Michigan State Wins Finale, Beats Maryland 38-28

I need to begin by saying that the attendance for this game was pitiful. We could have fit this evening’s crowd into my high school’s stadium (North Farmington Raiders Rule!)

Let’s get to the game. Michigan State received the ball to begin the game and proceeded to move the ball down the field with runs and passes. A 24-yard completion to Nick Marsh got MSU deep into Maryland territory. Then, the first penalty of the game went in MSU’s favor when the Terrapins were called for a pass interference call, which put MSU at the 15. The Spartans promptly gave some of the yardage back with a false start call on the ensuing play. On 1st & 15, Elijah Tau-Tolliver got the handoff and took it 12 yards to the 8 to bring up 2nd & 3. ET-T got the ball again and he rumbled down to the 1 and a first & goal. MSU tried to punch it in with Brandon Tullis, but the play was a no-gainer. On 2nd down, a play-action call led to TE Kai Rios all alone in the back of the endzone for the easy score. I am pretty sure Ford Field is pumping in noise because there is no way the 3,000 people here can make this much noise. We finally get a good start but there is no one here to see it. So did it even happen?

Maryland took the touchback and attempted to match MSU’s opening march. They managed 29 yards to get over midfield, but that would be as far as they would go. The Spartans forced a punt and fielded it at their 9 for a fair catch.

Tullis got things going on MSU’s 2nd drive with a 19-yard scamper. MSU would get to 3rd & 1, but another false start put them 6 yards from the chains, and a pass to Marsh was incomplete. Ryan Eckley came on for the punt and sent it 54 yards to the Maryland 14.

Maryland converted a 3rd & 1 with a short rush to get their next drive started. They then had a 22-yard run deleted by a holding call. Successive passes of 6 and 19 yards got them another 1st down. From there, Maryland had a 1-yard run, an incompletion, a false start penalty, and a pass for 9 to bring up another Terrapunt (I can’t be the first member of the press to use that portmanteau).

MSU committed false start #3 and then had an 8-yard pass to Jack Velling to end the 1st quarter. On 2nd down, ET-T moved the chains with his 9-yard run. A 46-yard catch & run to Omari Kelly was boosted by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Maryland. From the 12, MSU only picked up five more yards and settled for a field goal to go up 10-0.

It was a quick 3 & out for Maryland, and the Terrapunt was downed at the MSU 36.

After an incompletion, MSU lined up WR Bryson Williams at running back and the hand-off to him was good for 14. Alessio then hit Velling for 28 to get MSU to the Maryland 22. Fast forward to 3rd and 3, Alessio found Nick Marsh on the slant to the left side; Marsh fought off the tackle and made it in for MSU’s 3rd score in 4 drives. Maybe we should play all our games at Ford Field. Spartans up 17-0.

Maryland’s offense finally found its footing. In 3 plays, they had crossed midfield. After 6 plays, they were down to the MSU 2. After a false start moved them back to the 7, the Spartan defense completely abandoned a Maryland receiver and gave up a touchdown. MSU up 17-7 with 5:43 to play until halftime.

If my count is correct, the two teams already have six false starts, as MSU begins its drive 15 yards from moving the chains. Tullis picked up 8 on a run, but Alessio overthrew Chrishon McCray to bring up 3rd & 7. A pass to Marsh only picked up 5, and MSU sent out the punt unit. Eckley’s punt went for 54 yards.

Maryland took over from the 18. On a 2nd down pass, MSU’s Malcolm Bell nearly came away with an interception on an underthrown pass but could not hold onto it. Maryland converted on 3rd down and then had three straight completions to get to the MSU 33 at the two-minute timeout. Maryland then caused some more self-inflicted damage when they were called for a blindside block on an MSU DB, Dontavius Nash. Nash fortunately was able to get up after being visited by the trainers. From 2nd & 20, Maryland was able to get a 4th & 2 at the MSU 25. Rather than kicking a field goal to make it a 7-point game, Maryland went for it by throwing into the endzone. Malcolm Bell was in on the coverage to force the incompletion and the turnover on downs.

MSU took over with 1:04 on the clock and 2 timeouts. After getting 6 on the first play, Alessio hit Marsh on the run, and the play got MSU to midfield. The next play was a pass to Velling who got out of bounds at the 34. Two more completions to Michael Masunas and Chrishon McCray both saw the receiver getting out of bounds. From the 14 with 14 seconds to go, Marsh caught a pass at the 9 and MSU used their 2nd timeout. And with 9 seconds remaining, Milivojevic hit Velling over the middle for the score. 24-7, Spartans in control. Felt weird typing that.

MSU squibbed the kickoff to use up the 4 seconds and get this game to halftime. At the break, MSU had 314 yards of offense, though Maryland had a respectable 233. Milivojevic was 16/23 for 216 yards, while Tau-Tolliver and Tullis had 44 and 37, respectively. Marsh and Velling led the way for the Spartan pass-catchers with 71 and 68 along with 11 of the 16 receptions.

