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ILLINI GAMEDAY Live Blog: FINAL - Illinois 37, Michigan State 34

Feel free to log in and join the in-game discussion as for the Illini Gameday Live Blog as Illinois (5-4, 3-3) travel to Michigan State (4-4, 2-3) for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
Matthew Stevens|
ILLINI GAMEDAY Live Blog: FINAL - Illinois 37, Michigan State 34
ILLINI GAMEDAY Live Blog: FINAL - Illinois 37, Michigan State 34

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Good afternoon from Spartan Stadium as Illinois (5-4, 2-3 in Big Ten) travels to Michigan State (4-4, 2-3) for an 2:30 p.m. kickoff. Illinois, which is a 14-point road underdog. We're a few hours away from game time with weather conditions via Weather.com in East Lansing calling for an unusually warm early November day with high temperature in the upper 40s but also wing gusts of 15-20 miles per hour. 

Illinois at Michigan State

Date/time: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2:30 p.m. CST

Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan

Surface: Grass

Capacity: 75,005

Schedule/records: Illinois 5-4 overall, 3-3 Big Ten, 4-8 in 2018 (2-7 in Big Ten); Michigan State 4-4 overall, 2-3 in Big Ten, 7-6 (5-4 in Big Ten) in 2018.

Series notes: Michigan State leads the all-time series against Illinois, 26-18-2, and holds a 13-8-1 edge in East Lansing. The two teams have met only once in the last six seasons, a 31-27 Illinois win in Champaign on Nov. 5, 2016.

TV: FS1

Early line: Michigan State by 13

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Uniform update: Illinois will be in orange helmets with the blue block 'I', white jerseys with orange numbers and orange pants. I assume Michigan State will be in green helmets with white letters, green jerseys and white pants.

UPDATE: My assumption is wrong. MSU going with green helmets, green jerseys with neon green letters and white numbers and green pants. 

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Injury Update: We assume Illinois will be without wide receiver Ricky Smalling is out with a lower-body injury and defensive back Delano Ware with an undisclosed injury. We're still waiting on word about Oluwole Betiku Jr. and Jamal Woods on the Illinois defensive line.

UPDATED: Illinois head coach Lovie Smith has announced that LB Jake Hansen, who leads the nation in forced fumbles, will miss today’s game at Michigan State due to an injury, along with WR Dominic Stampley and DL Oluwole Betiku Jr. 

Woods will be available and Ware had a club on his hand in practice but is available. 

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Illini-Michigan State week coverage

- Matchup Preview: Illinois at Michigan State

- Illinois WR Donny Navarro Awarded with Scholarship

- Illini's Bowl Possibilities Remain Wide Open

- VIDEO: Illinois head coach Lovie Smith talks three-game win streak & Michigan State

- Illini Film Review: Brandon Peters Running No Longer a Laughing Matter

- You Can Put it on the Board!; Hobbs Now on Illini TD Wall

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Tolson to get the start at WLB today for Hansen

1 p.m. UPDATE - Sophomore Khalan Tolson will start in place of Hansen today. Tolson has just five tackles in seven games this season. 

2:30 p.m. UPDATE - In place of Jake Hansen, punter Blake Hayes will go out to midfield as a captain. Michigan State won the toss and deferred. Illinois will start on offense. 

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FIRST QUARTER

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13:38 left in 1st: No score - Illini's first possession goes like this: snap over Peters' head, incomplete pass and Peters' scramble. Not exactly what Rod Smith's offense was looking for there. 

12:00 left in 1st: No score - Michigan State is going to have to find playmakers for Lewerke today. First good sign comes via an 18-yard and a 12-yard pitch and catch to Cody White. Elijah Collins then goes for a 22-yard run. 

10:15 left in 1st: No score - Michigan State exposing Illini's disadvantage in the middle of the field with passes to the tight end and Collins finding holes in the middle of the Illini defensive line. 

