Michigan State beat Michigan 15-6 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday night, a result that ended a six-game losing streak and gave the Spartans their first win over their in-state rival since 2021. Liam Boyd kicked five field goals, and a defence that had forced only five turnovers all season produced four takeaways. The win also gave Michigan State its first Big Ten victory of the season and sent the Paul Bunyan Trophy back to East Lansing after four years in Ann Arbor. Michigan, coached by Kyle Whittingham in his first season, fell to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play. The Spartans improved to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the conference, and the result was one of the biggest upsets of the college football weekend.
Boyd kicked field goals of 21 and 37 yards in the final two minutes of the first half, and Michigan State took a 6-0 lead into the break. The Spartans had outgained Michigan 137-78 in the first half, and they kept the ball for long stretches while Michigan struggled to move it. Boyd added a 38-yard kick early in the third quarter to make it 9-0, then a 24-yard kick in the fourth quarter. His fifth kick, from 49 yards with 4:09 left, put the Spartans ahead 15-0. Michigan avoided a shutout when Savion Hiter ran in from a yard out with 1:35 left, but the two-point try failed, and Michigan State recovered the onside kick to close the game.
The defence did most of the work. Michigan State held Michigan to 192 yards of total offence and kept the Wolverines out of the end zone until the final two minutes. Michigan managed only 54 rushing yards, and its four turnovers nearly doubled the Spartans’ season total in one night. The Spartans held the ball for 38:07, compared with 21:53 for Michigan, and outgained the Wolverines 298-192. It was the first time Michigan State had held an opponent under 10 points since a win over Eastern Michigan in September, and the performance came after the Spartans had lost six games in a row since beating Eastern Michigan on 12 September.
Michigan State defence sets the tone
Pat Fitzgerald, in his first season as Michigan State head coach, had watched his team lose six in a row, and the defence had been a weak point for much of that run. On Saturday night, the unit played its best game of the season. Michigan entered the game last in the Big Ten in forced turnovers, but the Spartans took the ball away four times. The Wolverines did not score until Hiter’s late run, and they were shut out for more than 58 minutes. Michigan had been shut out in the first half for the third time in four games, and the Spartans kept pressure on the Wolverines throughout the night. The win was Fitzgerald’s first Big Ten victory, and it came in his first game against Michigan as head coach.
Michigan State finds its points from Boyd
Boyd was 5-for-5 on field goals, with a long of 49 yards, and he scored every point for the Spartans. Michigan State did not reach the end zone, but it did not need to, because Boyd kept adding three points at a time and the defence kept Michigan off the scoreboard. The Spartans took a 9-0 lead with 2:12 left in the third quarter on Boyd’s 38-yard kick. After a fumble recovery, the Spartans went ahead 15-0 on the 49-yard kick, and the game was settled by then.
What the win changes for both teams
The result leaves the Spartans with something to build on. They host Washington on Saturday, 14 November, at Spartan Stadium, with kickoff set for 4:15 p.m. and the game shown on the Big Ten Network. A second win in a row would give Fitzgerald’s first season a different shape, and the players will carry the belief that comes from beating a rival on the road. For Michigan, the loss raises questions. Whittingham is also in his first season, and his team has now lost four of nine games. The Wolverines were held to 192 yards, and their offence has been shut out in the first half in three of its last four games. Michigan must find a way to score earlier in games, and it must protect the ball. The trophy is back in East Lansing, and the Spartans will keep it until the teams meet again next season.