2006 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 2006 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Michigan State competed as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans were led by fourth-year head coach John L. Smith. Smith had compiled a combined 18–18 record in his previous seasons at Michigan State,[1] and he was fired after the 2006 season in which the team finished 4–8.[2] The Spartans did, however, set the record for the greatest comeback from a deficit in college football history.[3]

2006 Michigan State Spartans football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
2006 record4–8 (1–7 Big Ten)
Head coachJohn L. Smith (4th season)
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium (c. 75,005 natural grass)
2006 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 2 Ohio State $  8 –0     12 –1  
No. 7 Wisconsin  7 –1     12 –1  
No. 8 Michigan %  7 –1     11 –2  
No. 24 Penn State  5 –3     9 –4  
Purdue  5 –3     8 –6  
Minnesota  3 –5     6 –7  
Indiana  3 –5     5 –7  
Iowa  2 –6     6 –7  
Northwestern  2 –6     4 –8  
Michigan State  1 –7     4 –8  
Illinois  1 –7     2 –10  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
Rankings from AP Poll

Season recap

Michigan State teams during Smith's tenure were "known for their late season collapses".[2] The Spartans started the 2006 season with a 3–0 record with victories over Idaho, Eastern Michigan, and Pittsburgh. The following week, Michigan State led Notre Dame, 37–21, in the third quarter, but surrendered 19 points to lose the game.[2] The Spartans then lost all but one game on the remainder of their schedule.[4]

On October 21, Michigan State traveled to Evanston, Illinois to face Northwestern. By the third quarter, Northwestern had extended its lead to a commanding 38–3.[3] Michigan State gained momentum in the fourth quarter when Devin Thomas blocked a Northwestern punt, which was then returned for a touchdown by Ashton Henderson. Northwestern was forced to punt twice more and Michigan State capitalized on each possession with a touchdown, which tied the game, 38–38.[3] Placekicker Brett Swenson made good the game-winning field goal with 0:13 remaining to play, and Michigan State won the greatest comeback in college football history.[3]

After the record-setting victory, it appeared that Smith's job was temporarily secured,[3] but the administration fired him shortly after a loss to Indiana the following week.[5] The Spartans ended the season with four consecutive losses to finish with a 4–8 overall record and 1–7 against Big Ten opponents.[4] In November, Mark Dantonio was hired as the replacement head coach.[6]

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 212:00 p.m.Idaho*
ESPN+W 27–1770,711
September 93:30 p.m.Eastern Michigan*
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ESPN+W 52–2069,856
September 1612:00 p.m.at Pittsburgh*
ABCW 38–2347,956
September 238:00 p.m.No. 12 Notre Dame*
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI (Megaphone Trophy)
ABCL 40–3780,193
September 3012:00 p.m.Illinois
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ESPN+L 23–2071,268
October 74:30 p.m.at No. 6 Michigan
ESPNL 31–13111,349
October 143:30 p.m.No. 1 Ohio State
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ABCL 38–773,498
October 2112:00 p.m.at Northwestern
ESPN+W 41–3829,387
October 2812:00 p.m.at Indiana
ESPN+L 46–2136,444
November 43:30 p.m.Purdue
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ESPNUL 17–1565,398
November 1112:00 p.m.Minnesota
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ESPNUL 31–1864,807
November 1812:00 p.m.at Penn State
ESPN2L 17–13108,607

Game summaries

Northwestern
1 234Total
• Michigan State 3 01424 41
Northwestern 7 17140 38

[7]

2007 NFL Draft

The following players were selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.

PlayerRoundPickPositionNFL Team
Drew Stanton243QuarterbackDetroit Lions
Clifton Ryan5154Defensive TackleSt. Louis Rams
Brandon Fields7225PunterMiami Dolphins

References
  1. John L. Smith Records by Year, College Football Data Warehouse, Retrieved July 24, 2009. Archived July 26, 2009.
  2. Phil Steele's 2009 College Football Preview, volume 15, p. 66, Summer 2009.
  3. Spartans stun Cats for biggest comeback in I-A history, ESPN, October 21, 2006.
  4. "Michigan State 2006 Schedule/Results". ESPN. Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  5. Michigan State coach John L. Smith out after season, ESPN, November 1, 2006.
  6. Michigan State hires Dantonio to coach football team, USA Today, November 27, 2006.
  7. "Spartans Stun Cats for Biggest Comeback in I-A History". ESPN. October 21, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
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