1985 Michigan State Spartans football team
American college football season
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The 1985 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1985 Big Ten football season. In their third season under head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled a 7–5 record (5–3 in conference games), tied for fourth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 244 to 202. In two games against ranked opponents, they lost to No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan. They concluded the season with a loss to Georgia Tech in the 1985 All-American Bowl.[1][2]
- George Perles (3rd season)
| 1985 Michigan State Spartans football | |
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All-American Bowl, L 14–17 vs. Georgia Tech | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 7–5 (5–3 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Nick Saban (3rd season) |
| MVP | Lorenzo White |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Spartan Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Iowa $ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Michigan | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Ohio State | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michigan State running back Lorenzo White led the country with 2,066 rushing yards (total including bowl game), finished fourth in the voting for the 1985 Heisman Trophy,[3] and was a consensus first-team pick on the 1985 All-America college football team.[4] The team's other statistical leaders included quarterback Dave Yarema with 755 passing yards and wide receiver Mark Ingram Sr. with 31 receptions and 675 receiving yards.[5]
Six Spartans were recognized by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) on the 1985 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Lorenzo White (AP-1; UPI-1); offensive guard John Wojciechowski (AP-1); offensive tackle Steve Bogdalek (AP-2); linebacker Shane Bullough (AP-2); defensive back Phil Parker (UPI-1); and punter Greg Montgomery (AP-1).[6][7]
The team played its home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 14 | 12:08 p.m. | Arizona State* | W 12–3 | 62,797 | [8] | ||
| September 21 | 7:46 p.m. | at Notre Dame* | ESPN | L 10–27 | 59,075 | [9] | |
| September 28 | 1:00 p.m. | Western Michigan* |
| W 7–3 | 63,829 | [10] | |
| October 5 | 2:42 p.m. | at No. 1 Iowa | CBS | L 31–35 | 66,044 | [11] | |
| October 12 | 2:42 p.m. | No. 3 Michigan |
| CBS | L 0–31 | 78,235 | [12] |
| October 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Illinois |
| L 17–30 | 76,438 | [13] | |
| October 26 | 12:38 p.m. | at Purdue | TBS | W 28–24 | 67,660 | [14] | |
| November 2 | 12:08 p.m. | Minnesota |
| TBS | W 31–26 | 63,578 | [15] |
| November 9 | 1:00 p.m. | at Indiana | W 35–16 | 24,764 | [16] | ||
| November 16 | 1:00 p.m. | Northwestern |
| W 32–0 | 55,439 | [17] | |
| November 23 | 2:05 p.m. | at Wisconsin | W 41–7 | 56,854 | [18] | ||
| December 31 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech* | TBS | L 14–17 | 45,000 | [19] | |
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Game summaries
Arizona State
At Notre Dame
Western Michigan
At Iowa
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartans | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| • No. 1 Hawkeyes | 7 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 35 |
- Date: October 5
- Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
- Game start: 1:40 p.m. CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:50
- Game attendance: 66,044
- Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 20-25 mph (40 km/h)
- Referee: Tom Quinn
- TV announcers (CBS Sports): Brent Musburger and Ara Parseghian
| 1 | 10:23 | IOWA | Robert Smith 60-yard pass from Chuck Long (Houghtlin kick) | IOWA 7-0 |
| 2 | 13:12 | IOWA | Mike Flagg 17-yard pass from Chuck Long (kick failed) | IOWA 13-0 |
| 2 | 11:34 | MSU | Chris Caudell 32-yard field goal | IOWA 13-3 |
| 2 | 9:15 | MSU | Andre Rison 50-yard pass from Bobby McAllister (Caudell kick) | IOWA 13-10 |
| 3 | 12:30 | MSU | Lorenzo White 23-yard run (Caudell kick) | MSU 17-13 |
| 3 | 7:01 | MSU | Lorenzo White 1-yard run (Caudell kick) | MSU 24-13 |
| 3 | 6:16 | IOWA | Robert Smith 4-yard pass from Chuck Long (Flagg pass from Long for two-point conversion) | MSU 24-21 |
| 3 | 3:21 | IOWA | Mike Flagg 12-yard pass from Chuck Long (Houghtlin kick) | IOWA 28-24 |
| 4 | 4:06 | MSU | Craig Johnson 25-yard run (Caudell kick) | MSU 31-28 |
| 4 | 0:27 | IOWA | Chuck Long 2-yard run (Houghtlin kick) | IOWA 35-31 |
- Lorenzo White 39 Rush, 229 Yds, 2 TD[20]
Michigan
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • No. 3 Wolverines | 14 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Date: October 12
- Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
On October 12, 1985, Michigan State lost to Michigan, 31–0, in front of a crowd of 78,235 at Spartan Stadium. The victory was regarded at the time as revenge for the Spartans' 19–7 upset of the Wolverines in 1984. Michigan struck early after Michigan State quarterback Bobby McAllister fumbled the snap on the second play of the game, Andy Moeller recovered the ball on the Spartans' 16-yard line, and Jim Harbaugh threw a touchdown pass to tight end Eric Kattus. Less than two minutes after Michigan's first score, Dieter Heren blocked a Greg Montgomery punt, and Ed Hood recovered the ball in the end zone for Michigan's second touchdown. Harbaugh completed 13 of 23 passes, threw two touchdown passes to Kattus and gave up three interceptions. Jamie Morris rushed for 84 yards on 19 carries. Mike Gillette also kicked a field goal. On defense, Michigan held Lorenzo White (who set a Big Ten record with 2,066 yards in 1985) to a season-low 47 yards on 18 carries. The Wolverines' defense also sacked Bobby McAllister three times, intercepted him once, and held him to 83 passing yards.[21]
Illinois
At Purdue
- Lorenzo White 53 Rush, 244 Yds
Minnesota
At Indiana
- Lorenzo White 25 Rush, 286 Yds, 2 TD (played just over a half)
Northwestern
At Wisconsin
- Lorenzo White 42 Rush, 223 Yds (set single season Big Ten rushing record)
Georgia Tech—All-American Bowl
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • Yellow Jackets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
- Date: December 31
- Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
- TV announcers: Bob Neal, Tim Foley and Paul Hornung
Personnel
| 1985 Michigan State Spartans football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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