Northwestern upsets Michigan State in triple overtime on a wild walk-off pick

No. 16 Michigan State lost at Northwestern on Saturday, 39-31 in three overtimes.

It’s the Spartans’ first Big Ten loss. It doesn’t knock them out of Big Ten East contention altogether. But it probably ends the slim hopes they had of mounting a Cinderella run to the College Football Playoff.

Flynn Nagel caught what stood as the game-winning touchdown on the first possession of the third OT. The final play of the game was an interception thrown by Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke, who’d had the ball stripped, then recovered it, and then heaved it into the arms of Northwestern defensive back Nate Hall.

Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson threw an 11-yard touchdown to Cameron Green on the first possession of overtime, which Michigan State’s Lewerke and Felton Davis III answered on the ensuing drive to bring up double OT.

Cody White caught a TD pass from Lewerke in the second overtime, and Northwestern answered on a Justin Jackson run. That set up the third OT and Nagel’s TD.

The Spartans trailed 17-10 in the final minute of regulation and needed a fourth-down conversion on a scramble by quarterback Lewerke to stay alive. Davis made a circus touchdown catch a few plays later to knot it at 17.

Northwestern previously took its lead on a gadget play, a halfback pass from Jackson to Bennett Skowronek. When there were TDs here, they were fun.

The Spartans played a mistake-riddled 60 minutes. They outgained Northwestern significantly, both in total and on a per-play basis. The Wildcats averaged under 3 yards per rush and struggled to move the ball with any consistency.

During the middle of the game, MSU was repeatedly unable to finish drives. The Spartans started their day with a seven-play, 92-yard possession that ended in a touchdown. Their last drive of regulation was a 12-play, 88-yarder in less than three minutes that culminated in Davis’ touchdown grab to force overtime.