How Michigan State football's defense gave the game away, then got it back, vs. Northwestern

Michigan State football almost let a masterful first half go to waste against No. 13 Northwestern.

Connor Heyward rushed for 71 yards in the first 30 minutes; Lombardi threw for 110 yards, with two touchdowns.

But MSU, holding a 17-6 lead at halftime, squandered the momentum in the second half. Northwestern was able to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans responded late to survive against the Wildcats (5-1) in a 29-20 upset win Saturday at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

With 3:25 remaining, Matt Coghlin made a 48-yard field goal for what ended up as the go-ahead points. The Spartans completed the victory with a fumble recovery for a touchdown as time expired.

Through Northwestern's five wins, it held four opponents scoreless in the second half.

The Spartans didn't struggle that badly, but they didn't capitalize on their halftime lead, either, mustering just two field goals over the final two quarters, before Kalon Gervin's fumble recovery.

Lombardi finished 11 of 27 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, with 10 carries for 65 yards. Heyward ran the ball 24 times for 96 yards, followed by Elijah Collins with 13 rushes for 34 yards. But it all comes out as an upset victory.

Quarterback Peyton Ramsey delivered two strikes — of 16 and 27 yards — to put Northwestern into MSU territory to open the second half. Running back Isaiah Bowser got the Wildcats to the 1-yard line, but Bowser and Ramsey were stopped short on second and third down, respectively.

Just when it seemed like the Spartans would hold the Wildcats, Ramsey scored on a bootleg to cut the deficit to four points in the third quarter — shifting the momentum of the game. The Wildcats took a 20-17 lead with 13:54 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard run from Cam Porter.

Cornerback Shakur Brown picked off Ramsey twice, recording his fourth and fifth interceptions this season. His second of the game was with 6:22 remaining to keep the contest tied at 20 and set up Coglin's field goal.

Ramsey finished 21-of-43 for 210 yards, no passing touchdowns and two interceptions, adding one rushing TD. Drake Anderson had 10 carries for 41 yards.

Third down defense was key. Entering Saturday's game, MSU's opponents were 26-for-65 (40%) on third downs. Northwestern finished 5-for-18 (28%) on third downs.

SEIDEL:Michigan State's upset over Northwestern more revealing than win over Michigan

In the first half, MSU's defense was solid, holding Northwestern to six points and 167 yards.

The Spartans forced a 42-yard field goal to open the scoring for the Wildcats with 11:02 remaining in the first half.

About five minutes later, Ramsey, a graduate transfer from Indiana, marched toward the end zone — with a 19-yard completion and defensive pass interference on a pair of third downs — but couldn't put six points on the board. Kicker Charlie Kuhbander came onto the field for a 32-yard field goal.

Another example of MSU's defense stepping up came with 59 seconds to go in the first half, moments after Coghlin missed a 49-yard field goal. Ramsey completed four consecutive passes to move Northwestern from its own 32-yard line to the MSU 43.

With Northwestern nearing field goal range, the Spartans forced two incomplete passes. Defensive end Drew Beesley sacked Ramsey on third down to end the first half and silence the threat of a late score.

Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.