Apparent blown call on onside kick costly for Michigan State football

Michigan State's football fortunes dimmed when a questionable call during an onside kick proved costly. After securing a 31-24 lead with under eight minutes remaining, Spartans coach Pat Fitzgerald opted for a strategic move, ordering an onside kick. Freshman Samson Gash raced down the sideline, diving to scoop up the ball and gain possession for the Spartans in the fourth quarter of the MSU football game against Illinois at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

However, the officials disagreed with the outcome. They flagged Gash for offsides, negating the successful recovery. The question remained: was Gash truly offsides? According to television booth and replay expert Mike Pereira, Gash appeared to be merely half a yard behind the kicker when the ball was kicked, as noted during the broadcast.

Things could have been even more dire for the Spartans. Initially, a replay review seemed to indicate that Gash was out of bounds when he caught the ball, leading to a 5-yard penalty and Illinois securing possession without a rekick. Thankfully, further review revealed Gash was indeed inbounds on the recovery, allowing MSU to reattempt the kickoff.

Transitioning into their second year under new coach Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State faced a challenging period following a tumultuous six-season stretch under Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith, including a brief interim leadership by Harlon Barnett. The Spartans' struggles continued, as they now looked to turn things around after the game against Illinois. The Spartans would host Northwestern on Saturday, October 17, before embarking on a trip to Pasadena to face UCLA at the Rose Bowl.