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

By Scott Tolonen

Michigan State's Ben Patton reacts after missing a field goal against Indiana during the fourth
Michigan State's Ben Patton reacts after missing a field goal against Indiana during the fourth / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA
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2. Week 11 vs. Indiana (2022)

A 22-yard field goal was the only thing separating the Michigan State Spartans and bowl eligibility. It was another blown lead late, with Michigan State leading Indiana 24-7 at halftime. But after a series of special teams blunders and inept offense (a Jay Johnson special), the Spartans found themselves tied with the bottom-dwelling Hoosiers.

To the offense's credit, they did a great job moving the ball, but Mel Tucker played not to lose instead of playing for the win. Instead of going for the endzone, he decided to set up the field goal, only to have Elijah Collins run the wrong way to put the ball on the wrong hash.

While this shouldn't have been a big deal for a college-level kicker, MSU had no such player on their roster. Ben Patton missed a chip-shot field goal and the game went to overtime with Indiana having all the momentum.

The Spartans would need a miracle win against Penn State that had no chance of cashing in, and all the good that Mel Tucker had built from the 2021 season was completely gone and for him, it only got worse from there.

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