Michigan State didn’t exactly cruise through the first half, but the Spartans found their footing after the break and turned Saturday afternoon into a 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan in East Lansing.
That puts MSU at 2-0, with both victories coming against MAC opponents. The next stop is a date with Notre Dame in South Bend, and after two weeks of uneven stretches, the Spartans still have some cleaning up to do before that one.
The best stretch for Michigan State may have come in the third quarter. That was a sharp contrast from Week 1 against Toledo, when the third quarter was the team’s roughest. Against Eastern Michigan, the Spartans came out of halftime and answered a little bit of tension after EMU closed the first half by marching down the field and cutting it to a one-score game.
Michigan State got the ball to start the third and drove 75 yards to push the margin back to 14. Then the defense, with Charles Brantley forcing a fumble, gave the offense another crack. Three plays later, MSU had another touchdown and a 28-7 lead that effectively put the game away.
Still, the trench play wasn’t what you’d expect from a Big Ten team facing a MAC opponent. Michigan State’s offensive and defensive lines didn’t look like they had a clear edge, and that showed in the numbers early. Leaving sacks out of it, Eastern Michigan averaged 6.8 yards per carry in the first half, while MSU managed just 4.4 yards per rush.
The game did improve for the Spartans late, but it shouldn’t take three quarters to establish control in a matchup like this. That concern was easy to wave off after Week 1.
Two games in a row makes it harder to ignore, especially with No. 3 Notre Dame next.
The Fighting Irish were busy handling Rice while Michigan State was still dealing with Eastern Michigan.
There was at least one encouraging sign on offense in the first half: touchdowns, not field goals. That mattered after Week 1, when stalled drives and three-point finishes helped Toledo hang around and even grab the lead in the fourth quarter.
MSU opened with a three-and-out, but the next two possessions ended in the end zone. The first came after Chrishon McCray’s strong punt return set the Spartans up at Eastern Michigan’s 24-yard line, and Alessio Milivojevic hit Fredrick Moore for a 16-yard touchdown.
The next drive was a grind, covering 80 yards in 16 plays and 7:19. Michigan State converted a fourth-and-11 along the way, and Cam Edwards finished it off with a one-yard touchdown run.
In Other News...
Michigan State Faces An Early Confidence Test Before Notre Dame
Michigan State gets a quick chance to steady things at home in its second game of the season, with Eastern Michigan coming to East Lansing on Saturday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on the Big Ten Network. The Spartans opened with a 30-20 win over Toledo, a result that gave them a baseline to build on as they start stacking games before the schedule gets more demanding.
Eastern Michigan arrives at 1-1 after a loss to San Jose State, and the matchup gives Michigan State a useful early read on where it stands heading toward a bigger test against Notre Dame. Spartans Wires staff has already leaned toward a Michigan State win, but this one is less about outside picks than whether the Spartans can show the kind of consistency that makes an early-season confidence boost mean something. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Has One Chance To Silence A Familiar Letdown Fear
Michigan State heads into its matchup with Eastern Michigan carrying a very familiar kind of pressure, the sort that comes with being expected to handle business and looking for a cleaner night than some recent uneasy moments have offered. The conversation around the game has centered on Alessio Milivojevic settling in at quarterback, the staffs approach to keeping the offense steady, and how the Spartans can avoid letting a supposedly manageable opponent linger into the kind of game that creates noise.
Four Detroit News writers all see Michigan State winning, though with different ideas about how comfortable it might look by the final whistle. Eastern Michigan brings a familiar face in quarterback Noah Kim and enough coaching familiarity to make this more than a throwaway September stop, which is part of why the Spartans cannot afford the kind of flat start that fuels old doubts. A decisive performance would quiet some of that letdown fear, even if the larger questions around consistency remain waiting for another week. [Read more 🡒]
Spartans Showed Fight In First Loss But A Bigger Issue Emerged
Michigan States mens soccer team ran into its first setback of the season Friday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to Kansas City at Durwood Soccer Stadium. The Spartans never found the early footing theyd enjoyed in their unbeaten start, as Kansas City controlled the opening stretch and kept Michigan State chasing for much of the match.
Still, the Spartans did get a second-half response, with Luke Spadafora putting them on the board after Oscar Huerta picked up his second assist of the season. The fight was there, but the larger concern was how quickly Michigan State had to play from behind, and that leaves a familiar test ahead when Northwestern comes to East Lansing next. [Read more 🡒]