10:07 left in 1st: Michigan State TD - Michigan State 7, Illinois 0 - Spartans take their first possession 78 yards in three and a half minutes. Collins with 35 yards on four carries and a 1-yard touchdown. 

UPDATE: Illinois linebacker Milo Eifler is ejected for throwing a punch after the touchdown. 

8:29 left in 1st: Michigan State 7, Illinois 0 - Peters rolls to his right and finds an open Justice Williams for 33 yards. Williams was WIDE OPEN the minute Peters started his roll out and would've been a TD had the QB seen him get behind the Michigan State DBs earlier. 

7:10 left in 1st: Michigan State 7, Illinois 3 - ILLINI FG - Illini drive stalls but James McCourt connects on 40-yard field goal. Much better answer to previous to three-and-out. 

5:39 left in 1st: Michigan State 14, Illinois 3 - MSU TD - Lewerke runs for 42 yards without getting touched for a touchdown. One play earlier, Lewerke abused Illini linebacker Dele Harding for a 21-yard completion over the middle.  

Michigan State is simply taking advantage of the middle of the field against this vulnerable Illini defense. Harding was all kinds of turned around on the 21-yard pass and Michigan State must really like its matchup with 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver Cody White. 

4:12 left in 1st: Michigan State 14, Illinois 3 - On a 3rd-and-7 play, Illinois brings in TE Daniel Barker and goes with four-wide personnel. Michigan State sends a blitz and easily gets to Peters. 

Coming into today, #Illini defense was T99th in FBS (130 teams) in giving up plays of 20 yards or more. So far today, Michigan State already has 3 in 14 offensive plays. 

2:51 left in 1st: Michigan State 14, Illinois 3 - After a three-and-out, Michigan State TE Matt Dotson is being looked at by trainers. Dotson is MSU's fourth-leading receiver and has a 18-yard catch today. 

1:53 left in 1st: Michigan State 14, Illinois 3 - Illini complete a 48-second drive in a 3-and-out. Illini receivers aren't getting separation from MSU's consistent press man-to-man coverage. They simply don't respect Peters' ability to take the top of this secondary at all. 

END OF 1ST: Michigan State 14, Illinois 3 - Three Illini non-scoring drives total 12 yards on nine plays. Peters is 3 of 8 and Michigan State has four quarterback hurries thanks to blitzes dialed up by DC Mike Tressel.

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12:41 left in 2nd: Michigan State 21, Illinois 3 - MSU TD -  A play-action fake completely freezes the Illini defense and the fifth-year senior QB finds a WIDE OPEN receiver (Tre Mosley) guess where? The middle of the field. Lewerke is 9 of 13 for 123 yards and is MSU's leading rusher with 50 yards on the ground. 

12:34 left in 2nd: Michigan State 21, Illinois 3 - Justice Williams fumbles the kickoff return and MSU recovers. This game is quickly getting out of hand for the Illini. 

11:24 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - MSU TD -  Elijah Collins takes a handoff around the left tackle for a 6-yard touchdown. When Illinois isn't getting every single turnover, this has still always been the fear of this defense. 

10:44 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - A completion to Barker is fumbled and MSU recovers and returns it inside the 20-yard-line. During the return Illinois center Doug Kramer is called for targeting on the tackle. 

UPDATE: This officiating crew just nailed Kramer for a late hit call on a return that was negated by the incomplete pass call ON THE SAME REPLAY REVIEW. Okay then...I'm confused. 

7:05 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - Brandon Peters is sacked on third and long to end the Illini drive. Peters has 14 pass attempts and MSU's defense has five QB hurries and a sack. 

4:53 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - There's that name again...Cody White. White with a 16-yard reception on a perfect flag route in between the CB and safety in the Cover-2 look. 

2:34 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - Just as MSU looked to be going in for another score, Illini get an interception in the end zone. Stanley Green with the pick. 

