South Bend, Ind. - They took a 13-point lead into the final three minutes, and that's when the game veered off course.
Like a recurring nightmare waiting to unfold, the MSU football team's opponent scored and set the Spartans up to field an onside kick. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Stanton stood in naked silence, the likely suspect in the onside assault.
But this time it unfolded differently. The redshirt freshman eyed the bouncing ball, visions of last weekend's debacle in his mind, and grasped it with all of his might to secure a 22-16 MSU (3-1) win over rival Notre Dame (1-2).
"It was just like what happened last week," Stanton said. "They lined up looking like they might do an onside kick. I figured they would kick it to me because they may have thought I wasn't mentally in the game. But I was fortunate to get the ball, and the outcome was good."
All the Spartans needed was one first down to close out the game after recovering the kick. Their wish was granted when Notre Dame sent 12 players on the field on 4th and 1 to give MSU the first down and allow senior quarterback Jeff Smoker to kneel to finish off the victory.
"This is a very special win because this is a special place and a special program," head coach John L. Smith said. "But the bottom line is that I'm just happy for our football team and our kids. I think they're really excited about what we can do as a football team and where we can take it."
Last weekend, Stanton blundered an onside kick attempt with just more than a minute remaining, which led to Louisiana Tech's game-winning drive. Senior wide receiver Ziehl Kavanaght recovered a similar attempt against Western Michigan in MSU's opener.
"I told our team that, 'Don't forget that we're the same team that lost to La. Tech last week,'" Smith said. "We're not special."
After a lackluster first half for both teams, two big plays in the second half put the Spartans ahead for good. A 71-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Jaren Hayes and an interception and touchdown run by senior defensive end Greg Taplin were the difference.
"We needed a big play at that time," Smith said. "Our defense was battling things out and we needed a turnover and (Taplin) came up with one. That was big. That's a nail-in-the-coffin type deal."
Hayes rushed around the right end, sprung by key blocks from senior guard Joe Tate and sophomore wide receivers Agim Shabaj and Matt Trannon, and showed a burst of speed as he broke for the end zone on the Spartans' third drive of the second half.
"I made the right read and I take my hat off to the receiver that made that great block that got me into the end zone," Hayes said. "The hole opened up and I hit it."
Shabaj, who left the field early in the first half with an injured leg but later returned, only caught one pass for 11 yards in the game. His injury, however, wasn't too severe, leading Smith to joke about it after the win, saying, "He should be fine. We pinned an aspirin on his shoulder and he's OK."
With his main target ineffective and a rigged-up right shoe to protect his injured big toe, senior quarterback Jeff Smoker was inconsistent all game but didn't hurt his team too much. He finished 13-of-27 for 119 yards and two interceptions but failed to throw a touchdown pass as the Spartans won with their rushing attack.
Hayes and junior running back Tyrell Dortch shared the ball-carrying load. Hayes had 113 yards on 19 carries while Dortch finished with 64 yards on 13 carries.
Maybe the most impressive part of the game for MSU, however, was the play of their much-maligned passing defense.
It faced Notre Dame quarterbacks Carlyle Holiday and Brady Quinn, who were ushered in and out throughout the game, combined for 202 yards passing and endured two interceptions and three sacks.
"We expected both of them to play, but you have to work them both differently," Smith said. "We tried to work a scramble drill all week, where we had our lineman run around and try to catch the quarterback. You can't allow him to have too much time back there."
Taplin and senior mike linebacker Mike Labinjo had the two interceptions, while sophomore safety Eric Smith had two sacks and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson reached the quarterback on the other.
"(Taplin is) a really important player for our defense and he's making the plays," senior whip linebacker Ronald Stanley said. "We were focused and knew that we weren't going to do that again.
"(This game) lets us know that we can be a good defense. We start the Big Ten this week and we have some things to look forward to."
