Michigan State football's late TD holds up in wild 24-21 win at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Michigan State football needed to mine the depth of its program for its 74-man travel roster at Indiana.

The Spartans took fewer than 50 scholarship players on Saturday’s road trip. And that was before a few more key injuries during the final road game of the season.

Somehow, they persevered. And survived in seemingly improbable fashion.

Jonathan Kim’s 43-yard field goal gave MSU a 17-14 lead with 9:26 to play, but its depleted defense couldn’t keep the Hoosiers out of the end zone. But Katin Houser delivered an off-balance throw to Maliq Carr, who bounced off a walloping blast from Indiana’s Louis Moore and dashed into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown with 1:19 to play.

Indiana mounted one final drive, and quarterback Brendan Sorsby directed them into scoring range. The Hoosiers caught MSU off guard after a timeout that was apparently setting up a 45-yard field goal attempt for Chris Freeman, but IU coach Tom Allen came out and ran a play and picked up a first down.

But Sorsby’s ensuing pass was ruled intentional grounding, backing up Freeman for a 49-yard kick. The ball sailed wide right.

And for Harlon Barnett’s team, it was a sigh of relief. MSU hung on for a 24-21 victory, its second win in the last three games.

The Spartans (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten), who close their season Friday against No. 12 Penn State at Ford Field in Detroit. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. (NBC).

Houser finished 26 of 41 for 251 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Carr had eight catches for 88 yards and two scores, and Montorie Foster had seven grabs for 93 yards and a TD.

The Spartans won despite getting outgained, 408-323.

Sorsby finished 19-for-34 with two touchdowns. Trent Howland and Josh Henderson combined for 151 rushing yards for Indiana (3-8, 1-7).

Offense runs well

Houser was the only scholarship quarterback on the trip, with true freshman Sam Leavitt staying at home to preserve a redshirt and junior Noah Kim remaining out with an undisclosed injury. His backups were a pair of walk-ons, Andrew Schorfhaar as the No. 2 option and the third-stringer redshirt junior Zach Gillespie, who began his MSU career as a quarterback but converted to wide receiver.

The Spartans also were without starting right guard Geno VanDeMark and top wide receivers Tre Mosley and Jaron Glover. And starting center Nick Samac left the game on the first drive after suffering an apparent left leg injury when Houser ran and rolled into him. The senior did not return.

Despite their roster limitations, the Spartans took a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Houser directed a 10-play, 80-yard drive to open the game, hitting Carr for a 24-completion to get into Hoosiers territory. On third-and-11, one play Samac’s injury, the QB again connected with Carr, throwing toward the right pylon and hitting his tight end through the double coverage for a 17-yard touchdown.

Indiana answered early in the second quarter with an 88-yard, 11-play scoring march. Sorsby used his legs for a 25-yard run early, then a 12-yard burst on third-and-7 to keep the drive alive in MSU territory. With key defensive tackle already out and starter Derrick Harmon out the final few plays with an injury late in the drive, the Hoosiers pounded the middle of the Spartans’ defensive line and walk-on fourth-stringer Ben Nelson. Running back Trent Howland ran three times for the last 18 yards, tying the game with a 4-yard score.

Late in the half, after having an apparent Houser-to-Carr TD pass waved off due to an MSU penalty, the Spartans quickly moved downfield again. Houser found Foster for 20 yards on third-and-5. Two plays later, the senior receiver made an acrobatic, one-handed catch in double-coverage, juked those defenders, spun through another then ran away from another grabbing for the ball and scored a 29-yard touchdown.

Injuries mount

After Simeon Barrow blocked Indiana’s end-of-half field-goal attempt, the Hoosiers recovered and took the opening drive of the third quarter 72 yards in eight plays, including Sorsby running for 12 yards on third-and-2 and hitting Donaven McCulley for 38 yards late in the drive. That set up Sorsby-s 3-yard, play-action touchdown pass to James Bomba to tie the game.

That’s when injuries started to hamper MSU.

Nate Carter got hit hard on a swing pass, then collapsed after getting up. The sophomore running back did not return.

Kim’s field goal gave the Spartans the lead back, but things went haywire from there.

Defensive end Brandon Wright was carted off with a right leg injury early in the fourth quarter. Then on the same play, both linebacker Aaron Brule and defensive tackle Jalen Sami got hurt, and defensive tackle Simeon Barrow went down on the next snap.

Two plays later, Sorsby hit Trey Walker for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 4:06 left. The Spartans looked gassed, but they found just enough moxie – and bodies – to withstand the Hoosiers’ last-gasp drive after Carr’s touchdown gave them the lead for good.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari. 

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football's late TD holds up in 24-21 win at Indiana