Even though it wasn’t simple, Michigan State Spartans defeated Western Michigan on Friday night to win the season opener. On Friday at Spartan Stadium, the Spartans defeated the Broncos 35-13 thanks to a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
A difficult third quarter caused the game to become competitive in the final minutes after Michigan State surged out to an early double-digit advantage.
Even though No. 15 Michigan State struggled for significant parts of the first game on both sides of the ball, Payton Thorne occasionally performed well, enabling them to defeat Western Michigan by a wide margin.
Thorne helped the Spartans pull away and defeat the Broncos 35-13 on Friday night by capping off three consecutive drives with touchdown touchdowns in the first half and throwing for a fourth score in the fourth quarter.
The Spartans built a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter, but after outscoring their opponents 10-0 in the third, the average Mid-American Conference squad was able to close the gap to eight points late in the period.
Michigan State had good luck. Four touchdowns were thrown by Thorne, matching Connor Cook’s school record of four touchdown passes in a row. Thorne completed 12 of 24 passes for 233 yards and a pick.
With 6:28 left, Wisconsin transfer Jalen Berger gave the Spartans a 28-13 lead by rushing for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown. Any uncertainty about the result was eliminated by Thorne’s fourth touchdown, a 43-yard toss to Tre Mosley on the following drive.
Thorne had a poor start, but he found freshman Germie Bernard with a short ball, and Bernard’s quickness turned the play into a 44-yard score late in the first quarter.
Chicago transfer Early in the second quarter, Daniel Barker scored on a 13-yard reception with just his right hand, and Keon Coleman raced under a 41-yard pass to put Michigan State ahead 21-3.
Sean Tyler ran for a 4-yard touchdown after gaining 45 yards on the ground as Western Michigan converted a fourth-and-1 from its 42 midway through the third quarter to cut the deficit to 11 points.
Palmer Domschke’s 42-yard field goal made it 21-13 for the Broncos late in the third quarter. However, they were unable to execute enough plays on both sides of the ball in the fourth quarter, and they dropped to 1-30 against ranked opponents.
