Rutgers hands Michigan State bettors brutal bad beat with fourth-and-31 TD in final minute

If you bet Michigan State to cover the spread at home vs. Rutgers, you experienced a horrifically bad beat on Saturday.

The point spread bounced around a bit throughout the week, but MSU ended up being around a 9.5 or 10-point favorite once the game kicked off. And MSU bettors were in a pretty good spot for a good chunk of the second half.

MSU took a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter and then, after a Rutgers touchdown, added a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter. The second of those field goals put the Spartans up 27-14 with 3:22 to play.

At that point, only a Rutgers touchdown would ruin your bet if you backed the favorite. And that touchdown would come in improbable fashion.

Rutgers worked its way into MSU territory, marching as far as the 4-yard line. But after a pair of holding penalties and a sack, Rutgers faced a fourth-and-28 from the MSU 31-yard line with 53 seconds to go.

Gaining a first down was unlikely, so it was obvious that Rutgers would look to the end zone. That’s just what happened and Gavin Wimsatt somehow found Shameen Jones for a touchdown.

It was a great catch by Jones, who outmatched two MSU defenders to bring in Wimsatt’s pass and cut MSU’s lead to 27-21. From there, MSU was able to run out the clock and seal a six-point win.

The Wimsatt-to-Jones touchdown brought great joy for those who bet on the underdog Scarlet Knights and utter agony for those who bet on MSU.