Hoosiers score 47 straight points to defeat the Spartans
It was a sunny day on the first Saturday of November as college football reached the final month of the regular season. Unfortunately, the sun must have been shining brighter on the Indiana sideline.
Michigan State won the coin toss and elected not to receive the ball. The MSU defense took the field and showed up to start the game. Charles Brantley and Cal Haladay each had a big play as MSU forced the three and out.
After the punt, Aidan Chiles and company took the field. The Hoosiers quickly got MSU to a 3rd & 7, but Chiles hit Nick Marsh for a 33-yard connection that was absolutely beautiful. On the next play, Aziah Johnson picked up another first down. The drive stalled on the next series as MSU was met for a loss on a 3rd & 2 run. Jonathan Kim came on and hit a 46-yard kick to put MSU up early, 3-0.
On Indiana’s 2nd possession, Brantley had another great play to break up a pass on 1st down. After a short run and a dropped ball on what would have picked up the first, Indiana had another three & out.
The Spartans started their second drive at their 28. A bubble screen got MSU to the 42. After an underthrow on 1st, Montorie Foster caught a pass that led to a 3rd & inches. Chiles was drilling passes early and looking sharp. He picked up the first with his legs. On the next series, MSU faced a 3rd & 10 and threw another bubble screen, this one to Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams who showed great patience waiting for his blockers, then bounced outside and picked up the first down to the 26. MSU then ran an end-around for Alante Brown for 8. Then a pass to Marsh for 7 picked up another 1st down… but a penalty nullified it. After Chiles lost one 1 on a run to bring up 3rd and 8, he escaped the pressure from the edge, ran up the left sideline and sneaked for the first at the 17. On a third down on the next series Chiles escaped pressure again and found Marsh on the side of the endzone for a touchdown. It was an amazing catch by the true freshman. Indiana called a timeout and challenged the call, but it was obviously a catch.
I said in my prediction yesterday that the big question I had for this game would be MSU’s mental preparedness. Early on, it is obvious that MSU came ready to play today.
On the next drive, Indiana got a 14-yard gain on 1st for their first 1st down. They then had runs of 8 and 9 to move the chains into MSU territory. The Hoosiers picked up one more first down before the first quarter ended, with the score 10-0 MSU.
To start the second, Indiana ran another screen and picked up 16 yards down to the 17. On the next play, TE Zack Horton got wide open over the middle and walked in to get Indiana on the board. 10-7 MSU.
MSU looked like they were ready to respond as Foster gained 12 yards over the middle, his 3rd catch of the day. MSU got caught for a negative run on the next play, but Indiana was called for unnecessary roughness to move MSU to the Hoosiers 49. But then, a pass to Jack Velling got tipped over the middle and was intercepted and returned to the Indiana 45.
Now the MSU defense responded with a 1st-down run stuff, a Brantley diving deflection to break up the deep shot, and a pass out of bounds to force the punt. A beauty of a punt pinned MSU at the 7.
Aziah Johnson caught a pass for 8 after Chiles evaded pressure in the pocket to start MSU’s next possession. Nate Carter got just enough to move the chains on the next play. But then MSU had yet another negative run on first to lose 3. After a dart to Marsh on the sideline gained 11, a pitch to Carter was unsuccessful. So MSU punted, and the Hoosiers returned it to the 36.
Indiana started with a big play. Rourke hit a slant to Ke’Shawn Williams for 38 to MSU’s 26. Adding injury to insult, Brantley got hurt on the play. After a commercial, Indiana ran a fake hand-off to end-around that just escaped an MSU defender in the backfield and got all the way down to the 1-yard line. On 2nd down, Ty Son Lawton ran it in on 2nd down. The Hoosiers took a 14-10 lead with 6:22 to go in the half.
After returning the Kickoff to the 30, MSU took the field looking to get the lead back. They began with a 4-yard Carter run, but then Chiles got sacked, bringing up a 3rd & 9. On the next play, Chiles underthrew the pass and the defender undercut it for an interception. So a quick three-and-out and a turnover!
Indiana took over at the MSU 37. A failed tackle on a second down check-down led to a Hoosiers’ first down. Indiana went for a 9-yard pick up to start the next series followed by a play-action completion for 13 down to the 5. After a 1st down stuffed run, Rourke would have all day on a drop-back before eventually stepping up to the line and dropping a pass to his receiver for a TD. 21-10 Indiana with 2:10 until halftime.
