Chestnut Hill, Mass. — Angelo Grose stood in the end zone with his gloves on his helmet and his back arched. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.
With 1:28 left in the fourth quarter, Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos hit Lewis Bond and Grose slipped on the soaking wet grass of Alumni Stadium. Grose tried to get up, but it was too late, because Bond marched into the end zone and caught a 42-yard pass that gave the Eagles the lead again.
Then Aidan Chiles’ pass to Montorie Foster Jr. was intercepted in the end zone by sophomore defensive back Max Tucker.
Michigan State suffered its first loss of the season, falling to the Eagles 23-19. To make matters worse, some of the Spartans’ football players found themselves temporarily surrounded by thousands of Eagles fans who surrounded the field.
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 nonsense 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 in the game.
Such an exchange could have been a decisive and demoralizing moment for Michigan State. But instead of letting the game go to a no-holds-barred 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.
Michigan State has already suffered 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 becoming noticeable.
And yet the Spartans still find ways to hold on.
Second-year quarterback Aidan Chiles had another up-and-down game. It seemed like 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 on an open pass from Forster further down 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 rushed for 57 yards on nine runs — most of which he struggled to get because the original play didn’t work. Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams rushed for 61 of the team’s 127 yards on 15 runs.
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 on downs.
The Spartans methodically fought their way down the field, running out the clock. Michigan State’s longest drive of the season ended with a 27-yard field goal that Kim converted with 4:12 left to take the lead.
But in the end, Michigan State could not keep the Eagles at bay.
The challenges for Michigan State multiply now that it’s heading to the Big Ten. Next up is No. 3 Ohio State (3-0), which played at its own game 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
