Michigan State left Madison with a loss, but there were still a few individual performances worth noting from the Spartans’ 56th meeting with Wisconsin.
The game marked the first matchup between the two teams since 2022 and their first trip to Madison against each other since 2019. Michigan State still owns the overall edge in the series, 31-25, though Wisconsin now holds a 15-14 advantage in games played in Madison.
On offense, redshirt sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic went 15-of-32 for 103 yards. Both completions and passing yards were season lows, while the 32 attempts were his second-most of the year, trailing only his 34 throws in the season opener against Toledo on Sept. 4.
The Spartans got a boost from the backfield with graduate running back Jaziun Patterson making his first start of the season and his first as a Spartan. It was the third start of his college career, after one start each in 2023 and 2025 while at Iowa.
Patterson carried 18 times for 62 yards, setting new season highs for the second straight week after he posted 16 carries for 54 yards against Nebraska. The 18 rushing attempts matched his collegiate high, set against Minnesota on Sept. 21, 2024, during his Iowa days.
Sophomore running back Marvis Parrish also turned in a season-best workload, finishing with 11 carries for 36 yards. That was just one shy of his career high of 12 carries, which he reached three times last season at Western Kentucky.
Through the air, redshirt freshman tight end Jayden Savoury tied his career high with four catches, doing it for the third time in five games this season. He also matched teammate redshirt junior wide receiver Fredrick Moore for the team lead in receptions.
Savoury finished with a team-high 26 receiving yards, and one of his four catches moved the chains. Moore also had four receptions, good for 23 yards, and his four-catch day tied his career high for the second straight game after he reached that mark last week against Nebraska.
Defensively, senior linebacker Dion Crawford led Michigan State with a season-best eight tackles. It was the third time in four games played this season that he reached at least five stops, and he topped his previous high of seven tackles against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 12.
Redshirt junior safety Devin Vaught added seven tackles, finishing second on the defense in that category. It was the fourth time in five games this season that he has ranked among the top two tacklers for the Spartans.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Eli Coenen continued to flash in the backfield, recording at least 1.0 tackle for loss for the third time in five games this season and for the fourth time in his last six games played dating back to last year. He now has 4.0 tackles for loss this season and 11.0 for his career. Coenen also broke up a pass, giving him two pass break-ups on the year, with the other coming in the season opener against Toledo.
Senior edge Kenny Soares Jr. added three tackles, including 1.0 tackle for loss and one pass break-up. He now has 2.5 tackles for loss and two pass break-ups this season.
Special teams delivered one of the day’s louder moments when junior punter Rhys Dakin drilled a 62-yard punt in the second quarter. It was his longest of the season and his first punt of 60 yards or more this year, while also standing as the second-longest of his career behind a 65-yarder last season at Iowa. Dakin now has four career punts of 60-plus yards and 34 punts of 50-plus yards in his career.
He finished the game with four punts averaging 54.5 yards per kick, and every one of them traveled at least 49 yards. Three of the four were 50-yard punts or better, including the 62-yarder in the second quarter, a 51-yarder and a 56-yarder in the third, before a 49-yarder in the fourth.
Graduate placekicker Liam Boyd converted his only field-goal attempt, hitting from 31 yards late in the second quarter. He has now made at least one field goal in four of Michigan State’s five games this season and is 9-of-11 overall, with both misses coming on blocked attempts from 50-plus yards.
In Other News...
Michigan State Volleyball Is Getting National Attention For A Big Reason
Michigan State volleyball is back in the national conversation, and Malayah Long is a big reason why. The redshirt sophomore setter was named Big Ten Setter of the Week for the first time after helping power a 2-0 conference weekend, capped by a career-best 65 assists against USC.
The recognition comes at a time when the Spartans are starting to draw wider attention again, with Michigan State checking in at No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches Poll for its first national ranking since 2018. For a program looking to reestablish itself among the Big Tens top groups, Longs rise gives the Spartans another sign that this start may be worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Is Getting The Kind Of Preseason Respect Fans Crave
The preseason buzz around Michigan State is starting to sound like the kind of respect Spartan fans have been waiting to hear. In a poll of 28 media members conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, Tom Izzos team was picked to finish second in the Big Ten for the 2026-27 college basketball season, a sign that the league expects the Spartans to be right in the mix again after bringing back key pieces and adding to the roster.
Jeremy Fears Jr. was also a major presence in the voting, earning Preseason Player of the Year honors and standing alone as the only unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection. With Coen Carr back and Anton Bonke arriving from the transfer portal, Michigan State has the kind of returning talent and fresh help that can fuel a serious run, even if the real test will come once the games start and the conference race begins to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Already Looks Like A Real Big Ten Problem For MSU
Michigans backcourt is already looking like one of the early storylines in the Big Ten, and that matters plenty for Michigan State. Elliot Cadeau, a senior point guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and Trey McKenney, a sophomore coming off All-Freshman Team honors, were both picked for the 2026-27 Preseason All-Big Ten Team, giving the Wolverines a pair of recognized pieces before the league even tips off.
For Michigan, the nods add to a program history that now includes 26 players earning preseason All-Big Ten recognition, and it is one of only three conference teams with multiple selections this time around. For the Spartans, it is another reminder that the race at the top of the league is shaping up to be crowded, with Michigan already carrying the kind of preseason credibility that can make head-to-head meetings feel even bigger. [Read more 🡒]