ANN ARBOR - MSU played its in-state rival Saturday, but the Michigan Wolverines weren’t the biggest reason the Spartans lost their fourth straight game.
Once again, MSU beat itself with poor execution and turnovers to remain winless in Big Ten play.
Although the Spartans (3-4 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) were shut out 14-0 by No. 15 U-M (6-2, 4-1), they were in position to put points on the board.
For the third straight week, MSU outgained its opponent in total yards - 355 to 326 - and lost.
Following the game, MSU head coach Bobby Williams was angered by the way the Spartans were defeated.
“We had some tough situations go against us,” Williams said, referring to a questionable U-M fumble recovery in the third quarter and other plays Williams felt went against the visiting Spartans. “We felt we moved the ball well on offense, but there was just no point production.”
Trailing 7-0 at halftime, MSU stormed down the field to begin the second half, behind stellar runs from sophomore tailback T.J. Duckett and efficient passing from junior quarterback Ryan Van Dyke.
After driving 75 yards to U-M’s 2-yard line, the Spartans stalled. Duckett appeared to cross the goal line on first down, but officials marked the ball down at the 1-yard line. On second down, the Kalamazoo native lost a yard.
Then, on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Van Dyke pitched to Duckett, who was stripped by Wolverine linebacker Victor Hobson, and the ball was recovered controversially inbounds by U-M defensive lineman Eric Wilson.
MSU controlled the ball for 8:09 to begin the second half and came up empty.
The fumble also proved to be Duckett’s last carry of the day because of a shoulder injury he sustained against Iowa on Oct. 7. Duckett said it was his and the coaches’ decision not to re-enter the game.
“I just lost it,” Duckett said of the fumble. “I didn’t have control of the ball. If I was 100 percent I could’ve made a difference (in the outcome of the game). It’s definitely frustrating because I didn’t get a chance to redeem myself (after the fumble).”
Following the miscue, the Drew Henson-led Wolverines marched down the field, covering 92 yards in only 1:42. The drive was capped by a 30-yard touchdown run by running back Anthony Thomas, who ran for 175 yards and became U-M’s all-time leading touchdown scorer with 49.
In the fourth quarter, MSU’s offense reached the U-M 9-yard line, but on fourth down with 2 yards to go, Van Dyke ran right and was shoved out of bounds for a loss of 4 yards.
Despite the valiant effort from MSU’s defense, it wasn’t enough. Senior safety Richard Newsome said the defense took some solace in the way it played.
“We call ourselves the firemen, because we’re supposed to put the fire out,” Newsome said. “It’s a little bit of a nightmare, but when you wake up in the morning it’s all good.”
On the bright side for the Spartans, Van Dyke played his best game of the year, completing 26 of 37 passes for 292 yards.
“I think every game I’ve been getting better,” Van Dyke said. “We’re angry because we’ve lost four straight games, and disappointed because we tried really hard.”
Jeff Karzen can be reached at karzenje@msu.edu.
