EAST LANSING — Jayden Reed knew it almost immediately as the punt went in the air.
Michigan State football special teams coach Ross Els’ call for some chicanery would work. To perfection.
On a night where the offense vanished after halftime and the defense kept the Spartans in the game, special teams made play after play – highlighted by Reed’s tying punt return touchdown and Matt Coghlin’s winning field goal in overtime – to deliver a 23-20 victory and preserve a perfect 4-0 start to the season.
“We were showing our players examples of how special teams were impacting games across the country, whether it was punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return,” MSU coach Mel Tucker said.