Michigan State Pulls Away for 35-7 Win Over Eastern Michigan in Quarterback Reunion

EAST LANSING — Michigan State left no doubt in its home matchup with Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 12, rolling to a 35-7 victory at Spartan Stadium in a game that doubled as a reunion of Spartans quarterbacks past and present.

Incumbent starter Alessio Milivojevic got the better of his predecessor, Noah Kim, who returned to East Lansing after transferring to EMU following two seasons competing for the Michigan State starting job. Kim managed a rushing touchdown but failed to throw for a score for just the third time in 15 appearances for the Eagles, as the Spartans defense battered him and the Eagles offense stalled after halftime.

Milivojevic started unevenly but found his rhythm with several long completions in the third quarter, finishing 12-of-20 for 170 yards and two touchdowns while taking only two sacks. His first scoring strike was an 18-yarder to Fredrick Moore on third-and-4, capping a short field set up by special teams miscues from the Eagles — including a botched punt sequence and a 31-yard return by Chrishon McCray that put MSU at the EMU 24.

Transferred from UConn, running back Cam Edwards continued his strong debut season with 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, despite a fourth-quarter fumble deep in Eastern Michigan territory. His 1-yard plunge capped a grinding 16-play, 80-yard drive that pushed the lead to 14-0 before Kim’s 4-yard scramble briefly cut the deficit to one score.

The Spartans actually trailed in early game stats — Eastern Michigan ran more plays and gained more yards in the opening quarter — but Michigan State’s defense and a bounce-back special teams unit turned the tide for good.

What to watch

The competition ramps up quickly for the Spartans. They travel to South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, Sept. 19 to face No. 4 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., airing on Comcast‘s NBC), an Irish team coming off a dominant first-half performance against Rice and a strong start to its season. Michigan State then opens Big Ten play at home against Nebraska on Sept. 26. Watch for updates on the status of linebacker Jordan Hall, who sat out the EMU game, and whether the ground game that eventually found traction can hold up against top-tier opposition.

Source: original release