Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates after the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan State won 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the top 10 Michigan State football games of the Mark Dantonio Era.
Michigan State football fans are lucky: the Spartans have one of the best coaches in the entire nation and Mark Dantonio seems to have luck and good graces on his side more often than not. Throughout Dantonio’s nine-year tenure, Spartan fans have seen some of the most incredible comebacks, final plays and huge wins in Michigan State history.
Hopefully for the program, Dantonio sticks around for another nine years and has games just like the ones that will be coming up on this list.
These are the 10 best games of all time and I’ve obviously only included the ones that the Spartans ended up on the winning side of. There would be far more had it not been for that metric as games like the Iowa one in 2009, the Big Ten title game in 2011 versus Wisconsin and the 2012 contest at Michigan all come to mind.
Let’s take a look at the [positive] top 10 games of the Mark Dantonio Era.
10. Michigan (2009)
Coming off a big win over the Michigan Wolverines in 2008, Michigan State was looking to win its second in a row against its hated rival from down the road. Ever since Mike Hart’s “little brother” comment, the Spartans had been playing angry.
However, Michigan State had gotten off to a mediocre 1-3 start to the 2009 campaign, including a home loss to Central Michigan just three weeks before.
Hosting the No. 22 Wolverines was a big deal for the Spartans if they were going to keep their bowl hopes alive. It would take a gigantic effort against one of the Big Ten’s top teams in order to finish with a victory. Heck, a win would have given the Spartans their first back-to-back wins over Michigan since 1967.
The talk all week long was about how Tate Forcier was going to do whatever he wanted against the Spartans’ defense, but Kirk Cousins and Michigan State got the last laugh.
Michigan State had a 20-6 lead with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans collapsed and allowed the Wolverines to tie it up at 20 and force overtime. A Forcier pass attempt into the end zone for the first overtime’s initial touchdown was intercepted by a diving Chris L. Rucker off a tip and it was up to the offense to just get the field goal to win.
Although it was a gloomy, rainy afternoon, true freshman running back Larry Caper sent the drenched fans home with a walk-off touchdown on a 3rd-&-8. The fans went nuts and that was just the beginning of MSU domination over the Wolverines.
Next: 9. Notre Dame (2010)
9. Notre Dame (2010)
Forever known as the game in which “Little Giants” happened, Mark Dantonio and the Spartans put themselves on the map after this big win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2010. No, Michigan State was not playing one of the best teams in the country, but it was performing on national television.
The game was fairly back and forth and this was the time before the Spartans had a top-notch formidable defense. Dayne Crist did whatever he wanted to all game long through the air, hitting guys like Theo Riddick, Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph and TJ Jones — all NFL talent — with ease for 369 yards and four touchdowns.
Kirk Cousins kept up as much as he could, slinging for 245 yards and two scores, but Le’Veon Bell was beginning to make a name for himself in 2010. Spartan fans were beginning to see flashes of dominance from the freshman back. He finished this one with 114 yards and a touchdown while Edwin Baker had 90 and a score.
All of that offense led to an overtime contest with the Fighting Irish as the game was tied at 28 by the end of regulation. The Irish led the first possession to a field goal, putting the pressure on MSU to either match that or walk off with a win.
The offense stalled out and actually lost four yards, leading to a long fourth down and a 45-yard field goal try by Dan Conroy.
Michigan State fans filled Spartan Stadium with tension as they awaited the kick which was far from a guaranteed make. The snap was good, Conroy ran up and the holder, Aaron Bates, picked the ball up, scrambled to the right and hit tight end Charlie Gantt for a 29-yard touchdown to win.
Games don’t get more exciting or more unpredictable than this.
Next: 8. Ohio State (2015)
Nov 21, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan State Spartans place kicker Michael Geiger (4) celebrates after making the game-winning field goal on the final play of the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. The Spartans won 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
8. Ohio State (2015)
When looked at this list on the whole, there are so many ‘top 10 games’ from the 2015 season. That’s not because I have seemingly forgotten about past years and the quality games MSU has played, but that just goes to show just how special the 2015 season really has been for the Spartans.