The Maryland offense came out in the 3rd quarter looking to pick up yards in a hurry. In just four plays, all completeions, they were down to MSU’s 28. On 3rd down after 2 incompletions, Maryland threw for ten and got the first down after a review moved the placement of the ball from where it was originally spotted. 2 plays later, Maryland had goal-to-go at the 5, and they would run it in on their first try from there. They were within ten, 24-14.

Michigan State began their drive from the 20. Alessio found Kelly across the middle to get a first down pickup of 11. After runs of 6 and -3, the pass to Marsh on 3rd down was off target and fell incomplete. Eckley came on and hung one for only 49 yards, and it was brought back to the MSU 27.

After a pair of unsuccessful plays to begin their drive, Maryland went deep over the middle and reached midfield. The next play was a pass to the flat that led to another first down, now at the MSU 37. Sticking with the air attack, they got 12 more down to the 25. Two straight incompletions, the first caused by a massive hit right at the point-of-catch, brought up 3rd down, but the Spartan defense could not force a third straight incompletion. Maryland’s QB went for it all, hitting a receiver up the left sideline for another TD. Suddenly we had a three-point game on our hands, 27-24.

The Spartans had the perfect response. Alante Brown took the ensuing return 92 yards to the house. 34-24. We have already hit the over and we are still in the third quarter.

Again, Maryland’s offense began moving downfield in a hurry. This time, it started on the ground with a 40-yard rush to MSU’s 35. After an incompletion, passes of 11 and 24 got Maryland into the endzone for their third touchdown in 10 minutes. Malik Washington has now thrown for 372 yards and Maryland has 456 total yards, 130 more than MSU.

This time, the MSU offense did have to take the field. The drive started well enough with Marsh picking up a first down, but MSU only got 6 more yards and Eckley had to come on for a second consecutive time. Before the punt, MSU called timeout, but the referee announced “Michigan”, which as you can imagine, brought the boos from the 4 or 5 hundred in attendance. The ref clearly heard the boos and quickly corrected himself while laughing about it. When play resumed, Eckley’s punt bounced and was downed at the 9 after going 46.

Finally, MSU got a stop, forcing a three-and-out. Omari Kelly received the punt and was tripped up trying to get by the first defender. A holding was called on MSU moving the ball all the way back to the MSU 19.

On the first play, Milivojevic’s pass to Marsh over the middle skipped just short of the target. A pass to ET-T in the flat only picked up 3, and then Alessio scrambled when he could not find anyone open. He pump faked a would-be tackler after he was beyond the line of scrimmage, a move that helped him get to the sticks. Tullis gained 7 on the final play of the 3rd quarter.

Masunas got the catch to open the final quarter and earn a first down. MSU lost six when a screen to Tullis got blown up by a turf monster. That would prove to be too big a hole to climb out of, and Eckley came out again to punt… and then repunt after a formation penalty moved MSU back 5. It did not matter; both punts were downed at the 16.

Immediately, Maryland tried to go deep, but the pass was overthrown. They only gained 2 with a run on 2nd, but on 3rd, a Maryland receiver turned a three-yard catch into a 47-yard gain to MSU’s 35. I am pretty sure I heard “Fire Smith” chants at this point, but don’t quote me on that; not enough people to carry up to the press box. After a sack, the first of the game for either team, Washington hit passes of 6 and 18 to get his team to the 18. The Spartan defense managed to force 4th down and Maryland gifted MSU by missing the FG.

Michigan State took over up 3 with 7:38 to go. Right now, about half of the males in the stands have congregated in the corner of the upper deck and are all topless and waving their shirts in the air. I think I hear an “I believe that we will win” cheer coming from them. ET-T struck with a 40-yard dash to get things going. MSU moved the chains once more, but then Alessio threw an interception on a crossing route. To make things worse, an illegal block was called against MSU after the pick so Maryland started their drive at their 48 instead of the 33.

With 3:22 left, Maryland was perhaps taking the field for one last chance to steal a win. They obviously went for the deep shot on 1st down, but the receiver could not hold onto it. Another deep shot on 2nd was way off the mark, or maybe the receiver lost track of it in the lights. Pressure got home on 3rd and caused Washington to throw it in the dirt. Maryland had to go for it on 4th, and the pressure got home again, this time resulting in a sack at the 35.

3:01 remaining and Maryland still has all their timeouts. They did burn one after forcing a negative run on the first play. MSU gained 10 on the next play, and there was about to be a third and short but a personal foul after the play against Maryland gave MSU a 1st at the 13. MSU stayed with the run game to get Maryland to use another timeout. An incomplete pass in the endzone brought up 3rd & 8. ET-T’s run on 3rd went for a yard and the game reached the 2-minute timeout. To my complete surprise, MSU decided to go for it on 4th rather than try to go up 6. Alessio found Omari Kelly in the endzone! Touchdown Spartans! 38-28!

Maryland picked up one first down, but down ten and having to go deep, MSU safety Aveon Grose snagged the interception on the overthrow to ice it.

Alessio took a couple knees and…

VICTORY FOR MSU!!!