1997 Michigan State Spartans football team

1997 Michigan State Spartans football
1997 Michigan State Spartans football
Aloha Bowl, L 23–51 vs. Washington
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–5 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Nick Saban (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Gary Tranquill (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro set
Defensive coordinator	Dean Pees (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
MVP	Ike Reese
Captains	Ike Reese; Scott Shaw;
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
	Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

The 1997 Michigan State Spartans football team competed on behalf of Michigan State University in the 1997 Big Ten Conference football season. Led by third-year head coach Nick Saban, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the Big Ten. Michigan State was invited to the Aloha Bowl, where they lost, 51–23, on December 25 to Washington. The team played home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

Quick facts Michigan State Spartans football, Aloha Bowl, L 23–51 vs. Washington ...

More information Conf., Overall ...

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 6	12:30 p.m.	Western Michigan*	No. 25	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ESPN Plus	W 42–10	72,317
September 13	1:00 p.m.	Memphis*	No. 21	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		W 51–21	72,131
September 20	1:30 p.m.	at Notre Dame*	No. 17	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 23–7	80,225
October 4	1:00 p.m.	Minnesota	No. 12	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		W 31–10	75,263
October 11	12:30 p.m.	at Indiana	No. 11	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 38–6	35,082
October 18	3:30 p.m.	at Northwestern	No. 12	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ABC	L 17–19	47,129
October 25	12:30 p.m.	No. 5 Michigan	No. 15	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry, College GameDay)	ESPN	L 7–23	79,687
November 1	3:30 p.m.	No. 9 Ohio State	No. 21	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	ABC	L 13–37	74,903
November 8	12:30 p.m.	at No. 24 Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPN2	L 21–22	55,539
November 22	2:00 p.m.	at Illinois		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		W 27–17	30,087
November 29	1:00 p.m.	No. 4 Penn State		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 49–14	73,623
December 25	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 21 Washington*	No. 25	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI (Aloha Bowl)	ABC	L 23–51	34,419
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Michigan St	14	3	3	3	23
Notre Dame	0	7	0	0	7


Q1	12:28	MSU	Keur 5 yard pass from Schultz (Gardner kick)	MSU 7–0

Q1	4:47	MSU	Schultz 1 yard run (Gardner kick)	MSU 14–0

Q2	6:28	MSU	Gardner 31 yard field goal	MSU 17–0

Q2	:27	ND	Brown 7 yard pass from Powlus (Sanson kick)	MSU 17–7

Q3	7:12	MSU	Gardner 32 yard field goal	MSU 20–7

Q4	6:26	MSU	Gardner 31 yard field goal	MSU 23–7

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

Schedule

1997 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 Michigan $	8	–	0	12	–	0
No. 12 Ohio State	6	–	2	10	–	3
No. 16 Penn State	6	–	2	9	–	3
No. 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