Michigan State makes plays late, in OT to beat Nebraska, 23-20

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jayden Reed’s punt return gave Michigan State life and, eventually, overtime.

Chester Kimbrough picked off Adrian Martinez on Nebraska’s opening possession of OT. Kenneth Walker III took the Spartans down to the 2 on the first play of their possession — MSU’s first first down after halftime.

And Matt Coghlin’s 21-yard field goal on third down kept the Spartans’ improbable unbeaten start to the season alive with a 23-20 victory Saturday night in a game in which their high-powered offense finally vanished.

MSU won the toss in overtime and elected to play defense first. On third-and-3, Martinez threw toward Omar Manning, but Florida transfer Kimbrough jumped the route for his first interception as a Spartan.

Walker, shut down all night, took a wildcat snap 23 yards on the ensuing play. That allowed Coghlin to seal the victory, getting mobbed by his teammates and stunning the defensively dominant performance by the Cornhuskers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten)

It was MSU’s first overtime win since a 16-13 win at Wisconsin in 2012. The Spartans (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) host Western Kentucky next Saturday for homecoming. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Spartan Stadium.

Nebraska plowed over and burned down “The Woodshed” — MSU’s self-anointed name for Spartan Stadium — and grinded the high-powered Spartans’ offense to a pulp in the second half. The Spartans got just 14 yards on 15 offensive plays and failed to get a first down in the final two quarters of regulation.

Martinez orchestrated one time-consuming drive after another, with his 3-yard touchdown with 7:29 to play giving the Cornhuskers their first lead at 20-13.

But rugby-style punter Daniel Cerni kicked away from his coverage with MSU deploying two return men, and Reed took off virtually unfettered up the right side for the Spartans’ first punt return touchdown since Keshawn Martin against Northwestern in 2011.

Running back Walker, the nation’s leading rusher entering the game, found little room to run and finished with 61 yards on 19 carries, thanks to his OT heroics. Quarterback Payton Thorne, who had not turned the ball over, threw his first interception and finished 14 of 23 for 183 yards and a 35-yard touchdown to Reed.

MSU finished with 254 yards and gave up 440 yards, somehow escaping with the victory.

Both teams got off to slow starts, with defenses causing disruption early.

Thorne threw his first interception to end MSU’s first possession, then Nebraska got held three-and-out. Martinez was hurt after a hard hit from Xavier Henderson and Cal Haladay and went to the locker room and missed a series.

The Spartans went back to the flea flicker on the third play of the second quarter, and it worked for another touchdown. Thorne made a one-hand snag on Walker’s pitch back, and the quarterback delivered a 35-yard pass in stride to Reed for the score despite having a defender in his face.

Each team traded field goals before Martinez tied the game 10-all on a 12-yard scoring run, breaking tackle attempts from Angelo Grose and Quavaris Crouch near the goal line.

Coghlin kicked his second field goal with 1:03 to play, and the Spartans got another chance after a 7-yard punt from William Przystup, who transferred to Nebraska from MSU after the 2018 season.

Things got even sloppier after that, with the Spartans taking over at the Cornhuskers’ 46 and moving to the 27 after two Nebraska penalties. But a high snap and delay by Coghlin resulted in a blocked field-goal attempt from 44 yards out as time expired.

MSU defensive end Drew Beesley injured his leg early in the second quarter and left the field on a medical cart. The sixth-year returning to the sideline on a wheelchair with his right foot in a boot and wearing a sweatsuit, and he watched from the north end zone on a stretcher.

The Cornhuskers tied the game 13-all with a 28-yard field goal by Conner Culp on the first drive of the second half and owned the time of possession in the third quarter, holding the ball for 11:52 while the Spartans ran just six offensive plays in two drives in an elapsed 3:08.

MSU’s Jacub Panasiuk forced Martinez to fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Jeff Pietrowski recovered at the Nebraska 45. But the Cornhuskers’ defense again forced a three-and-out by the Spartans’ offense.

Martinez finished 24 of 34 for 248 yards and an interception, rushing for 59 yards and a pair of scores.