For one half, everything came together for Michigan State football .

An offensive line ravaged by injuries blocked with ferocity. Alessio Milivojevic delivered pinpoint passes behind their protection, his receivers making one big play catch after another. The Spartans ’ run game ripped off big gains. The defense bending, but not breaking.

By the fourth quarter, after the Spartans had nearly blown that lead, MSU fans inside a near-empty Ford Field were chanting “Fire Smith!” And booing. And the Spartans were authoring another catastrophic meltdown in a season full of them.

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