EAST LANSING, Mich. — For three quarters Saturday night, it was Michigan State’s offense making timely plays to put up points on the Oregon defense.
A 68-yard run set up the Spartans’ first touchdown. They converted a fourth-and-one by surging at the line for a quarterback sneak, setting up their second score. Another fourth-down conversion put Michigan State in position to go up 21-14 in the third quarter, and their final TD of the night came courtesy of a 39-yard run.
For three quarters, it looked like those explosion plays and fourth-down conversions would spoil Oregon’s night defensively.