Michigan State battles adversity on way to B1G title game

IOWA CITY — Michigan State's road to Indianapolis was filled with gridlock and speed bumps. But the No. 5 Spartans didn't swerve and arrived intact.

Injuries nearly derailed Michigan State (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten East) early in the season. All-American caliber linebacker Ed Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall camp. Cornerback Vayante Copeland sustained a broken neck against Oregon. Safety R.J. Williams was named the national defensive player of the week after beating Air Force, then lost the rest of his season with a torn biceps two weeks later.

A jumbled offensive line saw all-Big Ten tackle Jack Conklin and center Jack Allen lose time. Then replacement left tackle Dennis Finley broke his leg. The Spartans limped through parts of their season but always stayed on track.

'There was never a point when I thought it would be too much, but there were points where I would say, 'Hey we've got to play every game,'' Coach Mark Dantonio said. 'Every game was tight. We can't make mistakes in the game.'

Michigan State rose to No. 2 in the national polls after beating Oregon 31-28 in their week two showdown. Then the prestige slipped after a 24-21 home win against Purdue and a seven-point victory at Rutgers. Those teams combined for a 5-19 record, which sent the Spartans to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.

Nebraska rallied from a 12-point deficit in the game's final four minutes to beat Michigan State 39-38 in early November. The Spartans tumbled to No. 13, yet the adversity galvanized the team. In its showdown at Ohio State before a record crowd of 108,875 last week, Michigan State produced the best defensive plan in recent memory. Entering the game, defending national champion Ohio State led the Big Ten in scoring (36.4 points per game), rushing offense (244.8 yards per game) and total offense (453.3). The Spartans shut down Ohio State in every way possible.

Ohio State churned out five first downs and gained just 132 total yards. Both of the Buckeyes' touchdowns were scored after turnovers in MSU territory. Michigan State held the ball for more than 38 minutes, and Ohio State converted just 4 of 14 third-down chances. Perhaps even more impressive, quarterback Connor Cook sat out that game with a shoulder injury. The Spartans won 17-14 on the game's final play, a 41-yard field goal by Michael Geiger.

'It's a give and take always around here, but hopefully we're meshing at the right time,' Dantonio said. 'We're very proud of our football team and the way they've handled their adversities around this season thus far. There's going to be more to come and how we handle it will define us ever further. But at this point, we've gotten up off the mat after Nebraska, we played through injuries, we've played down the stretch, we've won some close games. We haven't given up on each other.'

Michigan State's potholes could have damaged any team on this Big Ten title game journey. But the Spartans never crashed.

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