Turning point, unsung hero in Michigan State's 31-21 Peach Bowl win over Pitt

TURNING POINT

Thursday night's Peach Bowl came down to the final minute.

Michigan State, down 21-10 in the fourth quarter, rallied to take a 24-21 lead with 2:51 to go on a Payton Thorne 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed.

But Pitt didn't sit back on its heels. Instead, it marched 49 yards in eight plays and was in position to hit a game-tying field goal following an 8-yard pass to Lucas Krull that got the Panthers down to the 26-yard line with 36 seconds left.

However, Cal Haladay saved the day for the Spartans, ending the Panthers' night.

On first-and-10, Haladay stepped in front of intended target Jordan Addison and picked off Davis Beville's pass. The linebacker raced down the sideline for a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown to give MSU a 31-21 lead with just 22 seconds left.

That game-sealing score means MSU finishes the season with an 11-2 record. That's only the sixth time in school history the Spartans have accomplished that feat.

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UNSUNG HERO

Let's give it up for Connor Heyward. In his final game as a Spartan, the tight end/fullback hybrid kept the Spartans in the game with a couple of crucial plays on a fourth-quarter scoring drive.

First, Heyward caught an 8-yard pass along the sideline on fourth-and-6 from the Pitt 25-yard line, a play where the officials whistled that Heyward stepped out of bounds after the catch, but it appeared he stayed in bounds and could've rumbled down the sideline for a score.

But Heyward would eventually be rewarded. On third-and-goal from the 15, Heyward ran a route down the middle of the field. QB Payton Thorne put the ball between the Pitt linebacker and defensive back, and Heyward high-pointed the ball, twisting and leaping before coming down with the TD reception. That cut Pitt's lead to 21-16 with 8:06 to go.

Heyward finished the game with five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball once for seven yards.

QUOTABLE

"We got to show Payton Thorne some love here. He's been resilient all day. He's been getting hit, battered, stitched up, stapling him to the ground. And what did he do? He got back up. His coach talked about how he wants to be the guy, how he wants to be the leader, and what does he do in crunch time when they need him the most? He takes them right down the field and throws a touchdown pass." - ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III after Thorne's go-ahead TD pass to Jayden Reed with 2:51 to go.

WHAT'S NEXT

That'll do it for the 2021 MSU football season as the Spartans finish 11-2. They'll open the 2022 season Sept. 3 at Spartan Stadium vs. Western Michigan. The Broncos finished this year 8-5 and won the Quick Lane Bowl with a 52-24 rout of Nevada.

Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State vs. Pitt in Peach Bowl: Turning point, unsung hero