Evanston, Ill. — With No. 8 MSU trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter and seeing its offense stalled at the Northwestern 31-yard line, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio took a surprise delay-of-game penalty and sent the punting unit out onto the field.
Instead of punting, senior punter Aaron Bates took the snap and delivered a 23-yard pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Bennie Fowler, who broke open for a first down at the Northwestern 13-yard line and caught the Northwestern return team off guard for a big gain.
With momentum on MSU’s side, junior quarterback Kirk Cousins hit senior wide receiver Mark Dell for a 13-yard touchdown pass on the next play, and MSU drew within 24-21, then scored two more touchdowns in the remaining 13:12 to cap a thrilling 35-27 win at Ryan Field.
Bates’ pass, which was his first attempt since converting the game-winning score against Notre Dame in overtime on Sept. 18, changed the tide in the game and helped the Spartans move to 8-0.
“It was a mouse trap,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “We had to get them to take the cheese. We felt like they would drop their receiver after 15 yards, and we felt like we could sneak one in there, especially with Bates. It’s timing, it’s execution, it was a good job executing.”
The fake punt wasn’t the only play the Spartans utilized to catch the Wildcats by surprise Saturday.
Needing a score early in the third quarter, the Spartans ran a reverse to Fowler, who found a seam and ran 22 yards for a touchdown.
It was a beautiful play that drew the Spartans within 17-14 and allowed Fowler to demonstrate his cutting ability and speed.
Fowler played great Saturday. For a player who hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity this season because of MSU’s wide receiver talent, Fowler stepped up while filling in for junior wide receiver Keshawn Martin, who went down in the first quarter and didn’t return.
“We’ve been working on (the fake punt) for a couple weeks on in case we need something to spark the team,” Fowler said. “I was pretty confident that it was going to work.”
With 10 minutes left in the third quarter, junior wide receiver Keith Nichol lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation, which is something the Spartans haven’t utilized this year.
It only produced a three-yard run, but proves the Spartans have several options for the opposing defenses that keep them on their heels.
Nichol caught a 42-yard pass off a reverse against Michigan that helped the Spartans distance themselves from the Wolverines.
After Bates’ accurate pass to Fowler made him two-for-two on the season, Bates said despite his clutch passing this season, he’s not yet ready to start quarterback controversy.
“After that pass into the breeze, you could see a little difference in arm strength,” Bates said. “I was trying to keep a spiral and did as well as I could there.”
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