Michigan State University Athletics
Defense Delivers Big Plays In Fourth-Quarter Comeback
11/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2011
By Steve Grinczel, Online Columnist
The victory was every bit as valuable as those over Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State, and maybe even more-so given the fact Michigan State absolutely needed it to stay in contention down the stretch run.
And yet, the mood following the Spartans' 31-24 come-from-behind victory over Minnesota was anything but exuberant. If anything, it was subdued, like that of someone who just beat an onrushing train at a railroad crossing: Why did I put myself in that situation? And, thank goodness I made it through OK.
The goal all along was to survive and advance to the next round of what amounts to the Big Ten playoffs, but the No. 15 Spartans' interpretation against the 2-7 Golden Gophers was a little too literal for comfort.
Michigan State led for all of 16 ½ minutes. The Spartans didn't go ahead for good until Le'Veon Bell bolted around right end for a 35-yard touchdown run with 10:58 remaining.
Even then, the lead appeared tenuous as long as Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray had a shot by:
Air - he established career-highs for passing yards (295), completions (19) and touchdown passes (three);
Or,
Land - he rushed 21 times for just 71 yards, 100 below his career-best, but was always a threat to break a long one.
It wasn't until senior free safety and co-captain Trenton Robinson ended the Gophers' last possession with his second interception of the second half off Gray, with 10 seconds to go, that MSU could finally stop fighting and clawing its way out of the corner.
By battling their way off the ropes, Spartans found themselves back in control of their own destiny by the time darkness fell. The victory, combined with Michigan's 24-18 loss at Iowa and Nebraska's 28-25 upset defeat against Northwestern put Michigan State alone in first place in the Legends Division.
The Spartans (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) can get closer to clinching a spot in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game with a win at Iowa next Saturday, and will definitely be in if they win all three of their remaining games. However, the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-2) can get back into the race with a victory over MSU.
Robinson called the Spartans' defensive performance on Minnesota's opening drive, which ended on a 64-yard touchdown pass from Gray to Da'Jon McKnight "just awful" because of at least four missed tackles.
And when the Gophers regained a 14-7 first-quarter lead, "we had some critical errors and they capitalized on them," Robinson said.
"We were on the sideline and said we need to regroup," Robinson said. "We said we need to come together, don't let the score get to us and just continue to push, and that's what we did."
The measure of a team is rarely considered when it wins while doing everything correctly and ball is bouncing its way. Character is usually only talked about when something is overcome.
Why can't the term "program win" - indicative of overall strength and usually invoked after defeating a long-time nemesis or highly regarded opponent - apply when a team is good enough to beat a feisty foe even when things go badly?
"It's football and there's always going to be adversity," Robinson said. "We go by a (saying), our whole team does, `We believe.' We believe in each other and we believe that even if something does happen, we can push forward.
"We're going to continue to push forward and continue to get better from this game. It wasn't a complete game, but we won. We know what has to be done. Every game is a must-win game."
The Michigan State defense finally came to life in the fourth quarter and forced Minnesota to go three-and-out on its first two possessions of the final period, forced Gray to throw four consecutive incompletions from the MSU 48-yard line on the third harassed Gray into a turnover on the Gophers' last play.
"The first three quarters we looked out of sync," said defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. "It was the most average performance of the year. We just didn't play very good in the first three quarters, (but) our kids played with emotion in the fourth quarter and it was dominating performance in the fourth quarter."
The ailing defense - starting linebacker Chris Norman and cornerback Darqueze Dennard were out, defensive end Johnathan Strayhorn was limited and linebacker Steve Gardiner left the game early with an injury -- fed off Robinson until it had enough energy to finish the deal.
"He's always ready to give you 110 percent and any time you need him, he's focused and ready to go," said defensive tackle Jerel Worthy. "He brings a lot of intensity to this team and this defense. He's our vocal guy and the guy who gets us amped up."
No team wins with style points and MSU's Big Ten-leading defense gave up 415 yards, or nearly twice as much as usual.
"We kind of sleepwalked through the game a little bit, but we were able to pull out the win and that's something we'll build on for next week," Worthy said. "This doesn't feel like a reality check. I just feel like we got the best shot from a pretty good team and they ran some different schemes that put us on our heels a little bit and they made some great plays.
"We just have a never-say-die attitude. No matter what the score is, we're going to keep fighting. But next week, we can't come out and have a performance like we did today. It's going to be a big showdown in Iowa."