Just three weeks ago, Michigan State headed down to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the vaunted No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes. Experts were giving the Spartans absolutely no chance to beat the defending national champs on the road — and that was even if Connor Cook was healthy enough to play.
Heck, most Michigan State fans were even unsure about whether the Spartans could pull off the victory with an inconsistent defense and a sore Cook.
The team broke the huddle on the sidelines and headed out onto the field for the first drive and everyone was anxiously awaiting the appearance of Connor Cook. However, it happened to be Tyler O’Connor breaking the huddle and leading his offense onto the field. All hope was lost.
Or so the nation thought.
In one of the gutsiest performances in Michigan State history, backup quarterbacks Tyler O’Connor and Damion Terry led the Spartans to a big win over the Buckeyes and it couldn’t have been completed without the stout defense which held Heisman hopeful running back Ezekiel Elliott to just 33 yards rushing and junior kicker Michael Geiger.
Geiger has had an up-and-down season, but stepped up and delivered with a clutch 41-yard field goal with no time left, celebrating with a windmill all the way down to the other side of the field before he could even watch it go through the uprights.
Right then and there, the nation knew Michigan State was a team of destiny.
Next: 7. Ohio State in Big Ten title (2013)
7. Ohio State (2013 Big Ten Championship)
Since taking over at Ohio State in 2012, Urban Meyer was 24-0 and had been rolling through opponents like a bulldozer. Michigan State was the only team standing in the way of Meyer’s national title game appearance, his first since he was at Florida and Tim Tebow was his quarterback.
With a stacked roster and an incredible dual-threat quarterback in Braxton Miller, the Buckeyes were expected to just demolish the Spartans and head to the national title game, no problem.
In case you haven’t realized this by now, Mark Dantonio loves when his team is considered the underdog because he can get his guys riled up to play these big games when no one is counting on them to win.
Having not lost to a Big Ten opponent in two years, Ohio State was heading into the fourth quarter with a four-point lead and all the momentum in the world.
Connor Cook was looking to change that as the first-year starter threw a huge nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Josiah Price with just under 12 minutes to go, putting Michigan State up for the first time since early in the third quarter.
That was ultimately all the Spartans needed as Jeremy Langford broke a 26-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes left and as he crossed the goal-line, Spartan Nation realized that Michigan State would be headed to its first Rose Bowl since 1988.
Next: 6. Wisconsin (2011)
6. Wisconsin (2011)
The 2011 game against Wisconsin ended in a way that many games have for the Spartans in 2015 — with the opposing team going home in shock.
With the game tied at 31, it looked like another overtime game in Spartan Stadium as the No. 6 Badgers were tough to put away. A nine-point lead at halftime was quickly erased by Wisconsin in the fourth quarter and it seemed like Russell Wilson and Wisconsin had what it took to defeat Mark Dantonio’s No. 16 Spartans in East Lansing.
Just seconds were left on the clock and Michigan State possessed the ball on Wisconsin’s 44-yard-line. Instead of allowing Dan Conroy to attempt a highly-unlikely 60-yard field goal, Dantonio let Kirk Cousins air it out with a Hail Mary as time expired.
Usually desperate heaves into the end zone end in bat-downs or interceptions, but the Spartans got the right bounce off B.J. Cunningham’s facemask which ended up in the arms of gunslinger-turned-receiver Keith Nichol as he wrestled a Wisconsin defender for the final inch to cross the goal-line.
Nichol was marked down at the half-yard line, but the play was reviewed and called a touchdown. Spartan Stadium erupted and it was as loud as I’ve ever heard it.
Next: 5. Georgia (2012)
5. Georgia (2012 Outback Bowl)
Michigan State had gone four years under Dantonio without a bowl win and were coming off one of the most humiliating bowl losses the year before in which the Spartans fell 49-7 to Alabama in the Capital One Bowl. Arguably, that Alabama team was the best in the country and was loaded with professional-level talent.
