1927 Michigan State Spartans football team

The 1927 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College in the 1927 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Ralph H. Young, the Spartans compiled a 4–5 record and were outscored by their opponents 128 to 111.[1][2]

1927 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Independent
1927 record	4–5
Head coach	Ralph H. Young (5th season)

1927 Midwestern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Notre Dame			–					7	–	2	–	1
Detroit			–					7	–	2	–	0
Ball Teachers			–					5	–	2	–	1
Marquette			–					6	–	3	–	0
Haskell			–					5	–	3	–	1
Butler			–					4	–	3	–	1
John Carroll			–					3	–	2	–	3
Saint Louis			–					5	–	5	–	0
Lombard			–					4	–	4	–	0
Loyola (IL)			–					4	–	4	–	0
Michigan State			–					4	–	5	–	0
Northern Illinois State			–					1	–	4	–	1
Kent State			–					1	–	5	–	1
Valparaiso			–					1	–	5	–	0

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 24	Kalamazoo	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 12–6
October 1	Ohio	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 27–0
October 8	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 0–21
October 15	Cornell (IA)	College Field East Lansing, MI	L 13–19
October 29	Detroit	College Field East Lansing, MI	L 7–24
November 5	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	L 7–33
November 11	Albion	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 20–6
November 19	Butler	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 25–0
December 3	at NC State	Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC	L 0–19
Homecoming

Game summaries

Michigan

Michigan State at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan State 0 0 0 0 0 • Michigan 7 7 0 7 21 Date: October 27, 1927 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI

On October 8, 1927, Michigan State lost to Michigan by a 21-0 score. Michigan's first two touchdowns came on running plays by halfback Louis Gilbert and fullback George Rich, and the third came on a pass from quarterback Leo Hoffman to left end Bennie Oosterbaan.[3][4]

North Carolina State

Michigan State at North Carolina State

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan State 0 0 0 0 0 • NC State 6 0 7 6 19 Date: December 3, 1927 Location: Riddick Stadium Raleigh, NC Game weather: Rain Sources:[5]

In the season's final game, Michigan State traveled south to Raleigh to play NC State. On a muddy, waterlogged field,[6] NC State won 19 to 0. The NC State team claims a Southern Conference title this year, with this contest arguably its biggest win. Their captain and hall of famer Jack McDowall was cited as the best player in this his final game, despite his only scoring play being a pass for an extra point.[5]

References

1. "2017 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. pp. 142, 148. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
2. "1927 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
3. "Michigan Is Pressed" (PDF). The New York Times. October 8, 1927.
4. "Michigan Beats State Rivals By Score of 21 to 0: Gilbert Injured in First Half of Game". Chicago Tribune. October 9, 1927.
5. "State Wins From Michigan Aggies" (PDF). The Technician. 8 (4). December 10, 1927. p. 7.
6. "Waterlogged Field Faces Elevens In North Carolina". The Index-Journal. December 3, 1927. p. 4. Retrieved August 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.