Sports: Resilient Spartans Finish Third in the Big Ten
RESILIENT SPARTANS FINISH THIRD IN BIG TEN
The 1992-93 Spartans showed courage, resilience and improvement as they take sole possession of third place in the Big Ten. Early fall, the idea of a bowl game in 1992-93 seemed farfetched. But the Spartan football players, under the relentless leadership of coach George Perles, worked hard, improved, began to win, and ultimately came to within one foot of a dream the media experts had dismissed as preposterous.
MSU's final drive for a winning touchdown at Illinois stopped one foot short of a first down 8 yards from paydirt. That razor-thin margin denied MSU a bid to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. MSU had outgained Illinois 258-178 yards in total offense, notched six more first downs, and amassed about 59 percent of total possession time. But the Spartans trailed in the scoreboard 14-10. The loss in the season's finale dropped MSU to 5-3 in the Big Ten, good for sole possession of third place. Although the season ended in disappointment, MSU showed tremendous improvement over the previous season and, with only seven starters graduating, can look towards next season with optimism.
The 1992-93 season unfolded with the usual slow start. MSU lost 24-20 to Central Michigan despite outgaining the Chippewas 367-228 total yards. A goal line fumble and a missed 31-yard field goal proved MSU's undoing. After a blowout home loss to Notre Dame (televised by ABC-TV) and a 14-0 loss to Boston College, sportswriters began spewing columns about the downfall of Spartan football. Although MSU earned its first win in impressive fashion against Indiana, racking up 509 yards in total offense, a nationally-televised loss to archrival Michigan in Ann Arbor unleashed more naysaying in the media. MSU next faced Minnesota. Trailing 15-13 with quarterback Jim Miller out with a separated shoulder, back-up quarterback Brett Johnson threw a 41-yard pass to tight end Mitch Lyons to key a 70 yard touchdown drive that culminated when tailback Craig Thomas punched it in from the one yard line. MSU won 20-15. Ohio State, the fourth Top 20 team on MSU's schedule, not only beat MSU at Spartan Stadium, but sidelined Brett Johnson with a severe knee injury and third string quarterback John Gieselman with a broken collarbone.
MSU's offensive line fell like bowling pins, except for guard Toby Heaton. Mill Coleman, the master-of-all-trades quarterback cum receiver, suffered a hip pointer. Still, the next weekend MSU withstood a 365-yard aerial bombardment by Northwestern quarterback Len Williams and eked out a one-point win. Two sensational touchdown runs by Craig Thomas keyed a win over Wisconsin, but starting quarterback Miller re-injured his shoulder. The next week MSU played its best game of the season against Purdue under snowy conditions in Spartan Stadium. With Coleman assuming the helmsmanship, thus breaking his reception string at 10 games, MSU chalked up 287 rushing yards enroute to a 35-13 win. Tico Duckett gained 124 yards while running mate Thomas earned 127--82 of them on a dazzling TD run.
MSU's defensive line came alive with Aaron Jackson. Defensive end Mike Edwards scored his only career touchdown. The final loss was especially frustrating considering how hard the Spartans had worked to improve, and how close they came to a bowl invite.
Still, the season produced many positives. Lyons set an MSU record of 12 catches at Michigan, surpassing Andre Rison. Duckett became the first Spartan to gain more than 1,000 yards three straight seasons, and he became one of only six backs in the Big Ten to rush for more than 4,000 yards (4,212).
Thomas emerged as a runner, Brice Abrams as a blocker, and both the offensive and defensive lines showed steady improvement the entire season. Safety Steve Wasylk complemented his near 4-point GPA with some A-plus tackles on the field. The most remarkable improvement was by senior Ty Hallock, whose impressive debut at middle linebacker might earn him a shot in the NFL. Mill 'The Thrill' Coleman lived up to his nickname and then some. And rookie kicker Bill Stoyanovich proved reliable. Above all, the MSU team, under the masterful guidance of George Perles, showed tremendous character.
They never folded, but rather, worked to steadily improve. No wonder MSU has now led the Big 10 in the number of Academic All-Big Ten players for two straight years. Next year, fans can look forward to the return of key players like Coleman, Miller, Thomas, Abrams and the entire offensive line except for Toby Heaton. On defense, MSU loses only tackle William Reese, end Edwards and Hallock. With a good recruiting year, MSU can continue its improvement.
WHY THE NFL LOVES SPARTANS
On opening weekend, 20 former Spartans had made National Football League team rosters--the most for any 1992 Big Ten school. Ohio State and Michigan tied for second place with 17 each. Why such a disproportionate number of Spartans in the NFL? 'Three reasons,' says Ken Hoffman, sports information director. 'One, our coaches have done a superior job developing players. Two, our recruits have been better than recruiting gurus have rated. Three, George Perles makes MSU accessible to NFL scouts, who feel welcome on campus. That's why so many of them show up on 'Pro Day,' when we showcase our players.'