Getting paired up with the SEC’s Georgia Bulldogs created a lot of buzz around the Michigan State program as the Spartans were looked at as huge underdogs in the Outback Bowl against Aaron Murray’s team.
Much like the rest of the games on this list, the Spartans were given little to no chance to win, yet prevailed in triple overtime.
This was one of those bowl classics which you could watch over and over again and it would never get old. Michigan State was looking lifeless through the entire first half, trailing 16-0 at halftime. However, the Spartans got a spark from a Darqueze Dennard pick-six and Michigan State was right back in it, trailing by two heading into the fourth.
On a day in which Le’Veon Bell couldn’t get anything going on the ground, Kirk Cousins stepped up and really delivered, giving the Spartans a 33-30 win.
It wasn’t easy, though, as Michigan State threw an interception in the first overtime only to see Georgia miss a field goal and then block the Bulldogs’ tying three-point try in the third overtime to win.
Next: 4. Iowa in Big Ten title (2015)
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State players celebrate after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes during in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
4. Iowa (2015 Big Ten Championship)
Coming off this game just a week ago, there’s still plenty of excitement around the program. This was a huge win and it was well-earned by the entire team which played a whale of a game against the Hawkeyes for the Big Ten title — Michigan State’s second in three years.
Unlike the conference title game against Ohio State just two years before, the Spartans vs. Hawkeyes game was decided in the final minute by a clutch one-yard LJ Scott run in which he broke three tackles and reach the ball over the goal-line in the process.
If there was one defensive battle in Mark Dantonio’s tenure that looked about as even as any, this was definitely it.
Iowa played Michigan State so close and made the Spartans earn every last yard. Michigan State had trouble with the pass game because it seemed like Connor Cook was ailing, but the rushing attack picked up 174 yards, led by Scott’s 73 and a touchdown — most of which came on the last drive.
Down 13-9 with the ball at their own 18-yard-line and just over nine and a half minutes to go, Cook and the Spartans needed a miracle to try and move the ball down the field and score a touchdown which would have been their first of the game.
Now known as ‘The Drive’, Michigan State’s possession lasted 22 plays and took 9:04 off the clock, leaving just 27 seconds for the Hawkeyes to try and score.
The Spartans snuck out a victory in heart-stopping fashion.
Next: 3. Baylor (2015)
Jan 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Keith Mumphery (25) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against Baylor Bears cornerback Ryan Reid (9) in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
3. Baylor (2015 Cotton Bowl)
The 2015 Cotton Bowl might actually be one of the greatest bowl comebacks of all time, but can you believe it’s just No. 3 on our list? That must make the No. 2 and No. 1 games all the more intriguing, but that just goes to show how many incredible contests we have gotten to witness in the Dantonio Era.
The first quarter of this game played out as many expected it to: high scoring and relatively even. Baylor was considered the biggest snub from the College Football Playoff, but the Spartans were far from intimidated by the Big 12 foe.
However, a poor couple of quarters led to a 41-21 deficit heading into the fourth and Michigan State had 15 minutes to salvage some dignity and move on or just continue to pitfall into an ever-increasing blowout.
Michigan State decided to make the Bears sweat a bit. It took a LaQuan McGowan ‘fat guy’ touchdown to end the third quarter to really awaken the beast that had been Michigan State’s offense all year long. When the 300-pound tight end crossed the goal-line, the Spartans made it their mission to shock the country.
It was all but over heading into the fourth as the Spartans’ D couldn’t stop Bryce Petty and Co., but Dantonio’s resilient squad had other ideas. Michigan State put together a 21-0 run in the fourth to win 42-41.
Every huge win has a signature moment. For this one? Had to be the blocked field goal in which Tony Lippett laid out Baylor’s kicker who tried to make a tackle on RJ Williamson, the Spartan who scooped up the ball on the block and returned it inside the Bears’ territory.
Connor Cook tossed the game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass to Keith Mumphery as the Spartans pulled off the unthinkable comeback.
