Chestnut Hill, Mass. — Angelo Grose stood in the end zone, his gloves on his helmet and his back arched. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Michigan State lost a lead in the fourth quarter — and what an inspiring victory would have been — disappear in the blink of an eye.
With 1:28 left in the fourth quarter, Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos hit Lewis Bond and Grose slipped on the soaking wet turf of Alumni Stadium. Grose tried to get up and safety Malik Spencer tried to stop Bond, but it was too late.
Bond marched into the end zone and scored with a 42-yard pass to give the Eagles the lead again.
Michigan State had a chance to respond and launched a promising attack, but Aidan Chiles’ pass to Montorie Foster Jr. in the end zone was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Max Tucker – a heartbreaking, if somehow fitting, send-off for Michigan State.
While thousands of Eagles fans stormed the field and danced to “Mr. Brightside” after Boston College’s 23-19 victory over Michigan State, a completely different picture presented itself in the visitors’ locker room after the game.
“We gave the game away,” said linebacker Jordan Turner. “And that hurts. It hurts everyone on this team.”
Saturday’s rainy game featured some of the biggest mood swings Michigan State has seen so far this season.
Michigan State looked solid in the first half and went into the break with a 13-6 lead.
Then the accident happened.
A fumble. A penalty. An interception.
This is how Michigan State started the second half.
Boston College took advantage of both turnovers, scored 10 points within 15 seconds and took the lead for the first time.
A series like that could have been a defining, demoralizing moment for Michigan State, but instead of letting the game come down to a no-contest point, the Spartans held firm and fought to the end.
Jonathan Kim made four field goals, including a 51-yard attempt to tie the game and a 27-yard kick to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. The defense was also great, keeping the Eagles at the 1-yard line with two great stops in front of the end zone. But the Eagles responded and proved too strong for the Spartans.
“It’s tough to lose games just because you feel like you could play better,” coach Jonathan Smith said.
Michigan State has had to deal with several injuries this season. On Saturday, the Spartans were without four of their best wide receivers, two right guards and two defensive backs. The personnel setbacks that Michigan State suffered during the last offseason due to the transfer portal are slowly starting to make themselves felt.
And yet the Spartans still find ways to hold on.
Michigan State and Boston College knew going into Saturday that the game would be hard-fought. The Spartans defense had some great moments, including four sacks of Castellanos, who completed 10 of 16 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Castellanos was also limited to 15 yards on the ground.
“I think we played good team defense tonight because that was the plan,” Smith said. “Against that quarterback, everyone has to do their job, in their gaps, because if a guy tries to make an individual play, that guy is going to put you in trouble. And they played great all night trying to keep them in check. We couldn’t stop them completely. But I mean, look, we lost the ball four times and they scored 23 points, that’s a pretty good effort on defense.”
Chiles, meanwhile, had another up-and-down game. It seemed as though every exciting play was followed by a reminder of how inexperienced he still is. He completed 17 of 35 passes for 241 yards and had three interceptions. He missed at least twice when Foster was free on the field.
Another constant concern for the Spartans is their running game.
Aside from Chiles, Michigan State’s running game still hasn’t gotten going. Chiles managed 57 yards on nine carries — most of which he struggled to get because the original play didn’t work. Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams, who lost a fumble at the Michigan State 7 on the kickoff early in the third quarter, managed 61 of the team’s 127 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, Castellanos led Boston College down the field on a long drive. But once the Eagles imposed their will, the Spartans were able to stop the offense when they needed it most.
Malik Spencer stripped Castellanos of the ball on third down just before the goal line. Boston College recovered the fumble, setting the stage for its final attempt at the end zone. The Eagles played with a quarterback keeper, but Jordan Hall didn’t let Castellanos through, stopping him at the Michigan States 2 and forcing a turnover.
The Spartans methodically fought their way down the field, running out the clock, and Michigan State’s longest drive of the season ended with a 27-yard field goal by Kim with 4:12 left to take the lead.
But in the end, Michigan State could not keep the Eagles at bay.
After the game, Smith praised his team’s resilience.
“We didn’t finish in the red zone and we didn’t limit turnovers,” said tight end Jack Velling, who had six catches for 77 yards. “But (Smith) was proud of our fighting spirit and it will be an exciting team to watch all season long.”
The challenges for Michigan State multiply as it heads to the Big Ten. Next up is No. 3 Ohio State (3-0), which played with its supplies before dismantling Marshall 49-14 on Saturday. The Buckeyes are the first of three ranked opponents (as of this weekend) the Spartans face in their next four games. Other challenges include a game at No. 9 Oregon, against Iowa and at No. 19 Michigan.
From then on, the schedule is not exactly relaxed, as Indiana and No. 24 Illinois are also still on the schedule.
Michigan State isn’t worried about what’s to come. Saturday hurt and that will still be on the team’s mind. But there are a lot of lessons to be learned from what happened.
@madkenney
