EAST LANSING - Matt Sokol took a redshirt his first season and spent the next two years mired in the obscurity that comes with playing primarily on special teams.
The Michigan State tight end took notes, learned from upperclassmen and waited his turn. Sokol emerged from fall camp as a starter itching to cash in on a new opportunity and shook hands with it on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium.
Then his grasp loosened and, poof, it was gone. The nightmares he had weeks before turned into reality in front of more than 71,000 fans and on national TV as a wide-open Sokol dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone during Michigan State's 35-10 season-opening win against Bowling Green.