The Spartans know they need to wake up. There are four quarters to every football game, and MSU needs to play every one of them. They need to play from start to finish — and they need to finish.

“We have to finish games. We have to continue to try to fight through that,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said.

“We consistently come back and fight through things and then get to the end and nevertheless give up a play or don’t finish a play or whatever the case is.

“It’s not like we haven’t had some gut-wrenching losses here.”

But those losses haven’t wrenched the heart out of the Spartans. Players cite team unity and strength and the ability to compete with top-ranked teams as improvements over previous seasons.

MSU has yet to quit in a game. They’re not about to quit on the season.

“We’re not the type of team that’s going to throw in the towel,” senior running back Jehuu Caulcrick said. “Some other people may think we’re throwing in the towel, but we have two games left and could be 7-5 and go to a good bowl game.”

Getting those wins won’t be easy, even if the Spartans are already used to nothing coming easy.

Purdue owns the Big Ten Conference’s second best scoring offense and own a 7-3 record. It’s also the last home game for the Boilermakers’ seniors, which will bring added energy to the home team.

When the Spartans return to East Lansing for their final home game, Penn State will try to spoil the MSU seniors’ last home game. The Nittany Lions bring in the conference’s second best defense and a 7-3 record.

The Spartans have won once since conference play began: their only win coming against Indiana. MSU ranks second-to-last in the Big Ten standings, beating Minnesota in the race to avoid last place.

Still, though, the Spartans don’t feel like they’re a 5-5 team and 1-5 in the Big Ten.

“It’s a shame that our hard work has not really paid off because we know we are better than a 5-5 football team,” junior quarterback Brian Hoyer said. “It’s just a missed opportunity here or there, and we just need to find a way to do the little things and take every opportunity and make something happen from it.”

Many of those missed opportunities have come in the closing minutes of each game.

Whether it was running the ball on third-and-seven against Wisconsin, allowing Iowa to complete its longest pass of the game for a touchdown in double overtime or letting U-M march 79 yards in 48 seconds for a score, finishing games hasn’t been MSU’s specialty.

While many media outlets have penned “Same old Spartans” regarding the team’s fourth quarter collapses, Big Ten Network football analyst Chris Martin disagrees that Dantonio’s Spartans are comparable to previous seasons.

“This is a team that’s still learning how to win, but it’s a much different team than it has been,” Martin said. “I laud Dantonio for the job he’s done. He’s made over that team’s attitude and in the locker room. They need to substantiate it with wins, but this isn’t a typical meltdown.

“He has to substantiate it with wins, though, particularly in the conference.”

Dantonio takes the blame for the fourth-quarter mishaps: “I’m the head coach, so we’ll start with me.”

But he also said the team lacks experience in tight games.

He also can see the other side of the issue, though — the 28-24 loss to U-M wasn’t the first time the Spartans failed to win a close game this season.

“We start to press a little bit and things get tight, and maybe we haven’t been there in that situation enough times,” Dantonio said. “Although you would argue that because this is the fifth time this year.”

The Spartans now have experience with close games, whether that means winning or losing them.

The players hope this is the week their fortunes start to change.

“We know we have to make our own breaks. It’s football,” Caulcrick said. “You have to have some luck on your side. You can do everything, but you have to have some luck.”

With two games left, something needs to go their way if the Spartans plan on playing in a bowl game.

Two games left.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.