1:41 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - Reggie Corbin goes for 50-plus yards on a carry and it comes back for holding on Kramer. Kramer is flagged after his turns and throws the MSU DT to the ground. I'm not sure that's holding. Looked like a normal engagement and throw to the ground. Kramer never physically turned the player while engaged or fell on the player. Another bad break for the Illini. 

0:32 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 3 - MSU INT - Illinois gets another turnover - a INT by Sydney Brown on a pass over the middle.

0:00 left in 2nd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 10 - ILLINI TD - Illinois quarterback scrambles around (which I guarantee he was told not to do) and finds Josh Imatorbhebhe on a 46-yard fling into the end zone. WOW.  

Bad news: Really bad execution on Peters' part to extend a play that needed to be thrown away. 

Good news: Once he looked up and realized there's was no time left, he did the only smart thing. Peters flung the ball into the end zone with a 1-on-1 matchup with Imatorbhebhe.  

Total yardage after 30 minutes: Michigan State 336, Illinois 176. If not for the late turnovers by Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke, this game could be 42-3. Illinois getting those turnovers late in the second quarter turned this game from a laugher to an outside chance for a comeback. 

Before the 2nd quarter, Illini QB Brandon Peters was just 12 of 25 for 187 yards and 1 TD in his last nine quarters of play. 

Peters' 2nd quarter at MSU: 7 of 10 for 95 yards and a TD. Maybe go to the no-huddle, two-minute drill offense permanently? 

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THIRD QUARTER

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11:21 left in 3rd: Michigan State 28, Illinois 10 - Since Sept. 7, Elijah Collins has not topped 76 yards on the ground (six games). The Michigan State freshman has topped 100 yards already. 

11:09 left in 3rd: Michigan State 31, Illinois 10 - MSU FG - Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke fumbles but is then ruled down with a replay review. Illini defense holds to a FG attempt but really seems like a letdown after another takeaway. 

0:57 left in 3rd: Michigan State 31, Illinois 10 - Michigan State has outgained Illinois 104-11 in this quarter. Illini, which Lovie Smith says is a running team, has three attempts for minus-1 yards in this quarter. 

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FOURTH QUARTER

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14:48 left: Michigan State 31, Illinois 17 - ILLINI TD - Peters hits Imatorbhebhe with an 83-yard touchdown strike. Illini still only down two scores with just under 15 minutes to go. 

12:14 left: Michigan State 31, Illinois 17 - Illinois forces a punt and Jordan Holmes is down on the field with what appears to be a serious leg injury. 

11:06 left: Michigan State 31, Illinois 24 - ILLINI TD Illinois marches 58 yards in 68 seconds and after a 6-yard TD run by Reggie Corbin, we suddenly have a one-score game with 11 minutes left. 

10:59 left: Michigan State 31, Illinois 24 - ILLINI TURNOVER - A snap over the head of Lewerke and then he fumbles the ball. Illinois recovers at the 9-yard-line. That's the third turnover for Lewerke. Illinois is in business with a chance to tie this game. 

9:36 left: Michigan State 31, Illinois 24 - MSU INT - On 3rd-and-12, Peters throws it to Imatorbhebhe and it is picked off. The ball is either underthrown or Imatorbhebhe's route was undercut. 

4:53 left: Michigan State 31, Illinois 30 - ILLINI PICK-SIX - We have a tie game here in East Lansing. A 76-yard interception return for a touchdown by Sydney Brown (his 2nd INT and Lewerke's fourth turnover today). But...McCourt misses the PAT. 

3:17 left: Michigan State 34, Illinois 30 - MSU FG - Spartans go 46 yards in 96 seconds and Matt Coughlin nailes a 46-yard field goal. 

0:05 left: Illinois 37, Michigan State 34 - ILLINI TD - Illini Touchdown! Peters finds Daniel Barker for a 5-yard TD pass. For the first time today, Illini have the lead. 37-34 Illinois w/ 5 seconds left. This would be the largest comeback in Illini history. 

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Matthew Stevens
MATTHEW STEVENS

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