No. 1 Is Lost After Going for Two : Big Ten: Michigan State hangs on, 28-27, when Michigan’s two-point conversion try fails.

Michigan saw its No. 1 ranking and Big Ten lead slip away as easily as did the two-point conversion pass that slid out of Desmond Howard’s arms.

John Langeloh’s conversion kick after an eight-yard touchdown run by Tico Duckett was the difference in Michigan State’s 28-27 upset of the top-ranked Wolverines, who lost a bid for victory when a two-point conversion failed with six seconds remaining Saturday.

“I’m very disappointed,” Michigan Coach Gary Moeller said. “We wanted to win the ballgame. I called the kids over and explained the ramifications and they wanted to do the same.”

Trailing 28-21, the Wolverines, behind the passing of Elvis Grbac, drove 70 yards in 13 plays. Grbac hit Derrick Alexander with a seven-yard touchdown pass to pull Michigan within one point with six seconds left.

On the conversion attempt, Grbac lofted a soft pass to Desmond Howard in the back the end zone. TV replays showed Howard was hit by Michigan State defender Eddie Brown before the pass arrived, but no interference call was made. Despite the contact, Howard was open and appeared to have the ball in his grasp as he landed in the end zone. The ball rolled away and the pass was ruled incomplete.

“Once he got inside me, I gave him a little push and he stumbled,” Brown said. “He pushed me first and I pushed him second, but I thought they’d see the second one.

“If there was interference, I thought it would have been defensive. I looked for a flag and when I didn’t get it, I ran off the field.”

Referee John Nealon said the covering officials just didn’t see it as an interference situation.

“The question is, basically, when Howard had the ball, did he have possession when he hit the ground,” Nealon said. “In order to have possession, you must be able to do one of three things: run with it, throw it or kick it. He could not have run with it.”

Howard had brought Michigan back from a 21-14 deficit by returning a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 remaining.

“I felt as if I caught the ball,” Howard said. “As I looked up after the ball popped out, the first thing I saw was the officials’ face and I was looking for him to raise his arms for a touchdown, but he never did.

“After the play I was looking for a flag but there wasn’t one and I couldn’t believe it.”

Michigan State Coach George Perles said he didn’t have a good enough view of the play to comment. But he applauded Moeller’s decision to go for it.

“My heart was in my throat a dozen times today and the biggest was on that two-point play,” Perles said. “You can all go out and do what you want to do, but nobody will have as good a time as me tonight. Yes, I’m happy.”

Moeller was trying to do what no other Michigan coach has done since Bennie Oosterbaan in 1948--beat Michigan State in his first try.

“It was a play we had practiced for six to eight weeks,” Moeller said. “You run it and execute it to perfection and something like that happens. If I knew they (officials) were going to do something like that to us, I would have gone for one point.”

Michigan recovered an onside kick but Grbac’s last-ditch pass was intercepted at the two.

It was the first time Michigan, 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, had been ranked No. 1 since the 1989 preseason poll--when the Wolverines lost to Notre Dame, 24-19, in the first game.

It was the second game this season against a No. 1 team for the Spartans (2-2-1, 1-1) who lost a 20-19 thriller to Notre Dame in their second game.

Alexander also caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Grbac and Jarrod Bunch had a one-yard touchdown run for Michigan, playing before 106,188 fans.

Grbac completed 17 of 32 passes for 213 yards with two interceptions. MSU’s Dan Enos hit 13 of 21 for 143 yards with one interception.

Michigan’s Jon Vaughn, the nation’s leading rusher with a 168-yard average, finished with 162 yards, 126 in the first half.