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Michigan State puts No. 16 Illinois on upset alert with big 3rd-quarter push

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Michigan State has No. 16 on the ropes in Champaign. Now, we’ll see if the Spartans can finish off the upset in the 4th quarter of action.

Coming out of Week 9, Michigan State was a mess. Dealing with a blowout loss and an ugly melee, the Spartans regrouped for the road trip.

Heading into halftime, the Spartans were clinging to a 9-7 lead. As the third quarter came to an end, Michigan State had built that lead up to 23-7 with a strong 3rd quarter.

The start to the 3rd-quarter scoring came on a short touchdown run from Jarek Broussard. After a botched punt gave the Spartans a short field, Mel Tucker’s squad was quick to capitalize.

On the ensuing drive, Michigan State forced a quick 4th down situation against the Illinois offense. Bret Bielema’s squad went for it, but a fumble ended that play before it even got going with a turnover to the Spartans.

Facing another short field, Michigan State capitalized with Payton Thorne finding a wide-open Jayden Reed on a fade near the goal line.

Illinois has already cut into the deficit to make it 23-15 just seconds into the 4th quarter. We’ll see which team is able to finish off a win down the stretch.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.