The skies sobbed over Ann Arbor Saturday night. In the end, the vast majority in The Big House joined in.
Michigan State invaded Michigan Stadium, built an 11-point halftime lead, then hung on through a monsoon to slog away with a 14-10 win over the Wolverines. Five Michigan turnovers — to none for the Spartans — doomed an effort that continually came up short.
A final Hail Mary heave from fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn tumbled to the turf, leaving the Wolverines (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) adrift and the Spartans (4-1, 2-0) sailing away with in-state bragging rights for another year.
“You can’t expect to win when you turn it over five times,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Or it’s tough to win.”
That Michigan even had a chance represents a testament to its defense, which pitched another second-half shutout and held the Spartans without a first down in the final 30 minutes until the waning moments. MSU managed only 252 yards to Michigan’s 300, but a pair of first-half touchdowns was all it required.
MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke didn’t enjoy a spectacular night, going 11 for 22 with 94 yards passing, one TD toss and another touchdown run on 61 yards worth of scrambles. What he didn’t do stood out, though. He and his team didn’t turn the ball over, while O’Korn fired three interceptions on his way to 16-of-35 passing for 198 yards.
“We had plenty of opportunities to move the ball and score touchdowns,” O’Korn said. “You can’t expect to win when you turn it over that many times. Three of them were 100 percent my fault.”
In the end, Michigan came away with 100 percent frustration on a near miss.
The Wolverines rumbled with a purpose on the opening possession of the game, reeling off 16 plays, but settling for redshirt freshman placekicker Quinn Nordin’s 30-yard field goal at 8:04. O’Korn threaded a third-down pass to junior wideout Grant Perry for a 19-yard gain to jump start the march, which stalled in the red zone.
The Wolverines looked ready for more, surging near midfield on their second possession in the dry portion of the evening. But fifth-year senior tailback Ty Isaac got stripped of the ball, and MSU’s Chris Frey pounced on it at the U-M 46.
Six plays later, Lewerke scrambled out for a 14-yard touchdown run, making it 7-3 Michigan State at the 2:59 mark. The first turnover proved a momentum-turner, and it took a long time for the Wolverines to start recovering.
Midway through the second quarter, the breezy night produced a bigger chill inside The Big House. MSU drove 83 yards in nine plays for a touchdown to make it 14-3 with 8:07 remaining in the half.
Lewerke pulled off a double-fake screen pass to his right, running back Madre London pulling it in and riding a beefy blocking escort 16 yards for the touchdown. Suddenly, the Spartans grabbed all the momentum, a stunned crowd of 112,432 sidelined as a noise factor.
“Turnovers hurt us,” fifth-year senior fullback Khalid Hill said. “We were always shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties or something that hurts us, big time.”
The Wolverines saw a chance to get at least a field goal back before halftime, but another crucial fumble wiped out that chance. O’Korn hit sophomore tight end Sean McKeon in MSU territory, but he coughed it up, Spartans safety David Dowell diving on it at the 29.
With a thunderstorm approaching and one barely weathered in the first half, the Wolverines desperately needed a strong second-half start. They executed it, backing the Spartans up deep and cashing in a short-field touchdown.
An MSU punt out of its own end zone set U-M up at the MSU 33. O’Korn fired throws of 18 and 17 yards to Hill and Perry. Hill then punched it in from a yard out, pulling the Wolverines within four, 14-10, at the 8:09 mark of the third quarter.
The driving rains then began pelting Michigan Stadium, swinging the advantage to both defenses. The fourth quarter played out without a score, sheets of water swirling everywhere.
“There was one point it was a torrential downpour, and it was tough to throw the football,” O’Korn said. “But there are no excuses. You’ve got to do what you’re coached to do, and you’ve got to complete the passes that are called.”
O’Korn fired an interception to open the fourth, MSU’s Joe Bachie setting the Spartans up at the Michigan 41. But the Spartans went nowhere, Lewerke fumbling the snap on a fourth-and-two.
Dowell then picked off another O’Korn pass, a well-saturated fifth turnover for the Wolverines. But once again, U-M’s defense held near midfield, forcing the Spartans to punt.
However, the Wolverines simply couldn’t make it happen on the offensive side of the ball. Asked about play calling, Harbaugh offered a stiff-arm. He noted Michigan was trying to run the ball and put drives together, but just couldn't do so successfully.
It just didn’t happen, as the clock drained away in a scoreless fourth quarter. The Wolverines got it back for one final shot, but a ball hurled by O’Korn into the south end zone got tipped away, delivering Michigan’s first loss of the season.
The Wolverines spoke about quickly regrouping with two road games dead ahead.
“Of course it hurts, but we’ve got to keep our heads up,” fifth-year senior linebacker Mike McCray said. “Our goal is to win a Big Ten championship … hopefully we can move on, come out next week and get a win.”
Five Best Players Of The Game
1. Michigan State safety David Dowell — Dowell picked off two of the three interceptions O’Korn threw, while he also recovered a fumble, secured seven tackles and broke up a pass. He set the turnover tone, and others followed.
2. Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie — Bachie made the other interception, forced a fumble, broke up a pass and posted a sack among 10 tackles. On a night for defenders, he hurt the Wolverines.
3. Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke — Lewerke wasn’t exceptional, but there were three touchdowns scored in the game, and he accounted for two of them — one through the air, one on the ground. He also didn’t turn the ball over, the difference in the game.
4. U-M fifth-year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst — Hurst paced a defensive effort that would have won most games. Among his eight tackles were 2.5 tackles for loss, and he put plenty of pressure on the Spartans.
5. Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes — Willekes made life miserable for O’Korn, notching a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss among his nine stops.
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