Michigan State in ‘disbelief’ after collapsing in 2OT loss to Indiana

EAST LANSING – All that stood between Michigan State and securing a bowl bid was closing out a win at home against a team that had lost seven straight games.

The Spartans had a 17-point lead in the third quarter but blew that.

They had a 22-yard game-winning field goal attempt as time expired in regulation but Ben Patton missed wide left.

The result was a stunning collapse as Michigan State (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) lost 39-31 to Indiana (4-7, 2-6) on Saturday in a frigid home finale in East Lansing.

“Obviously it’s not a very exciting time in the locker room,” quarterback Payton Thorne said. “It’s silent. Guys are a little bit in disbelief of the way the game ended. It stings.”

After blowing a 17-point lead, Michigan State strung together a 14-play, 70-yard drive late in the fourth quarter but came up empty. A heavy dose of Elijah Collins got the Spartans as close as the 3-yard line, but they were unable to punch it in and Patton missed wide left on the chip shot field goal.

“We weren’t initially playing for a field goal,” coach Mel Tucker said. “It wouldn’t make sense for us to try to do that but ultimately that’s what happened. We didn’t make it so it was a lack of execution.”

Michigan State unravels amid big plays, special teams miscues vs. Indiana

Michigan State also couldn’t put points on the board in the first overtime as Patton’s 28-yard attempt was blocked. The Spartans came up with a blocked field goal of their own to force a second overtime but Shaun Shivers scored on a 1-yard run, the Hoosiers added the 2-point conversion and Michigan State was unable to answer.

After enduring four straight losses by double digits and battling through injuries and the indefinite suspension of eight players, the Spartans won three of their last four heading into Saturday. They had a three-score lead in the second half and still couldn’t get the win.

“Obviously, very disappointed not being able to close this game out,” Tucker said. “We got outplayed in the second half. You can point to any aspect of the team – offense, defense or special teams – where we had opportunities to execute and didn’t do it for 60 minutes.”

Michigan State had major advantages in total offense (540 to 288), first downs (29 to 11) and time of possession (36:25 to 23:27) but none of that mattered. Indiana had explosive plays in the second half, including a 79-yard touchdown run by Shivers and an 88-yard kickoff return for a score by Jaylin Lucas to make up for the disparity in statistics.

Special teams were a disaster for Michigan State, which gave up 192 yards in kickoff returns, including its first touchdown since 2017. Patton was 1-for-3 on field goals as the Spartans fell to 5-for-11 for the season. Bryce Baringer, who entered the game first in the nation in punting average (49.6), averaged only 31.0 on three attempts in windy conditions.

“We thought special teams were going to be the difference in this game and it was,” Tucker said. “We thought we’d do better.”

Indiana made a quarterback change Saturday by going with redshirt sophomore Dexter Williams II. In his first career start and just third game, he was only 2-for-7 passing for 31 yards but had 16 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. The Hoosiers, who entered the game last in the Big Ten and 127th out of 131 teams in the nation in rushing at only 85.8 yards per game, finished with 44 carries for 257 yards and four touchdowns.

“I think it might have been three touchdowns where dudes went untouched,” safety Xavier Henderson said. “Take those out, we make them drive more – I don’t know. … Credit to them. They played hard, they played the whole 60 (minutes) and we did not.”

A year after Michigan State capped an 11-2 season with a New Year’s Six bowl win, there may not be a 13th game. The Spartans need to win the regular-season finale at No. 11 Penn State next week to become bowl eligible and the loss to Indiana will linger.

“It’s not exactly a ‘hey, on to the next one’ right away in the locker room,” Thorne said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to soak it in a bit, even when it’s not the good ones. We’ll be back at it tomorrow and we’ll be ready to go.”

Related Michigan State football stories:

Michigan State blows 17-point lead in 2OT loss to Indiana

Michigan State still without suspended players, other starters vs. Indiana

Michigan State’s run game helps spark back-to-back wins

5 things to watch in Michigan State vs. Indiana and a final score prediction

Michigan State’s Elijah Collins has eligibility left, undecided on future

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