Blue defense comes up small in biggest game

EAST LANSING - A main ingredient in the Michigan football team's 5-0 start this season was the defense's ability to force turnovers from the opposition while the offense stayed mistake-free.

The turnover differential, so key in the third-ranked Wolverines undefeated start, was won by Michigan State on Saturday. Not coincidentally, the game was as well.

The Michigan offense turned the ball over once on an Aric Morris interception. While Morris' interception led to a Michigan State touchdown, Michigan's frustration didn't come from the miscues it made.

It came from the mistakes that it couldn't force the Spartans to make.

"That was a big difference in the game," Michigan nose tackle Rob Renes said. "We didn't get any turnovers and we didn't play as well as we needed to."

DANA LINNANE/Daily Gari Scott and the Michigan State offense told James Whitley and the Michigan defense what was up to the tune of 490 total yards and 34 points in the victory.

The Michigan defense - which had only given up 11.2 points per game in the previous five games - was scorched for 34 points and 490 yards by the Spartans.

The main cause of Michigan's problems was the passing combination of quarterback Bill Burke and wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Both Burke, with 400 yards passing, and Burress, with 255 yards receiving, set school records with their performances.

But the Wolverines had dealt with a great individual performance from Notre Dame's Jarious Jackson and got through it unscathed.

While Michigan stopped Jackson when it counted during the season opener, they just couldn't stop the Spartans.

"Our kids played hard to the end," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We just couldn't stop them at the end, though."

With Tom Brady dissecting the Michigan State defense in the last 20 minutes of the game, all the Michigan defense had to do was to stop the Spartans a couple of times - a request that it has delivered on countless times thus far this season.

But the deliveries weren't executed on Saturday.

"It was very frustrating," safety Tommy Hendricks said. "We just couldn't stop the pass. I tried to keep the guys together, but it was really hard."

After Michigan closed the deficit to 27-17 in the beginning of the fourth quarter, the defense had its chance to complete a switch in momentum.

But Burke efficiently drove the Spartans 76 yards in 1:55, hitting tight end Chris Baker and wide receiver Gari Scott for gains of 23 and 35 yards, respectively. Fullback Dawan Moss - in his only carry of the of the game - ran 14 yards for the eventual game-winning touchdown.

"When you've made a lot of big plays, you come to expect them," linebacker James Hall said. "So when you can't come up with one its frustrating."

After the Wolverines moved within three points of the Spartans with 2:47 left to go, the defense had a second chance at redemption. But on third-and-nine at the Michigan 32 with just over a minute left, Burke found Burress wide open on the sideline for the 15-yard gain.

Michigan State made the big play. Michigan was unable to. And that ended up being the difference in the game.

"I let one thing carry over to the other and it eventually got to me," said Michigan cornerback James Whitley, a primary victim of the Michigan State passing game.

"That has never happened to me."

10-11-99