It wasn’t a dominating performance as the score might suggest, but Michigan State’s football team started off the season on the right track winning 35-13 over Western Michigan on Friday night at Spartan Stadium. Despite Western putting the first points up on the board, and making it a one score game late in the 3rd Quarter, the Spartans pulled away in the 4th quarter with two touchdowns in a 3 minute span. MSU gained over 400 yards of offense (233 passing / 197 rushing) with Quarterback Payton Thorne accounting for all the passing yards and 4 touchdowns. New to the team from the transfer portal, Running Back Jalen Berger had a career best performance on the ground with 120 yards and 1 TD on the night. While everyone looked to see a big game from receiver Jaden Reed, it was Keon Coleman who shined, leading the team with 4 receptions for a total of 84 yards.
On the defensive side, the Spartans saw UNLV transfer Jacoby Windmon get 4 of the team’s 7 sacks in his debut. But the team may have lost linebacker Darius Snow and Xavier Henderson indefinitely to injuries suffered in the game. Head Coach Mel Tucker did not have an update on their status post game.
Michigan State, who was ranked 15th in the nation, will host Akron next week in E. Lansing. While Western Michigan will play at Ball State.
Final Score: MSU 35 – WMU 13
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