Michigan State returned home in Week 3, taking on Prairie View A&M with a chance to reach 3-0 under new head coach Jonathan Smith. The game was not expected to be a close one, and the Spartans made sure to not produce any let up after last week’s thriller vs. Maryland.

Michigan State raced out to a 14-point lead by the end of the 1st quarter and would score 27 total points at halftime to put the game well out of reach. It was a complete performance against an overmatched opponent with MSU pulling its starters early in the 2nd half.

Here are the key takeaways as the Spartans continue a solid start to the season:

Encouraging outing from Aidan Chiles

Interceptions have been a major concern for Aidan Chiles to open the season, even with his electric arm leading the offense. The good news is he avoided the negative play against PVAMU, even though he had one miscue overturned via penalty.

As the final box score stands, Chiles went 12-for-19 throwing the ball for 173 yards and a touchdown without an interception. Chiles also added an early rushing touchdown to his tally.

There is no overstating the importance of Chiles to the Spartans, especially after the struggles for MSU at quarterback a season ago. Barring any injury, Chiles has cemented his status as the leader of the offense, and he has a chance to change games on a weekly basis for the Spartans.

Charles Brantley delivers backbreaking pick-6

Michigan State only came out of the game with 1 takeaway, though an earlier interception was wiped out by a roughing the passer penalty. However, Charles Brantley secured an interception deep in his own end zone and was able to turn that interception into points with an electric 100-yard pick-6.

Even if the defense did not secure more takeaways, the unit more than did enough in shutting down the Panthers. PVAMU finished the game with less than 200 yards of offense as the Spartans thoroughly rolled in Week 3.

Bowl game outlook in store?

Considering the challenges of last season, reaching 6 wins and a bowl game was not a guarantee for Smith’s first season in East Lansing. There is still no guarantee, but Michigan State has already reached 3 wins, and the win over Maryland a week ago especially stands out.

Next week’s game against Boston College also stands out as a key one with the Eagles ranked in the latest AP Poll before falling to Mizzou in a great matchup on Saturday. The Spartans would love to steal one on the road before a 4-game stretch of games against Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa and Michigan.

If Michigan State can beat the Eagles in Week 4, that would mean the Spartans need just 2 wins in a November schedule of Indiana, Illinois, Purdue and Rutgers. And that’s assuming the Spartans go winless against the 4 aforementioned tough matchups.

Don’t book a bowl game just yet, but it will feel like a true possibility with a win over Boston College next weekend.