes remaining and needed only one first down to salt the game away but the Michigan State defense held to bring on O’Neill, who had kicked an 80-yard punt earlier in the game, for the fateful final play.

“Whenever you win a football game, I always feel sort of a sense of contentment,” said Dantonio, “That day was a little bit more exciting, to say the least.”

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The Spartans ended the season with a 38-0 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff after winning the Big Ten Championship and going 12-1 on the season. Michigan ended their regular season 9-3 before crushing #19 Florida 41-7 in the Citrus Bowl.

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