By Michael J. Happy
CBS SportsLine Staff Writer
Aug. 29, 1998
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- At 5 p.m. Saturday, most of the 68,624 fans at Spartan Stadium were whooping it up and entertaining visions of a Michigan State upset over cross-town rival Michigan in their Big Ten opener a few weeks down the road.
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Everything appeared to be falling into place for the Spartans. Their revamped offensive line was manhandling the Colorado State Rams' defense, blowing holes open for tailback Sedric Irvin and giving untested quarterback Bill Burke enough time to spot his receivers.
The balanced effort had the Rams on their heels. And when Irvin -- a 1,000-yard rusher in his previous two seasons at Michigan State -- scampered into the end zone from 17 yards out, the Spartans had a 16-0 lead with 7:31 to play in the second quarter of the Black Coaches Association Football Classic.
But by 7 p.m., the Spartans' faithful were dreading the Sept. 26 game at Michigan, wondering if Michigan State could even contend in the less-heralded Western Athletic Conference, where Colorado State is the defending champion.
THE RAMS HAD ROARED BACK to take a 23-16 lead. Burke was relegated to the sidelines, looking on as QB Ryan VanDyke -- a prep All-American last season -- tried to lead the Spartans to a tying score in their last offensive possession.
With the Rams' defensive line now dominating the trenches, Van Dyke could do no better than his predecessor. He was sacked twice during his only series and overthrew Gari Scott on fourth-and-12 in the waning moments.
"We just got beat by a better team for the last three quarters of the game," Spartans coach Nick Saban said in his postgame news conference.
The contrast between the first 23 minutes and the final 37 was mind-boggling.
The Spartans could do no wrong in the early going. Their defense was stifling, which can be expected from a unit that returned nine starters and ranked 13th in the nation in total defense in 1997. They held the Rams to just one first down in the opening quarter and pressured senior QB Ryan Eslinger, who was making his first start.
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The Spartans' Sedrick Irvin ran away from the Rams early, but he was thumped in the second half.
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On offense, Irvin set the tone. He piled up 88 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries midway through the second quarter -- 101 yards on 21 attempts by halftime.
BURKE ALSO PLAYED A KEY role, finding tight-end Brad Rainko on a fourth-and-goal play-action pass to make it 9-0 with 10:31 left in the first quarter. The play capped a nine-play, 55-yard drive and seemed to end any questions about Burke's ability to lead the Spartans.
But only for a moment.
Just after Irvin's score made it 16-0, Eslinger finally got the protection he needed and fired a 57-yard TD strike to Darrek Uhl. What seemed like a hollow victory for the Rams' offense at the time, ended up being much more than that.
"The long pass when the score was 16-0 totally changed the momentum of the game so significantly that it was almost scary to me," Saban said. "Our players seemed to be flat after that, and we had a tough time looking like we were playing with the same energy level we had played with prior to that.
"That seemed to give their quarterback, their team and their players a lot of confidence, and they played very well after that."
Did they ever.
THE RAMS ADDED A Derek Franz field goal to make it 16-9 at the break and then completely took over in the second half.
Their defense continually stacked eight players up front, holding Irvin to just 19 yards on nine second-half carries and daring Burke to beat them. Burke also was ineffective under pressure and was removed late in the fourth quarter after going 11-of-21 for 73 yards with one TD and an interception.
On the other side of the ball, the tandem of Damon Washington and Kevin McDougal, 1,000-yard rushers last season, each scored. Washington -- who is trying to become the first player in Colorado State history to rush for 1,000 yards three consecutive seasons -- made it 16 apiece with a 2-yard run late in the third quarter. McDougal's 32-yard sprint early in the fourth quarter completed the scoring and started some head scratching for the Spartans.
Obviously, the Rams are no patsies. They have won 10 consecutive, the fourth-longest winning streak in the nation, and are ranked No. 15. Their defense, which also returns nine starters, is solid. Washington and McDougal can pound the ball up the middle as well as most Big Ten backs. Even Eslinger finished strong, going 13-of-26 for 205 yards with one TD and an interception. Colorado had better take them seriously next week.
"That's not a bad team that we played today," Saban said. "They were physical. They have a good defensive team. ... They fought back in the game. It's a credit to their players and their program and their coaching staff."
So losing this game shouldn't be a surprise for the Spartans. But to be ahead 16-0 and then give it all back -- and more -- could permanently take the wind out of their sails.
THE SPARTANS, RANKED 23RD going into Saturday's game, knew they had holes. Burke, a fourth-year junior, has chronic back problems and can see VanDyke eagerly waiting in the wings. Their offensive line is very inexperienced and could have used a confidence booster.
What happened during the last three quarters will be hard to overcome -- especially when you consider the Spartans' next three opponents: Oregon, Notre Dame and Michigan.
Worse yet, Michigan State might face that competition with a true freshman, VanDyke, at quarterback.
"We'll look at the film (of Burke)," Saban said, "and then look at what our best potential for the future is."
Amazing. In just 60 minutes of football, Burke went from hero to potential benchwarmer, the offensive line from invincible to Swiss cheese and the Spartans from Big Ten contender to WAC prey.
"Obviously, it's not the kind of opener we would have liked to have had," Saban said.
Good thing for Spartans fans they weren't playing Michigan.
Michael Happy is a sportswriter on CBS SportsLine's staff.