EAST LANSING - Michigan State spent most of Saturday playing like a team with enough fight left to matter.
That didn’t make the ending any easier to swallow.
Northwestern left with a 24-21 win, getting a 34-yard field goal through with 2 seconds left after the Spartans had been in position to take the lead themselves. MSU’s Liam Boyd lined up for a 33-yard try that would have put the Spartans in front 24-21, but Northwestern blocked it and then drove the field to finish the job.
The Spartans can point to plenty of reason to believe this one should have gone their way. They were better for more than 58 minutes, and they did it while dealing with a pile of injuries.
Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic showed poise and toughness, including a 53-yard touchdown strike that put MSU ahead 21-13 in the fourth quarter. He also left a couple deep throws on the field that could have created more separation, and that part of his game still has work to do.
The defense carried its weight for most of the day, too, before finally cracking late. Against former Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles and Chip Kelly’s offense, Michigan State generated five sacks and steady pressure, much of it with a four-man rush. Defensive tackle Ben Roberts was everywhere, finishing with eight tackles, three for loss and two sacks.
The Spartans made Northwestern’s Wing-T offense look out of date for long stretches. Young corners and backup linebackers were thrown into bigger roles and handled themselves well. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi seemed to have a clear feel for what bothered his former quarterback, and for most of the afternoon, the plan worked.
Then came the final drive.
Pat Fitzgerald kept it conservative, calling five running plays on the decisive possession, and one of them was hindered by an illegal snap by the center. Fitzgerald said the final running play on third down was his decision. “That’s on me,” he said, though it didn’t sound like he was carrying much regret.
That approach gave Michigan State a chance to force the issue at the end. Trent Fraley’s penalty turned third-and-7 into third-and-12, but it didn’t affect the clock. Either way, Northwestern had plenty of time after the blocked kick, and it moved the ball down the field with confidence.
For MSU, the loss also underscored how much the kicking game has meant this season - and how badly one miss can swing everything. Boyd had been 9-for-11 on field goals, including a perfect 8-for-8 inside 50 yards, before Saturday’s block. Rhys Dakin entered the game leading the FBS at 51.6 yards per punt, and he kept showing why with a 58-yard boot in the fourth quarter that turned the field.
But special teams cut both ways all night, and Michigan State got major help in other spots.
Kenneth Williams sparked the first touchdown drive with a 44-yard kickoff return to midfield. Eli Coenen later got a hand on a Northwestern field goal attempt in the second quarter after the Wildcats had settled for a 41-yarder following a dropped touchdown pass. Early in the fourth, Chrishon McCray ripped off a 41-yard punt return, setting up the offense in ideal territory and two plays later helping turn a short field into Milivojevic’s 53-yard touchdown to McCray.
Then, with 3:29 left, Northwestern tried a fake punt that never had a chance. Redshirt freshman linebacker DeJae White was there to smother it, and Trey Lisle helped force the issue by pressuring tight end Alex Honig as he tried to make the pass.
Two minutes later, Boyd lined up for the field goal that would have given MSU the lead. It was blocked.
Five plays stood out in the balance of this game. McCray’s return.
Williams’ return. Coenen’s block.
Lisle’s pressure. White’s stop on the fake punt.
Michigan State had enough of those moments to win. It just didn’t finish the one that mattered most.
The bigger question now is whether this performance can carry over, instead of becoming another painful what-if. The Spartans head to the Rose Bowl next week to face UCLA, hoping to bring the same edge for 60 minutes instead of 58.
After the loss at Wisconsin, a 2-5 record looked predictable. Saturday made that record look a little misleading. If MSU keeps playing like this, wins should come eventually.
It just won’t feel that way right now.
In Other News...
Michigan State Still Has One Frustrating Problem It Cannot Escape
Michigan States latest outing offered a little bit of everything the Spartans have been trying to build around, from encouraging snaps by Jaziun Patterson and Ben Roberts to a defense that kept competing despite being down several starters. There were signs of fight on both sides of the ball, and for stretches the group looked capable of hanging around even while dealing with the kind of roster strain that has been part of the seasons backdrop.
Still, the same frustrating issues kept surfacing. Penalties wiped away momentum, missed chances on special teams mattered, and Alessios struggles only added to the sense that too many small mistakes are stacking up on a program already searching for stability. The effort was there, but Michigan State keeps running into the same problems at the worst possible moments, and until those cleaner details show up, the broader picture remains tough to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces A Brutal Test In Its West Coast Trip
Michigan States trip to the Rose Bowl brings one of the tougher assignments on its schedule, with a late afternoon kickoff in Pasadena set for about 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. It will be the eighth meeting between the Spartans and UCLA, and only their second as Big Ten opponents, adding a little more conference flavor to a matchup that has been spaced out over the years.
The timing alone makes this a tricky spot for a Michigan State team sitting at 2-5 under Pat Fitzgerald, especially against a UCLA group that has opened 6-0 in Bob Chesneys first season. For the Spartans, the challenge is obvious: try to steady things on a difficult West Coast stage against a Bruins team that has done nothing but win so far. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Showed Real Progress But One Problem Still Haunts Them
Michigan States trip to Northwestern offered a little of everything Graham Couch has come to look for when grading a performance: signs of progress, stretches of control and enough slippage to keep the review from feeling overly rosy. The offense moved better through the air and on the ground, the defense made life difficult for Northwestern and special teams even supplied some big moments, giving the Spartans a case that the operation is getting cleaner on multiple fronts.
Still, the lingering issue is the one that tends to decide close Big Ten games. Michigan State gave the ball away, left some chances on the field and eventually had a late special teams breakdown that overshadowed much of the good work that came before it. Even with the coaching staff drawing credit for its adjustments and overall plan, there were late-game decisions that invited second-guessing, which is what makes this one feel like progress with a stubborn reminder attached. [Read more 🡒]