Nebraska shocks Michigan State on controversial TD in final minute
In a season full of bad luck, Nebraska finally had things go its way on Saturday night against No. 7 Michigan State.
A week after an embarrassing loss at Purdue, the Huskers overcame a 12-point deficit in the final two minutes to shock the unbeaten Spartans 39-38.
Nebraska’s go-ahead touchdown in the final minute came with controversy.
Huskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong hit Brandon Reilly down the left sideline for a 30-yard score with 17 seconds remaining. However, Reilly took a few steps out of bounds before hauling in the pass. The Huskers could have been penalized for illegal touching, but the referees determined that Reilly was forced out of bounds by MSU defensive back Jermaine Edmondson, so the touchdown call stood.
After Nebraska’s two-point conversion attempt failed, Michigan State had a chance to try for a go-ahead field goal. Michigan State started at its own 41 after a squib kick, then a Connor Cook completion to Macgarrett Kings quickly moved the Spartans to the Nebraska 41 with seven seconds to go. The Spartans had a timeout remaining, so they tried to gain a few more yards in an effort to make a field goal try from Michael Geiger a bit more manageable. But Geiger never got that shot.
Cook felt pressure as the pocket collapsed around him and held on to the ball too long. By the time his throwaway landed out of bounds, the clock – and MSU’s dream of an undefeated season – expired.
The improbable Huskers comeback came after the Spartans looked like they had the game firmly in hand when a Gerald Holmes’ touchdown run gave them a 38-26 lead with 4:16 to go.
Nebraska got the ball back and managed to reach the end zone on an Armstrong TD run, cutting the MSU lead to 38-33 with with 1:47 to go. The Huskers still had life, but their ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Spartans.
MSU tried to run out the clock with Holmes, but the Nebraska defense held and used its final two timeouts, setting up a third-and-eight with 1:35 remaining. MSU opted to run the ball again in an effort to take more time off the clock, but a crucial holding penalty stopped the Spartans from running off as much as they wanted.
Nebraska regained possession at its own nine with 55 seconds remaining and Armstrong went back to work, hitting Jordan Westerkamp for gains of 28 and 33 yards all the way down to the Michigan State 30.
Michigan State almost sealed the win on the next play, but Arjen Colquhoun dropped an interception in the end zone, allowing for the Armstrong-to-Reilly heroics on the following play and a 39-38 Huskers win.
While the win is a big confidence boost for a Nebraska team with six losses by a combined 23 points, the loss is completely crushing for a Michigan State team with high hopes.
The Spartans needed a win to keep pace in the Big Ten East with No. 3 Ohio State, but can still win the division if they beat the Buckeyes in Columbus on Nov. 21. The loss does a lot more damage on a national scale. The Spartans barely made it past mediocre opponents like Purdue and Rutgers earlier in the season. Now a loss to 4-6 Nebraska will certainly cause a backward slide in the College Football Playoff rankings.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
