Michigan State’s season opener had the usual mixture of promise and stress, but the Spartans finished the night with a 30-20 win over Toledo and a 1-0 start under Coach Fitzgerald.
The first quarter gave MSU exactly what it wanted. Toledo went nowhere on its opening possession, going three-and-out, and the Spartans answered with a 13-play drive that leaned heavily on Cam Edwards. Eight of those snaps were runs by Edwards, and the series ended with him scoring on a direct Wildcat run for a 7-0 lead.
Michigan State had a chance to stretch it from there. Alessio Milivojevic nearly connected with Rodney Bullard Jr on a corner route in the end zone on the next drive, a throw that would have pushed the Spartans ahead by two scores. Instead, Liam Boyd kept the points coming with back-to-back field goals, and MSU moved in front 13-0 early in the second quarter.
Toledo finally answered with a shot play. John Alan Richter hit Adjatay Dibbs on a 60-yard touchdown after Charles Brantley bit on the double-move, cutting the margin to 13-7.
Michigan State still carried a 19-7 lead into halftime after Boyd added two more field goals. Even with the scoreboard in control, the red zone offense was not clean, though Milivojevic had a sharp half, going 14-of-17 and spreading the ball to four different receivers with three catches each.
Edwards also made his mark with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The second half brought more trouble for the Spartan defense. Richter found Dabbs again for a touchdown after Boyd’s fifth field goal attempt was blocked, and Toledo kept the pressure on when Michigan State came up empty on a 4th-and-1. The call, a direct snap to Edwards in the Wildcat, didn’t work, and the Rockets turned that opening into a 71-yard Connor Walendzak run that put Toledo ahead 20-19 early in the fourth quarter.
That was the moment Michigan State finally steadied itself. Milivojevic answered with a five-yard touchdown pass to Bullard in the corner of the end zone on 4th-and-goal, then Bullard hauled in the two-point conversion to make it 27-20.
Toledo had one last chance to tighten things up, but its field goal try with eight minutes left hooked well left. MSU then added a fifth Boyd field goal with under two minutes remaining to stretch the lead to 10, and the defense finished the job on Toledo’s final drive.
Milivojevic, Edwards, Bullard Jr. and Boyd carried the Spartans on the night. The pass defense gave up too many explosive plays, and the defense as a whole had its issues. Even so, Michigan State found a way to recover after losing the lead in the third quarter and close it out.
The win came with plenty to clean up, especially in the red zone, where field goals kept piling up instead of touchdowns. Still, Toledo is a top-three team in the MAC, and Michigan State handled the pushback well enough to leave with a victory. Next up is Eastern Michigan next Saturday.
In Other News...
Rodney Bullard's Michigan State Debut Raised One Big Question
Rodney Bullards path to Michigan State took a strange turn before he ever caught a pass for the Spartans, when a clerical error tied to his academic credits initially left him ineligible. The issue was reversed by the NCAA before a scheduled court appearance, and once Bullard finally got on the field in the season opener, he made the most of the moment with seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Even with a few drops mixed in, Bullard showed why Michigan State wanted him involved so quickly, because his touchdown and two-point conversion helped build a late lead. The debut also did something else: it raised the obvious question of how much more there is in his game once he and the offense settle in, especially after he already topped his previous season totals in one afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Marsh Just Reopened A Painful Michigan State Conversation
Nick Marshs move from Michigan State to Indiana was already the kind of transfer that lingers in East Lansing, and his debut made it sting a little more. After leaving the Spartans in January 2026, the highly ranked recruit stepped into his first game with Indiana and immediately looked like a natural fit in the new offense, giving the Hoosiers an early jolt against North Texas.
For Michigan State fans, the uncomfortable part is less about one play than what it says about what Marsh brought with him out the door. He spent two seasons in green and white as one of the programs most productive receivers, and his departure reopened a familiar conversation about talent, retention and what the Spartans lost before he ever got a chance to fully define his college career. [Read more 🡒]
Alessio Milivojevic Gave Michigan State A Reason To Believe Again
Alessio Milivojevics first start at quarterback gave Michigan State something it badly needed in its 2027 season opener against Toledo: a steady hand. Working within a conservative game plan, he handled the job efficiently, showed good poise and decision-making, and helped move the offense with enough consistency to keep the Spartans on track for a season-opening win.
He finished by distributing the ball around and making life manageable for a team that still had some issues turning red zone chances into touchdowns. Even so, the performance mattered for a program looking for proof that the position could be stable again, and Milivojevic gave the Spartans a reason to think the answer might already be in-house. [Read more 🡒]