Remembering Michigan State's epic fake field goal against Notre Dame
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase "Little Giants?"
Ask Michigan State football fans, and they'll think of one of the most epic trick plays the Spartans have ever pulled off, born out of the brilliant mind of coach Mark Dantonio - whose name conjures up replays of his team pulling off the impossible (2016 notwithstanding).
They'll remember Brian Kelly's stunned reaction to the 2010 fake field goal play the Spartans pulled off in overtime against Notre Dame - a move that propelled the team to an 11-2 season and, eventually, the program into national relevance.
It's been seven years to the date since that audacious, "pivotal" call that led to Michigan State's 34-31 victory over the Fighting Irish. But it's a play Spartan Nation is unlikely to forget, including the quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who was a junior at the time.
"We ended up having a very good year that year," the now-Washington Redskins quarterback said in August. "That was the first time we were tested that season, so that was a big game. And had we not won that game, who knows the direction that our season would have gone and my career, frankly? That was a pivotal point where we had a big win against a really established program."
(AP Photo/Al Goldis)
The night game at Spartan Stadium was about as even as it could have been and, aside from overtime, was far from memorable.
The two teams entered overtime tied at 28. Notre Dame started with the ball and settled for a field goal. 31-28.
Michigan State could have done the same. For a huge blow to the Spartans, Cousins was sacked on third-and-5, so Dan Conroy - a sophomore who would become one of the program's most consistent kickers - lined up for a 46-yard field goal to force a second overtime. But that was a lot of pressure on his foot, so Dantonio made a decision.
"We always name our trick plays after movies. We keep it fun. … We actually put it in on Wednesday. It worked every time," Dantonio said. "I made the call, 'Little Giants,' and I said a little prayer."
Spartan Stadium roared.
Punter Aaron Bates was holding, and when he took the snap, Conroy bolted. Everyone else could see the fake field goal unfolding except the Fighting Irish. It only took a second for tight end Charlie Gantt to sprint downfield, but that's all Bates needed.
The former high school quarterback launched the ball to a wide-open Gantt, who waltzed into the end zone. Perfect execution. 34-31, final score.
Gantt was all alone as he caught this pass off a fake punt in overtime against Notre Dame. (JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/Detroit Free Press)
"(Bates) was my roommate for four years, and he bailed me out making that play," Cousins recalled. "I wasn't good enough to win the game, so I had to pass it off to my roommate and our punter to throw the pass to win the game.
"He knew what he was doing, so I had confidence in him. He just had the right mindset, and he's the guy you want in that situation to be cool under pressure."
The ball was originally intended for Le'Veon Bell, who was tied up and eventually tripped, which opened the door for Gantt to be the hero of the game.
"(I)t was well executed, and our guy who was in coverage fell down. It was a good throw, he caught the ball and they executed the play. They deserved to win."
That night, Spartan Nation went to bed overjoyed and victorious, only to wake up to some devastating news.
Shortly after the game ended, Dantonio suffered a minor heart attack and had surgery to put a stent in a blocked blood vessel.
"This morning, in the very early hours, not long after the football game, coach Dantonio began experiencing some symptoms," said Dr. Chris D'Haem, who performed the relatively common procedure to restore blood flow. "Fortunately, his heart damage is very minimal. He's going to do very well and we're very optimistic he'll have a full recovery."
Dantonio did, leading the Spartans to three Big Ten championships - including that year - and eventually a Rose Bowl win.
But to Michigan State fans, after the "Little Giants" game, he became known as the coach who always seems to have a trick up his sleeves and someone you can never discount until the clock reads 00:00.
