EAST LANSING – Looking back at Michigan State football’s 24-17 win over Purdue and looking ahead to the Spartans’ regular-season finale against Rutgers.
Next up for the Spartans: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Matchup: Michigan State (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) vs. Rutgers (6-5, 3-5).
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.
TV/radio: FS1, WJR-AM (760).
Line: TBD
Know the foe
The Scarlet Knights took a one-point lead against Illinois at home with 1:08 remaining Saturday, on Athan Kaliakmanis’s 13-yard touchdown pass to running back Kyle Monangai. Their defense then bent but eventually stopped the Illini at the Rutgers 40 to force what appeared to be a 58-yard field-goal attempt with 14 seconds left. But Rutgers coach Greg Schiano took a timeout as the initial Illinois kick sailed wide left, and Illini coach Bret Bielema went back to his offense and got a 40-yard TD pass, handing the Scarlet Knights a gut-punch 38-31 loss. Kaliakmanis, a Minnesota transfer, averaged 209.3 yards passing per game, while completing 54.6%, with 16 touchdowns to six interceptions. Monangai has 12 rushing TDs and averages 115 yards per game, with 225 carries this season. Rutgers’ offense averages 382.6 yards and 26.7 points, while its defense gives up 241.7 yards and 24.7 points. The Scarlet Knights’ offensive line has given up only 16 sacks this season, while their defense has 18 sacks.
Chris Solari’s 3 things we learned
One for all: It took a lot more effort than anticipated, but the Spartans got the first of the two wins they need to qualify for a bowl game in coach Jonathan Smith’s first year. Should they beat Rutgers, it will be their first visit to the postseason since 2021. That’s when MSU went 11-2 behind the legs of Kenneth Walker III, beating Pitt in the Peach Bowl after Walker declared for the NFL draft, and the Spartans finished No. 8 in the polls. The Spartans missed the postseason in three of four seasons under Smith’s predecessor, Mel Tucker, after going to 12 bowl games in 13 years under Mark Dantonio.
Jekyll and Hyde: The pendulum between MSU’s first- and second-half performances could not have swung much further and harder without a loss. After building a 24-3 halftime lead, the Spartans were outscored 17-0 in the final two quarters. MSU had 220 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes and just 73 in the final 30, going from 100 rushing yards on 20 attempts to 34 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Aidan Chiles went 10-for-19 for 120 yards and two TDs passing, and ran for 23 yards on three carries, in the first half; the sophomore was just 5-for-12 for 39 yards passing after halftime. And MSU’s defense, which allowed 134 yards through two quarters, gave up 204 yards during Purdue’s second-half attempted rally.
Breaking through: The Spartans ended two six-game droughts, covering more than 60 days of real time, in Saturday’s first half that dated back to the Sept. 21 loss at Boston College. Angelo Grose’s sack on Purdue’s first drive of the game was MSU’s first in 382 minutes and 55 seconds of game play, and the defense finished with three sacks. And when Quindarius Dunnigan stripped a ball that Maverick Hansen pounced on early in the second quarter, it was just the second fumble recovery of the season for the Spartans and their first in 428:41 of football. That turnover also was the first MSU created since an interception in its Oct. 19 win over Iowa, a stretch of 196:22 between takeaways. Jordan Turner’s diving fourth-quarter pick was the Spartans’ second forced turnover in the game.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: What we learned, what to watch vs. Rutgers
