American Football Database
Register
Advertisement
1997 Michigan State Spartans football
Aloha Bowl vs. Washington, L, 23–51
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
1997 record7–5 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coachNick Saban (3rd season)
Offensive coordinatorGary Tranquill (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro Set
Defensive coordinatorDean Pees (3rd season)
Base defense4-3
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium (72,027)
Seasons
← 1996
1998 →
1997 Big Ten football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#1/2 Michigan   8 0         12 0  
#12/12 Ohio State   6 2         10 3  
#16/17 Penn State   6 2         9 3  
#15/15 Purdue   6 2         9 3  
Wisconsin   5 3         8 5  
Iowa   4 4         7 5  
Michigan State   4 4         7 5  
Northwestern   3 5         5 7  
Minnesota   1 7         3 9  
Indiana   1 7         2 9  
Illinois   0 8         0 11  
† – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll

The 1997 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University in the Big Ten Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Nick Saban was in his third season with the Spartans. Michigan State played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans went 7–4 overall and 4–4 in conference play during the regular season.[1] The team played in the Aloha Bowl on December 25, 1997, where they were defeated 51–23 by the Washington Huskies.

Schedule[]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 6* 12:30 PM Western Michigan #25 Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI ESPN+ W 42–10   72,317[2]
September 13* 1:00 PM Memphis #23 Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI W 51–21   72,131[3]
September 20* 1:30 PM at Notre Dame #18 Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Megaphone Trophy) NBC W 23–7   80,225[4]
October 4† 1:00 PM Minnesota #13 Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI W 31–10   75,263[5]
October 11 12:30 PM at Indiana #11 Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN (Old Brass Spittoon) ESPN2 W 38–6   35,082[6]
October 18 3:30 PM at Northwestern #11 Ryan FieldEvanston, IL ABC L 17–19   47,129[7]
October 25 12:30 PM #5 Michigan #14 Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy) ESPN L 7–23   79,687[8]
November 1 3:30 PM #9 Ohio State #20 Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI ABC L 13–37   74,903[9]
November 8 12:30 PM at #24 Purdue Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN ESPN2 L 21–22   55,539[10]
November 22 2:00 PM at Illinois Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL W 27–17   30,087[11]
November 29 1:00 PM #4 Penn State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Land Grant Trophy) ABC W 49–14   73,623[12]
December 25* 3:30 PM vs. #21 Washington #25 Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI (Aloha Bowl) ABC L 23–51   34,419[13]
*Non-Conference Game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

1998 NFL Draft[]

The following players were selected in the 1998 NFL Draft.

Player Round Pick Position NFL Team
Flozell Adams 2 38 Offensive Tackle Dallas Cowboys
Ike Reese 5 142 Linebacker Philadelphia Eagles
Scott Shaw 5 143 Offensive Guard Miami Dolphins

References[]

Advertisement