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College Football

Rapid Reaction: Indiana shocks Michigan State with incredible comeback OT win

Ethan Stone

By Ethan Stone

Published:


It was a cold and snowy one in East Lansing Saturday afternoon as Indiana downed Michigan State in ovetime, 39-31. The Hoosiers are now 4-7 on the season with just 1 game to go.

Indiana came back from a huge deficit to win the game, down by as much as 17 at the half.

The Spartans looked like they were going to dominate early, even without the greatest start for the home team. Indiana took one of the first plays of the game 34 yards to the house following a strong opening drive.

They did similarly at the start of the 2nd half. Indiana’s Shaun Shivers, an Auburn transfer, took the first play of the 3rd quarter to the house for a 79-yard touchdown. That cut the lead to 10.

  Things started to get weird after that. The Michigan State defense which was working so well in the first half sputtered, allowing 2 touchdowns and field goal following Shivers’ initial touchdown to start the 3rd quarter.

Indiana’s game plan was pretty simple: Run, run, run. The Hoosiers accumulated 257 total rushing yards by the end of the game and only 31 passing yards. That’s a pretty unbelievable ratio. And it was working because The Spartans had little answer for it.

Michigan State was on the other side of the spectrum. They were balanced in their offensive attack, with Payton Thorne throwing for 282 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Spartans also rushed for 239 yards on the day, with Indiana’s defensive line struggling against the likes of Jalen Berger and Elijah Collins.

Shivers was Indiana’s best offensive player Saturday afternoon. He totaled 12 carries for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. The Auburn transfer was the quickest player on the field when he found a hole.

It was Dexter Williams who set up Shivers for a 1-yard touchdown run in overtime to give the Hoosiers a 38-31 lead. He connected with AJ Barner for a 24-yard gain to the 1-yard line. Williams then connected with Barner again for the 2-point conversion.

Truly it seemed like nobody wanted to win this game. Michigan State kicker Ben Patton missed not one, but 2 field goals within 30 yards to potentially win the game in regulation and to keep the game alive in overtime. Indiana kicker Charles Campbell had his kick blocked for the win at the end of the first overtime.

Indiana’s final game will be against Purdue in Bloomington. The Hoosiers were 0-38 when trailing by 17 points at halftime, a streak snapped when Campbell’s kick sailed through the uprights.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.