A punt had just been blocked. A game appeared to be slipping away. Less than six minutes form a Big Ten championship, Michigan State’s top-ranked defensive unit had been tested in ways that the Spartans had not experienced this season. The Ohio State Buckeyes had scored 24 consecutive points against a unit that had allowed an average of 11.8.
With 5:46 to play and the Buckeyes facing a fourth down with two yards to go from the Michigan State 39, the Spartan defense took a championship-saving stand.
“There was a moment when they took the energy out of our defense, or we took it out, whatever it may be,” said senior linebacker Max Bullough. “We needed to get our swag back, whether that was the offense having a long drive or us making a big play. Those are the things you have to do. Those are things that championship teams do.”
The Spartans would allow 374 yards in the Big Ten championship game, 137 more than their previous nation-leading average.
But they did not give up the one that mattered most.
“We knew that on fourth down they were going to put it in Braxton Miller’s hands,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said of the Buckeye quarterback, “and give him a run-pass option or sweep right or left with him.”
When Miller took off to his right, senior linebacker Denicos Allen sliced through to bring down the Buckeye quarterback at the Spartan 38. Miller, who rushed for 142 yards, was a yard short.
“That describes our defense,” said Allen, a senior from Hamilton, Ohio. “We finish. We make big plays in critical situations.”
A potential crisis had passed. Ohio State turned the ball over on downs. The Spartans took the ball with 5:41 to play, and Ohio State’s best chance to extend a 24-game winning streak and reach the Bowl Championship Series championship game had come and gone. The Michigan State defense had given the Spartans the chance to secure their eighth Big Ten championship and the first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1988.
Michigan State’s possession resulted in a 26-yard touchdown by junior tailback Jeremy Langford that put the Spartans ahead, 34-24, with 2:16 to play.
It was the tackle by Allen that reinvigorated the Spartans and brought the defense back to life.
“Wasn’t playing with energy,” senior cornerback Darqueze Dennard said. “Wasn’t playing with emotion. We just looked at each other on the sidelines and said, ‘We got to believe in each other. Have to play that Spartan defense like we’ve been playing for this whole season. We did it. We believed in each other.”
For twelve weeks, the Spartan defense ranked No. 1 in three categories: total defense (237.7 yards per game), rushing defense (64.8 yards per game) and pass efficiency defense (91.8 rating).
Before Saturday night, Nebraska’s rushing total of 182 yards was the most against the Spartans this season.
By the end of the third quarter, Ohio State had rushed for 248.
Michigan State’s previous average of 11.8 points was more than doubled within a span of 15:50 at the end of the second and start of the third quarters.
But the Spartans held a decisive advantage at the most important moments. Ohio State, which had converted 52 percent of its third-down plays before Saturday night, was successful just once in ten attempts. On fourth down, the Buckeyes fell short twice, including Allen’s championship-saving tackle.
“This game was a rough game,” Allen said. “It was a battle. To come in here and beat an Ohio State team that’s won 24 straight, that’s amazing.”
[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SPORTSJOURNALISM.ORG]