Michigan State fans haven’t forgotten Jabrill Peppers embarrassing the Spartans in Michigan’s 32-23 victory in 2016. And apparently, one Michigan fan knew exactly how to get under their skin. As the Spartans struggled against Northwestern at Spartan Stadium, a fan showed up wearing a Peppers jersey.
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But the real drama started when state police approached him mid-game.
A video shared on X showed state police escorting a fan wearing a Jabrill Peppers jersey out of Spartan Stadium as the crowd erupted. “Hilarious: A Michigan fan in a Jabrill Peppers jersey had Michigan State Police come talk to him mid-game. The whole section saw it. Classic 😭,” the user captioned the video. The fan appeared to be holding a drink, but whether it played any role in his removal remains unclear.
For those who forgot, Jabrill Peppers made Michigan State look helpless in 2016. He lined up at 10 different positions, recorded seven tackles, a sack, and a rushing touchdown. He also made two crucial fourth-down stops before returning a botched two-point conversion for two points. Talk about adding insult to injury. The defeat extended the Spartans’ losing streak to six games while ending Michigan’s three-game skid against its bitter rivals.
It was more than just a rivalry win; it was Peppers putting Michigan State on notice, proving he could hurt them from virtually anywhere on the field.
According to ESPN, he logged 42 snaps at linebacker, 12 at cornerback, nine in the slot, and six as a wildcat quarterback. He also lined up at safety, H-back, and receiver, handled kick and punt returns, and featured on the field-goal block unit.
“I love the hostile environment,” he said after No. 2 Michigan’s 32-23 win over Michigan State. “They say things to me in the crowd, and I feed off that. I block it out and, sometimes, I listen to what they’re saying. Sometimes funny stuff, some not-so-funny stuff. But I try to silence all that by the way I play, with my effort.”
Jabrill Peppers certainly knew how to get under Michigan State fans’ skin that day, especially after embarrassing the Spartans at their own home stadium. Fast-forward ten years, and a fan showed up wearing his jersey at that very same venue. Suddenly, the reaction makes a lot more sense. After all, would Michigan State fans really have wanted to see someone flaunting a Peppers jersey while Northwestern was giving their team a hard time? Well, of course not.
Speaking of Michigan State, the Spartans have plenty to reflect on after suffering a crushing 24-21 defeat to No. 25 Northwestern at Spartan Stadium on Saturday. The loss dropped Michigan State to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play, while Northwestern improved to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in conference action.
Following a failed Northwestern fake punt in the fourth quarter, Michigan State took over at the Wildcats’ 28-yard line with a golden opportunity to steal the win. Instead, Brendan Flakes blocked the Spartans’ potential go-ahead field goal. Northwestern then drove downfield, and Jackson Kleather drilled a 34-yard winner in the final five seconds, handing Michigan State its fifth consecutive defeat.
“Obviously a disappointing loss when we had every opportunity to win that football game,” coach Pat Fitzgerald said after losing to his alma mater. “When we’re going to look back and watch the tape tomorrow, you’re going to see missed opportunities left out there in all three phases.”
This was the second straight week Michigan State suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds. The Spartans had previously erased a 17-point deficit against Illinois to force overtime, only to fall 38-37 after failing to convert a two-point attempt.
Saturday’s defeat could hurt even more, though, as Michigan State squandered an eight-point fourth-quarter lead and missed a golden opportunity to close out the game.
“Two weeks in a row now we’ve ended up on the short end of games,” Fitzgerald said, “and we’ve got to coach better to be able to get over the hump to win those games.”
Although Michigan State’s playoff hopes are all but over, the Spartans can still hold their heads high. They battled a ranked opponent despite being severely short-handed, showing resilience and determination against Northwestern, the former team of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.