Darqueze Dennard's 3 best performances with Michigan State football

1. Big Ten Championship vs. Ohio State (2013)

The 2013 Big Ten Championship Game was the most important game in the Mark Dantonio era up to that point. It was also the most daunting. Their opponent was Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes with everything to prove.

The year before, they were ineligible for the conference championship and a bowl game due to "Tattoogate" despite going 12-0. The No. 2 ranked Buckeyes were back for validation and a spot in the BCS national title game.

The Spartans came out swinging, jumping to an early 17-0 lead. But the Buckeyes showed why they were one game away from a national title showdown. Ohio State had evened the score and was looking for the death blow when Braxton Miller threw deep to Devin Smith looking for a 37-yard touchdown pass only for Darqueze Dennard to break up the pass at the last second, forcing a fourth down and 10. He also contributed with a forced fumble and three tackles including a tackle for no gain on a Braxton Miller run that could have gone for long if he didn't make it.

His other big play was an excellent hit on Evan Spencer who had the ball in his hands that would have moved the change if only Dennard didn't perfectly time his hit. The ball fell to the ground and the Buckeyes were forced to punt once again.

This game marked the beginning of peak Michigan State, leading to a Rose Bowl victory, in the last authentic Rose Bowl before becoming a national semifinal game. It was the first of three straight seasons of finishing in the top six in the college football polls and solidified Dantonio as one of the college football coaching greats of his time.