Michigan State Football: 10 most memorable plays of Mark Dantonio era

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7. Larry Caper walk-off TD against Michigan

Honestly, this could really be a two-part memory, so that’s what it’s going to be. While the Larry Caper half of it was the most important and memorable, you can’t discount what defensive back Chris L. Rucker did to make that possible.

Coming off a huge victory against Michigan in 2008, the Spartans wanted to show that it was no fluke and Dantonio’s famous phrase of “pride comes before the fall” was actually true after Mike Hart’s “little brother” comments in 2007.

Noon games are the worst, but the atmosphere for this one was amazing and electric. Spartan fans knew how emotional the game was and how meaningful it had to be for the players and Coach D, and those guys showed it on the field.

With a couple of true freshman running backs leading the way for MSU, it seemed unlikely that the Spartans would get anything going on the ground, but when the game headed into overtime, that’s what it took.

Rucker, a junior corner, made the defensive play of the year — in an otherwise forgettable 2009 season — snagging a tipped pass in the end zone in overtime thrown by Tate Forcier (talk about a blast from the past) and gave MSU a chance to kick a FG to win.

Caper had other ideas.

Watch both plays here:

Next: 6. Blocked FG against Georgia