Indiana Snaps Losing Streak With 39-31 Win in Double-Overtime Thriller at Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Indiana escaped with a 39-31 win over Michigan State in double-overtime as Payton Thorne's pass sailed to the back of the end zone.
This win snaps a seven-game losing streak and accomplishes a feat the Indiana football program hasn't achieved in nearly two decades. After trailing 24-7 at halftime, Indiana overcame a deficit of 17 or more points for the first time since 2003.
Indiana refused to give up on Saturday in East Lansing, and make no mistake, the Hoosiers required a bit of luck to win their first game since Sept. 17 against Western Kentucky.
Early in the third quarter, Indiana right tackle Luke Haggard sealed the edge, allowing Shaun Shivers to break free for a 79-yard touchdown run, Indiana's longest offensive play of the season. This cut Michigan State's lead to 10 points, but the Spartans responded with a long touchdown run of their own, a 31-yard rumble from Elijah Collins.
Indiana officially grabbed the game's momentum when true freshman Jaylin Lucas provided another piece of evidence that he's Indiana's most electric offensive player. He left the Michigan State special teams unit in the dust, making one cut and blazing down the sideline for his second kick-return touchdown of the season.
Charles Campbell drilled a 40-yard field goal, and Indiana tied the game at 31-31 with a one-yard touchdown run from Josh Henderson with 12:59 left in the game. After trading defensive stops, Thorne and the Spartans marched down field as the clock slowly ticked away. It felt as though Indiana's incredible comeback efforts were slipping away.
Thorne completed a quick pass to Maliq Carr, who miraculously held onto the ball to convert 4th and 2. From then on, all Michigan State had to do was run the clock down and kick a chip-shot field goal to win the game.
It wouldn't be that easy, though. Not even close. Michigan State kicker Ben Patton pushed a 22-yard yard field goal attempt wide left, sending the game to overtime.
Indiana won the coin toss, choosing to give Michigan State the ball to start the first overtime period. A 16-yard run from Elijah Collins on the first play put the Spartans back in chip-shot territory, but again, it wouldn't be that easy. Indiana's 6-foot-5 defensive end James Head Jr. leapt in the air, knocking down Patton's 28-yard attempt to keep the Hoosiers alive.
At this point, Indiana could win the game with a score of any kind. The Hoosiers kept it on the ground with Josh Henderson, setting up a 37-yard field goal attempt. The unpredictability of this game was far from over, though, as the usually-reliable Campbell's kick was blocked, sending the game to a second overtime.
Indiana started with the ball this time, and quarterback Dexter Williams II completed his first pass when the Hoosiers needed it most. The 24-yard strike to AJ Barner brought Indiana to the goal line, and Shivers punched in his second touchdown of the game. Allen kept the offense on the field, and Williams completed his second pass of the game to Barner for the two-point conversion.
The Indiana defense held strong in the second overtime as Noah Pierre knocked away Thorne's pass to the back of the end zone. However improbable – Michigan State outgained Indiana 540-288 and Williams completed just two passes all game – Indiana eked away with a thrilling win to claim the Old Brass Spittoon.
The win moved Indiana to 4-7 on the season, while the Spartans missed their best opportunity to reach bowl eligibility as they head to No. 11 Penn State next week. Next up for Indiana is its second trophy game, playing for the Old Oaken Bucket against Purdue on Nov. 26 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
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- LIVE BLOG: Indiana football (3-7) battles Michigan State (5-5) at Noon ET on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich. Here's our live blog, where you can follow along with our live updates and thoughts on the game. CLICK HERE