Next: 2. Michigan (2015)
Oct 17, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive back Jalen Watts-Jackson (20) dives into the end zone for a game winning touchdown as the clock runs out in the fourth quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Michigan State 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
2. Michigan (2015)
It’s really hard to top this one. Not only was it the most miraculous final play in college football history, but it was against arch-rival Michigan in the Big House.
When Jim Harbaugh took the head coaching position at Michigan over the offseason, Michigan State fans had to hear all about how the Wolverines were going to take over the Big Ten and the Spartans’ reign was over. To be fair, Michigan State had heard the same when Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez took the job, but this was a little different.
Harbaugh came with a proven track record and left his NFL job — or was run out of town — to become the head coach of his alma mater.
Michigan began the season 5-1 with a lone loss coming to one of the top 10 teams in the country and the Wolverines had gone from unranked to No. 12 in the country in just over a month’s time. It was all but over, if you listened to the media. Michigan was going to just demolish the Spartans for the first time since 2012.
That couldn’t have been more wrong.
Both teams played a great game and it was relatively evenly matched, despite the Spartans out-gaining the Wolverines by about 150 yards and doubling Michigan’s first downs. It was one of the best games of the college football season and it looked as if Harbaugh would prevail — the worst nightmare for Spartan fans who would have to go a year listening to how MSU’s run is over.
With 10 seconds left and Michigan up 23-21, all the Wolverines had to do was punt the ball and the game was over. The Spartans decided to put an all-out block on, rushing 11 guys, and it was clear Michigan punter Blake O’Neill was feeling the pressure.
The ball was snapped, then dropped by O’Neill. He picked it up and tried to kick the ball with three Spartans in his face already and lobbed it to Jalen Watts-Jackson who then took it to the house for a game-winning score as time expired.
Never in a million years did I think an ending like this would have happened.
Next: 1. Stanford (2014)
Jan 1, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Michigan State Spartans receiver Tony Lippett (14) is defended by Stanford Cardinal cornerback Wayne Lyons (2) on a 25-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter in the 100th Rose Bowl. Michigan State defeated Stanford 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
1. Stanford (2014 Rose Bowl)
You guessed it, the 2014 Rose Bowl happened to be the best game of the Mark Dantonio Era, but it was close. Michigan State has played in so many instant classics that this just happened to be the most meaningful of the bunch.
Must Read: Michigan State Football: Top 10 quarterbacks in school history
For the first time in over two decades, the Spartans earned the right to play in the Rose Bowl and Stanford happened to be standing in the way from an amazing 13-1 Michigan State season — the first in school history.
With Michigan State down 17-7 as just over two minutes remained in the first half, Connor Cook knew he had to lead his Spartans into the locker room with some momentum. What could have been more ideal than a seven-play, 75-yard drive in just 1:39 to head into the locker room down 17-14 and due to get the ball back at the start of the second half? Probably nothing.
Michael Geiger quickly tied it up 17 just three minutes into the third quarter and the game remain tied until the beginning of the fourth quarter when Cook hit Tony Lippett for the go-ahead score.
That touchdown proved to be all the Spartans needed as Stanford could only manage a field goal in the second half, falling to Michigan State 24-20.
Next: MSU Football: Report card for win over Iowa
As I said earlier, though, there has to be a signature moment in a big win like this. Kyle Elsworth and Darien Harris jumping over the line to tackle the Stanford fullback on a 4th-&-1 with just 1:43 left in the game to seal the deal was it.
That play alone could make any Spartan fan blush and the win in the Rose Bowl has to be Dantonio’s best since he took over in 2007.
Honorable Mention
- vs. Michigan (2013): The -48 game.
- vs. Wisconsin (2008): Game-winning field goal with seven seconds left to win, 25-24.
- at Wisconsin (2012): Game-winning TD pass to win in OT, 16-13.
- vs. TCU (2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl): Game-winning Aaron Burbridge TD from soon-to-be starter Connor Cook. MSU wins 17-16.
- vs. Oregon (2015): Spartans win 31-28 in a classic.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comment section below.