5 most heartbreaking Michigan State football, basketball losses in past 2 years

4. Week 6 vs. Rutgers (2023)

The basketball team isn't the only one to give up leads. There was a lot of heartache in the 2023 football season, but the game against Rutgers may have been the tipping point. An 18-point lead in the fourth quarter seemed like such a lock, even these Spartans couldn't screw up.

Until they did.

Early on, it seemed like no one wanted to win this rain-soaked game, trading turnovers and sloppy play. But the Spartans stepped up for a quarter and a half until a good Michigan State punt was taken back by, you guessed it, an illegal formation penalty. On. A. Punt.

On the re-kick, the punter fumbled the ball and it was returned for a Rutgers touchdown.

Fine, just lock in for the next 13 minutes, break the three-game losing streak, and try to put together a broken season as much as one can. Instead, the offense went three-and-out, the defensive gave up a long touchdown drive, and on the ensuing kickoff, the unthinkable happened twice.

First off, why Harlon Barnett thinks teams down one score will onside kick, especially against a horrendous offense is malpractice. Then Tyrell Henry just had to catch the ball. Just possess it. Instead, he panicked and Rutgers recovered the non-onside kickoff and just about every Spartan fan knew how the rest of the game was going to play out.

One running play to give Rutgers the lead and we all knew the offense was allergic to moving the ball. Any chance at a bowl game was quickly fading away, and this game pretty much flushed it down.