MSU could get nothing going on the ensuing drive and had to punt after three plays. Eckley was able to flip the field as his punt bounced to the Indiana 14.
Finally, the MSU defense got a stop. Kris Bogle snuffed out a run play for a 3-yard loss to start things off, and MSU called their first timeout with 59 seconds remaining. A screen pass got Indiana to 3rd & 2 after a missed tackle at the point of the catch, and then a run play initially picked up the first down, but a review moved it just short, stopping the drive, and MSU called their 2nd timeout with 49 seconds. The punt rolled to the 32 with 37 seconds.
Velling picked up 11 and got out of bounds to start things off. Things went south quickly after that as Chiles was sacked and then, after MSU called their final TO with 17 seconds, a pass to Marsh was inbounds and time ran out. MSU went to the half down 11.
MSU began the 2nd half after choosing to defer at the start of the game. The offense came out and lost yardage, and then Indiana blocked the punt resulting in a safety when the MSU punter, Eckley batted the ball out the back of the endzone. 23-10 Indiana.
Indiana would get the ball at their 35 after the drop kick. Jaylen Thompson got the PBU to force 3rd & 9, and a false start backed up Indiana five more yards. But a pass over the middle to Omar Cooper went for 22 and a first. Elijah Sarratt then caught a 25-yarder down the sideline to MSU’s 12. After another false start and an incompletion in the endzone, Rourke hit Miles Price off play action, and Price was able to jog in for the score. 30-10 Indiana.
Trailing by 20, MSU started with another loss on a run, the ninth negative play for MSU on the day. Predictably, a 3rd & long followed a play later, and a pass to Marsh came up 2 yards short of the sticks. Coach Smith decided to go for it on 4th & 2. Chiles evaded some trouble and spun out before hitting Johnson on the run for a first across midfield. MSU would get a short run and then an incompletion when Chiles was forced to throw it away, but Chiles got hurt on the play and needed the trainers to come out. Tommy Schuster came out on 3rd & 9 and passed it to Foster for 5 yards. MSU went for it again on 4th, but Schuster ate the sack to end the drive. Also, Chiles was shown going to the locker room.
Indiana took over at their 45. Rourke evaded a sack on the first play and scrambled for 7, but a fortunate flag moved them back to their 35. Lawton hit a 15-yard rush to get his team to 2nd & 5, and then they got the first down with a 16-yard strike to Price on 3rd down. Finally, the drive stalled at the 11, and Indiana had to settle for a FG. 33-10 Indiana.
Schuster came out for MSU on the next drive and was able to get one first down pick-up. But he would be sacked again on a 3rd down to force MSU to punt on the last play of the third quarter. A bad snap on the punt from backup long snapper Carson-Wentz (that’s his last name) led to Eckley running to his right where he was promptly tackled at the MSU 21.
Indiana found the endzone two plays later on a play that fully showed that the MSU defense had given up. A minute into the fourth quarter and the score was 40-10.
Things continued to be ugly for MSU. They punted from inside the endzone after losing 19 yards on their 3 plays.
Indiana returned the ball across midfield and started their drive at the MSU 37. On a short field, the Hoosiers inevitably found the endzone again, though the drive was aided by a pass interference on a 3rd down play where MSU had a chance to force the FG team onto the field. Rourke’s 4th TD pass went to Sarratt to put the visitors up 47-10.
I will take this opportunity to remind you that MSU led this game 10-0 at one point. There is 10:52 remaining and I do not have the willpower to continue documenting this game.
MSU did get 2 first downs on their ensuing drive but then got stopped. The Eckley punt was tipped, but just got away.
Finally, Indiana pulled Rourke from the game. He threw for 263 yards and 4 TDs. By comparison, MSU’s two QBs have thrown for 229 yards at this point with 1 TD and 2 picks. Also, Carter and KLA combined for 16 yards on 14 rushes.
The Hoosiers mercifully kept the ball on the ground and, after picking up a pair of first downs on 4th down conversions, they were able to run the final 8 minutes off the clock. I was glad to not see MSU’s offense on the field anymore in this one.
This game started off well enough. Unfortunately, for the second week in a row, a strong start rapidly dissipated and ended in an MSU loss. This one, however, became a blowout. MSU needs to figure some things out fast to get a couple of wins in their remaining three games to get to bowl season. For now, the Old Brass Spittoon is on its way to Bloomington.
Basketball in 48 hours!