EAST LANSING — Michigan State kept itself in a crucial rivalry game with Michigan for longer than it stuck around the past few games.
By the fourth quarter of their last two games in the Big Ten, the Spartans (3-5) had all but been written off by UCLA and Indiana by the final 15 minutes.
But against the Wolverines, MSU still had some life after scoring a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, while trailing by multiple scores.
Coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans offense had only put seven points on the board to that point, so they got aggressive and opted to go for a two-point conversion, rather than kick the extra-point that would bring the score to 24-14.
Quarterback Aidan Chiles wouldn’t be able to get a pass to Chrishon McCray and the try failed as the Spartans got caught trying to grab some extra points that Smith thought could set them up well the rest of the way.
“A little chasing points at that point,” Smith said after the 31-20 defeat. “Analytics, where the score was at in regards to the multiple scores, you got to catch up two. You go for two earlier in the game than later, it kind of declares your strategy moving forward. All that went into it.”
Having the hindsight of a failed attempt, it certainly would’ve made sense for the Spartans to go for the kick. But even in the moment, it was still a puzzling move as MSU could’ve been a field goal and touchdown plus extra point away from tying the game. And if the Spartans made it that far, they could’ve gone for a lead with a two-point conversion.
Instead MSU’s best path to staying in the game became a field goal with a touchdown and two-point conversion, which was not going to catch Michigan by surprise anymore.
The Spartans did well on their next defensive drive forcing a quick three-and-out, followed soon by a 25-yard run from Makhi Frazier to put Michigan State inside Michigan territory.
The drive made it to the Michigan 27-yard line on fourth-and-three, making for an approximately 44-yard field goal for kicker Martin Connington that would pull the Spartans within a score.
The freshman has a career-long of 50. Not a gimme, but something he could’ve been capable of.
But Smith knew MSU needed to reach the end zone again to complete a comeback and he felt like that was the moment to go for it.
“We were going to need a touchdown at some point during the game and where our distance was, that’s not a guaranteed three points,” Smith said. “All of that went into, like we’re going to need a touchdown at some point. Fourth-and-three felt like the best call is to go get a touchdown on that drive.”
Smith’s faith wasn’t rewarded by the offense as Chiles’ throw to Jack Velling was broken up by Michigan’s Jimmy Rolder and the momentum the Spartans had built quickly vanished and the Wolverines began to chew away at the clock.
There was always a tall order for getting back into the game for MSU. Smith made a couple of decisions hoping to sway things Michigan State’s way by chasing points, but they didn’t pay off and the Spartans were left with a fourth straight loss to their rivals.
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