Most of those fears involved his team's level of readiness and desire against the Warriors, who needed a win to get into the postseason.

The Spartans actually came out ready to play, using a versatile attack to break out to a 21-0 lead. But the Warriors woke up after a slow start and kept punching away. They proved resilient enough to beat a bigger, stronger Big Ten team for the second week in a row. They defeated the Spartans 41-38 a week after beating Northwestern.

Michigan State took a 28-14 lead at halftime, but Hawaii outscored the Spartans 27-10 in the final 30 minutes. Michigan State simply had no answers for QB Timmy Chang and WR Chad Owens.

Chang went without an interception while completing 29 of 49 passes for 416 yards. He threw four TD passes, all of them to Owens.

Owens caught 13 passes for 283 yards, 2 yards off the school record set by Ashley Lelie.

Those two offset a great performance by Spartan RB DeAndra Cobb, who carried 16 times for 128 yards and also had three kick returns for 110 yards.

The speed and precision of the Hawaii passing attack ultimately took its toll on the Michigan State secondary. By the early part of the fourth quarter, the Spartans were having a tough time catching their breath.

The loss kept Michigan State (5-7) from finishing with a .500 record.

GAME OF THE YEAR: Michigan State 49, Wisconsin 14 -- The Spartans knocked the Badgers from the ranks of the unbeaten with an incredible explosion by the running game. Michigan State ran for 430 yards against a defense that had been the No. 1 scoring unit in the country prior to that game. That's the game that John L. Smith will try to build on.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Drew Stanton -- Though he was hampered by injuries, Stanton played like a superstar when he was healthy. Stanton completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards and also ran for 611 yards and five touchdowns. He is one of the most versatile QBs in the Big Ten.

RAPID REVIEW: It was an agonizing season for Smith because there were so many ups and downs. After losing to Rutgers in the opener (ugh!), the Spartans started to play a bit better and brought a 4-3 record into their annual lovefest with Michigan. The Spartans raced out to a big lead, but ultimately fell 45-37 in overtime. A bounce-back win over Wisconsin (following another loss to Ohio State) highlighted the year, but Michigan State fell out of bowl contention when they lost their Big Ten finale at Penn State.

FAST FORWARD: Smith probably doesn't want to talk about it, but the groundwork is in place for the Spartans to have a remarkable offense -- particularly on the ground. While they lose explosive RB DeAndra Cobb to graduation, RBs Jehuu Caulcrick and Jason Teague return next season, as does Stanton. The Spartans may have one of the best running attacks in the conference, if not the country.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have to go out as losers. We want to become winners, but we are not there yet." -- John L. Smith on the 41-38 loss to Hawaii in the season finale. The Spartans were flagged for 16 penalties in the loss.

RB Jehuu Caulcrick -- After a very productive freshman season -- he ran for 619 yards, five TDs and averaged 5.5 yards per carry -- Caulcrick should be ready for more in 2005. He has power between the tackles and has good explosion to take the ball into the secondary.

ROSTER REPORT: Backup QB Stephen Reaves is considering his options for next season. The redshirt sophomore could decide to transfer, because he's likely to sit behind Drew Stanton next year.