Keith Nichol hadn’t had a catch in the game. In fact, through six games the senior receiver only caught 11 balls on the season. But the amount of receptions didn’t matter Saturday night, when Nichol etched his name into Spartans history.
With the clock at four seconds left in the fourth quarter, and 76,405 fans bracing themselves for overtime, the No. 15 MSU football team (6-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) had time for one more play against No. 4 Wisconsin (6-1, 2-1) to break the 31-31 tie.
Just out of field goal range, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio called “Rocket,” a last-ditch effort for senior quarterback Kirk Cousins to bomb the ball to the end zone and see if destiny was on the Spartans side.
On Saturday night, that proved to be the case. Nichol — a senior wide receiver — found a 44-yard pass that deflected off a Wisconsin defender’s hand, B.J. Cunningham’s facemask and fell right to his gloves. The miracle play handed the Badgers their first loss of the season, 37-31.
“I just felt like I couldn’t be denied on that one,” said Nichol, who caught the ball at the 1-yard line and powered his way just barely across the goal line. “I just knew it in my gut … it was amazing the way it worked out.”
Nichol was originally called down at the one, but upon further review, the referee ruled it a touchdown and a sellout crowd that was once dead silent in the first quarter — when the Spartans were down 14-0 just a few minutes into the game — was sent into a frenzy.
The moment reminded senior wide receiver B.J. Cunningham of “Little Giants,” the fake field goal play that undoubtedly will forever live on in Spartan history. But for Cunningham, “Rocket” might have surpassed it.
“I would say this is bigger,” Cunningham said. “I would definitely say that. Just to end on a Hail Mary bomb like that against the (No. 6) team in the nation. You know, I can’t ask for anything more.”
About five minutes into the game, the matchup didn’t feel like it would be decided in the final minutes. Badgers quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Russell Wilson — with assistance from his big offensive line and star running back Montee Ball — carved through the Spartans’ defense.
What was supposedly the best defense in the Big Ten allowed Wilson to drive the Badgers 80 yards in 11 players and score. The score was 7-0, Wilson completed all of his passes and Ball had 48 rushing yards.
After a fumble by junior running back Edwin Baker, the Badgers offense took all of three plays to find the end zone again — this time on a ball 9-yard run. The Spartan offense ran only one play and were already down two touchdowns.
“We worked too hard to give up,” Cousins said. “We’ve seen too many games where we can come back or where other teams come back to give up, and we showed character tonight. There was no way we were going to throw in the towel.”
It was with senior safety Trenton Robinson’s interception that the defense became energized. Although the offense came out and could not get a drive going again, the true Spartan defense arrived.
Wilson dropped back into his own end zone and the MSU coverage forced him to throw the ball away while he was still in the pocket and with no receiver in site. He was flagged for intentional grounding and the play resulted in a safety.
“It could’ve got ugly,” senior wide receiver Keshawn Martin said. “But I believed in (our defense) and we got the safety and after that things kind of turned around and we started scoring”
Martin provided the first offensive breakthrough for MSU, when he took a handoff on a reverse and scampered 34 yards into the end zone. Just like that, the Spartans were back in the game.
The next two Badgers drives ended in special teams collapses. With a chance to add three points, sophomore cornerback Darqueze Dennard broke through the Badgers line and blocked the field goal attempt.
On the next Wisconsin drive, sophomore linebacker Kyler Elsworth blocked a punt that Bennie Fowler fell on in the end zone, giving MSU a 23-14 lead at halftime.
Behind Wilson and Ball that lead would soon shrink.
Ball provided 115 yards of the Badgers 443 yards on the day. Wilson went 14-for-21 with 223 yards and three scores — one rushing — but also threw two interceptions.
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For Cousins, he finished with 290 yards and three passing touchdowns, however, none were more important than his final 44.
“Ultimately you’re trying to put it in the end zone and give your guys a chance,” Cousins said of his pass. “The design of the protection was so that I could buy some time, tried to buy as much as I could and felt like I needed to let it go… lucky bounce and it came our way. But again, you don’t get that opportunity unless you have the character and maturity that I think we as a team have.”
Dantonio struggled to find words to describe the win.
“Wow. That’s all I can say,” Dantonio said after the game. “Where do you go from there, really? We go to Nebraska. 6-1, that 24 hour rule (is) rolling. It’s an exciting time.”
