EAST LANSING, Mich. — For the second straight week, Michigan State football entered the final minute of the fourth quarter tied with their opponent, this time facing No. 25 Northwestern.
The Spartans failed a field goal attempt before the final minute, giving the Wildcats enough time to march down the field and kick one of their own, defeating MSU 24-21.
“Disappointing loss when we had every opportunity to win that football game,” Fitzgerald said. “Credit to Northwestern. They made the plays that needed to be made down the stretch to find a way to get the win.”
The Spartans executed offense with their passing game, a performance that differs from their reliance on rushing in previous contests. MSU finished with 20 passes in the first half compared to just 17 rushing attempts.
The Spartans dropped to 2-5 (0-4 B1G) overall and coach Pat Fitzgerald is now 0-1 against Northwestern after his 17 seasons as its head coach. Quarterback Aidan Chiles went 18-27 and rushed for one touchdown in his return to East Lansing, after transferring in the offseason.
The Spartans entered the day with a depleted roster, especially in the secondary. Veterans such as senior linebacker Jordan Hall, graduate cornerback Tre Bell and graduate linebacker Caleb Wheatland all missed the game.
Despite the depth issues, MSU’s defense started the game hot, holding Northwestern to a three-and-out after freshman cornerback Jeremiah Favorite forced an incompletion. Fitzgerald said Favorite has earned his role with time.
“He’ll learn a ton from today, just like everybody will,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re really proud of him stepping up along with a lot of the other guys.”
After giving up a field goal on the Wildcats’ second drive, the Spartan offense woke up with a 44-yard kickoff return from junior running back Kenneth Williams, setting MSU up in Northwestern territory.
Sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was also more decisive in his decision making and opted to run the ball more.
On a 4th-and-1 from the Northwestern 3-yard line, Milivojevic scrambled out of the pocket and found a gap to scamper into the endzone, putting MSU up 7-3, heading into the second quarter.
“The O-line kept me very clean today,” Milivojevic said. “When they drop back eight, seven guys back and it’s zone coverage, I think the run lanes open up and just being decisive is exactly what you have to do.”
While Milivojevic ran the ball more, so did the Wildcats. Northwestern had five rushes to open the second quarter, capping off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run from running back Caleb Komolafe, Northwestern’s leader in rushing yards this season.
Just before halftime, MSU found a response during a long drive that started at its own 23-yard line.
Milivojevic found graduate wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. open on a deep ball but it went through his finger tips. The next play however, Milivojevic went to the same spot and zipped a 32-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Bryson Williams to put the Spartans back up; they headed into halftime with a 14-10 lead.
The MSU students made their presence felt after the break and motivated the Spartan defense to hold Chiles and his offense to a three-and-out. Despite the defense holding the Wildcats below their points per game average, senior defensive lineman Ben Roberts wasn’t satisfied with how his group played.
“It does not matter, it was not good enough,” Roberts said. “We lost, so we have to be better. It starts with me and my brother (graduate edge Kenny Soares) right here, but we will be better, we promise you that.”
After the Wildcats cut into their deficit in the third quarter, the fourth quarter had a little bit of everything.
Senior wide receiver Chrishon McCray reeled in a 53-yard touchdown to give MSU a 21-13 advantage, but Chiles didn’t allow this hole to ruin his return.
With just under eight minutes left, Chiles led his team down the field and snuck in for a score. In order to tie the game, Northwestern went for two and tight end Alex Honig reeled Chiles’ pass to notch the game up.
Despite the tie game, MSU had time to advance down the field and score. The Spartans got within striking distance, enough for a field goal. It was a solid situation for a team anchored by graduate kicker Liam Boyd, who is now 10-for-12 on field goal attempts this season.
Still, Boyd’s field goal was blocked, giving the Wildcats one last shot to leave East Lansing with a win.
Kicker Jackson Kleather nailed a 34-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, ultimately giving Northwestern the win.
“We’re a few plays away in each of these last two games,” Milivojevic said. “All it’s going to take is to continue to go back to practice and keeping everyone’s head up, keeping everyone together as one and go and battle the next game.”
The Spartans will look for their first Big Ten win on the road in Pasadena, California, to take on No. 12 UCLA on Saturday. The time is TBD.