The story was finished and pasted into the body of an e-mail to be sent to the Free Press sports desk, where it would be edited for the statewide edition of the paper and immediate online posting.
A Michigan punt was about to happen, and it would be followed by a final desperation play from Michigan State, a quick punch of the “send” button, then a sprint around Michigan Stadium to the MSU postgame news conference on the other side.
Coach Mark Dantonio and his players would talk about losing to U-M for the first time since 2012, and about Big Ten and national championship hopes in peril.