1997 Michigan State Spartans football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1997 Michigan State Spartans football Big Ten Conference Big Ten 7–5 4–4 Nick Saban 3rd Gary Tranquill 3rd Pro set Dean Pees 3rd 4–3 Ike Reese Ike Reese Scott Shaw Spartan Stadium Aloha Bowl L 23–51 vs. Washington 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. Schedule 1997 AP Eastern September 6 12:30 p.m. w y 25 Western Michigan Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ESPN Plus 42–10 72,317 September 13 1:00 p.m. w y 21 Memphis Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI 51–21 72,131 September 20 1:30 p.m. w y y 17 Notre Dame Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 23–7 80,225 October 4 1:00 p.m. w y 12 Minnesota Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI 31–10 75,263 October 11 12:30 p.m. w y 11 Indiana Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN rivalry ESPN2 38–6 35,082 October 18 3:30 p.m. l y 12 Northwestern Ryan Field Evanston, IL ABC 17–19 47,129 October 25 12:30 p.m. l 15 Michigan 5 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry, College GameDay ESPN 7–23 79,687 November 1 3:30 p.m. l 21 Ohio State 9 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ABC 13–37 74,903 November 8 12:30 p.m. l y Purdue 24 Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN ESPN2 21–22 55,539 November 22 2:00 p.m. w y Illinois Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL 27–17 30,087 November 29 1:00 p.m. w Penn State 4 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry ABC 49–14 73,623 December 25 3:30 p.m. l y y 25 Washington 21 Aloha Bowl Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI ABC 23–51 34,419 Rankings 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 17 25 25 25 21 17 12 12 11 12 15 21 NR NR NR NR 25 25 NR Coaches 0 17 NR NR 23 18 13 13 11 11 14 20 NR NR NR NR NR 25 NR Game summaries Notre Dame Michigan St 14 3 3 3 Notre Dame 0 7 0 0 September 20 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN 80,225 yes 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 yes Michigan State vs. Notre Dame http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/scores97/97263/97263378.htm USA Today September 20, 1997 August 17, 2014 Michigan State's first win versus Notre Dame since 1986. Roster 1997 Michigan State Spartans f 76 Sr Flozell Adams T y 16 So Bill Burke QB 33 So Sedrick Irvin RB y 11 Jr Gus Ornstein QB 32 Sr Antwain Patrick RB 84 So Brad Rainko TE 88 So Kyle Rance TE 41 Sr Travis Reece FB 9 Sr Todd Schultz QB 86 So Gari Scott WR 73 Sr Scott Shaw Scott Shaw (American football) G y 69 So Brandon Call DT 3 Jr Amp Campbell CB 43 Jr Scott Ernsberger SS 53 Jr Courtney Ledyard LB y 29 Jr Lemar Marshall CB 44 Sr Ike Reese LB y 91 So Robaire Smith DE 57 Jr Mike Smokevitch LB 99 Jr Dimitrius Underwood DT y 1 So Paul Edinger K y https://web.archive.org/web/19970720062102/http://www.fansonly.com/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/mtt/msu-m-footbl-mtt.html *Nick Saban Coaching staff Nick Saban, head coach Gary Tranquill, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach Bobby Williams, running backs coach Charlie Baggett, wide receivers coach Pat Shurmur, tight ends coach, special teams coordinator Jim Bollman, offensive line coach Dean Pees, defensive coordinator, inside linebackers coach Todd Grantham, defensive line coach Mark Dantonio, defensive backs coach Greg Colby, defensive assistant 1998 NFL draft The following players were selected in the 1998 NFL draft. Michigan State Spartans 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 References Michigan State Category:Michigan State Spartans football seasons Michigan State Spartans football