| 2006 Michigan State Spartans football | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
|---|---|
| 2006 record | 4–8 (1–7 Big Ten) |
| Head coach | John L. Smith |
| Home stadium | Spartan Stadium (c. 75,005 natural grass) |
Seasons | |
| 2006 Big Ten football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #2/2 Ohio State † | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #7/5 Wisconsin | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #8/9 Michigan ‡ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #24/25 Penn State | 0* | – | 3 | 0* | – | 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 champion ‡ – BCS at-large representative
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The 2006 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football during the 2006 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]
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[]
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2* | 12:00 PM | Idaho | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPN+ | W 27–17 | 70,711 | ||
| September 9* | 3:30 PM | Eastern Michigan | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPN+ | W 52–20 | 69,856 | ||
| September 16* | 12:00 PM | at Pittsburgh | Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA | ABC | W 38–23 | 47,956 | ||
| September 23* | 8:00 PM | #12 Notre Dame | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Megaphone Trophy) | ABC | L 40–37 | 80,193 | ||
| September 30† | 12:00 PM | Illinois | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPN+ | L 23–20 | 71,268 | ||
| October 7 | 4:30 PM | at #6 Michigan | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Paul Bunyan Trophy) | ESPN | L 31–13 | 111,349 | ||
| October 14 | 3:30 PM | #1 Ohio State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ABC | L 38–7 | 73,498 | ||
| October 21 | 12:00 PM | at Northwestern | Ryan Field • Evanston, IL (Greatest comeback in college football history) | ESPN+ | W 41–38 | 29,387 | ||
| October 28 | 12:00 PM | at Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN (Old Brass Spittoon) | ESPN+ | L 46–21 | 36,444 | ||
| November 4 | 3:30 PM | Purdue | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPNU | L 17–15 | 65,398 | ||
| November 11 | 12:00 PM | Minnesota | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | ESPNU | L 31–18 | 64,807 | ||
| November 18 | 12:00 PM | at Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA (Land Grant Trophy) | ESPN2 | L 17–13 | 108,607 | ||
| *Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. | ||||||||
2007 NFL Draft[]
The following players were selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.
| Player | Round | Pick | Position | NFL Team |
| Drew Stanton | 2 | 43 | Quarterback | Detroit Lions |
| Clifton Ryan | 5 | 154 | Defensive Tackle | St. Louis Rams |
| Brandon Fields | 7 | 225 | Punter | Miami Dolphins |
References[]
- ↑ John L. Smith Records by Year, College Football Data Warehouse, Retrieved July 24, 2009. Archived July 26, 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Phil Steele's 2009 College Football Preview, volume 15, p. 66, Summer 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Spartans stun Cats for biggest comeback in I-A history, ESPN, October 21, 2006.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan State 2006 Schedule/Results, ESPN, retrieved July 24, 2009.
- ↑ Michigan State coach John L. Smith out after season, ESPN, November 1, 2006.
- ↑ Michigan State hires Dantonio to coach football team, USA Today, November 27, 2006.
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