The 1925 Michigan State Spartans football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented

Michigan State College Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

as an independent during the

1925 college football season The 1925 college football season ended with no clear national champion. At the close of the season, noted sports writer Billy Evans described the championship contest as "a dead heat" among Dartmouth, Tulane, Michigan, Washington, and Alabama. ...

. In its third year under head coach Ralph H. Young, the team compiled a 3–5 record and was outscored by a total of 106 to 105.

Schedule

Game summaries

Michigan

On October 3, 1925, the Spartans lost to Michigan by a 39 to 0 score before a crowd of 30,000 persons for a

Ferry Field Ferry Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It opened in 1906 and was home to the Michigan Wolverines football team prior to the opening of Michigan Stadium in 1927. It had a capacity of 46,000. It is currently used as a tai ...

record. The game was the 20th meeting in the

Michigan – Michigan State football rivalry Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Michigan had won nine straight games, eight by shutouts, dating back to 1916. Michigan scored twice in the first quarter. The first touchdown came on a 65-yard run by

Benny Friedman Benjamin Friedman (March 18, 1905 – November 24, 1982) was an American football player and coach, and athletic administrator. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Friedman played college football as a halfback and quarterback for the University of ...

. Later in the quarter, Friedman completed a pass to

Charles Grube Charles William Grube (June 11, 1904 – January 21, 1976) was an American football player. Grube was born in 1904 in Saginaw, Michigan, attended Arthur Hill High School in that city. He then enrolled at the University of Michigan where he play ...

for a 20-yard gain and then completed another pass to Bruce Gregory for a 30-yard gain and a touchdown. After a scoreless second quarter, Michigan led 13–0 at halftime. In the third quarter, Michigan scored three touchdowns. The first came on a pass from sophomore halfback

Louis Gilbert Louis Matthew Gilbert (September 15, 1906 – May 9, 1987) was an American football player. He played at the halfback position for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1925 to 1927. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Confer ...

to fellow sophomore

Bennie Oosterbaan Benjamin Oosterbaan ( ; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team, and an All-Big Ten C ...

for a 40-yard gain and a touchdown. On the next drive, George Babcock ran 68 yards for a touchdown after "scooping up a fumble on the dead run."The account of the game in the ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' indicates that Babcock's touchdown came on a 40-yard interception return. Gilbert kicked the extra point, and Michigan led, 27–0. Later in the quarter, Friedman intercepted a pass and then completed a pass to Oosterbaan for a 24-yard gain and a touchdown. ''The New York Times'' noted that Oosterbaan "sparkled in his play" and that both of his touchdowns came on "clever catches and smart running." Gilbert kicked two extra points, and Frederic Fuller kicked one.

References

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

Michigan State Spartans football seasons

Michigan State Spartans football The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a ...

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