Rapid Reaction: Michigan State outlasts Western Michigan as defense dominates

Michigan State picked up a solid win to start its season. Western Michigan isn’t a Big Ten opponent, but the Broncos went to a bowl game and won 5 games in the MAC last season. For the Spartans, it’s a Week 1 victory to build upon moving forward.

This won’t be the most memorable win of Jonathan Smith’s tenure. Michigan State looked to be cruising, taking a 21-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. The defense kept playing strong in the 2nd half, but the offense ground to a halt.

The Broncos made things interesting late. MSU’s Alessio Milivojevic threw a pass that Western Michigan returned for a pick-6, its first points of the game with 2:51 to go in the 4th quarter. The Broncos then recovered the onside kick, but there was no rally to be had for a Western Michigan squad hoping to pull of some late magic.

Michigan State’s defense can claim a shutout, as Western Michigan’s 6 points came on the pick-6. The Spartan D was also responsible for MSU’s only 2 points of the half with a 3rd-quarter safety.

Michigan State 23, Western Michigan 6

Here’s the Michigan State-Western Michigan box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:

Aidan Chiles vs Broc Lowry & Brady Jones

A statistical breakdown of how Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles outperformed Western Michigan counterparts Broc Lowry and Brady Jones. (The dropdown menu allows you to compare other position, too):

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.