Indiana Overwhelms Michigan State for Fourth Straight Loss, 38-13
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. --- Indiana's firepower on offense was far too much for Michigan State to handle for four quarters, as the Hoosiers cruised past the Spartans, 38-13.
The loss propels IU to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big Ten play. MSU is now 3-4 overall and 0-4 during its conference schedule. Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith now sits at 8-11 overall in his time in East Lansing and 3-10 against the Big Ten.
First Half
MSU got the ball first and was able to make a solid drive out of it. The game's opening drive spanned 13 plays and 6:53 of game clock, ultimately resulting in a 38-yard Martin Connington field goal sailing through the uprights that gave the Spartans a very early 3-0 lead.
Indiana got right back up on offense, though. The Hoosiers marched 75 yards in 11 plays to reach the endzone and take a 7-3 lead on a 13-yard pass from Fernando Mendoza to EJ Williams Jr.
Despite the early adversity, Michigan State's offense had a response. The Spartans did what they had to do, doctoring a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took another 8:18 off the clock before Aidan Chiles found Nick Marsh over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown.
The offense was doing its job early. MSU's defense was not. After the Spartans took another lead, IU tied the game up on a lightning-quick, five-play, 75-yard drive. Mendoza picked up his second passing touchdown there, this time finding Elijah Sarratt.
This time, Michigan State's offense was not able to match Indiana. The Spartans got the ball past midfield on their third drive of the game, but ultimately actually had Chiles pooch punt it away, which resulted in a touchback.
Indiana's offense then kept it coming. One play after converting a fourth-and-2 from MSU's 36-yard line, IU running back Kaelon Black ran right up the middle and was barely touched during a 29-yard touchdown run. That extended the Hoosiers' lead to 21-10, and that's the score that held going into halftime.
Second Half
Indiana got the ball to start the second half, and it did not take long for it to reach paydirt again. The Hoosiers ran only four plays and went 75 yards again, with Mendoza going deep to Omar Cooper Jr. for a 48-yard score.
After a missed 50-yard field goal attempt for Michigan State, IU made it five touchdowns on its first five drives. Mendoza got his fourth touchdown pass of the game on another deep ball near the pylon to Sarratt, who got his second scoring catch on the day.
MSU then went three-and-out, the drive going nowhere largely because of back-to-back holding penalties. On the ensuing Indiana drive, the Spartans' defense finally got its first stop of the game when the Hoosiers went for it on fourth down, threw to the endzone again, but it was caught out of bounds.
The Spartans then turned it over as well, when Chiles was sacked on fourth down near IU's red zone. Indiana turned one last drive into three more points to make it 38-10.
With MSU's final turn with the ball and many backups in, the Spartans turned it into three final points to settle the score at 38-13.
Notable Performances
Aidan Chiles: 27-for-33, 243 yards, TD | 64-yard rush
Nick Marsh: 7 rec, 64 yards, TD
Malcolm Bell: 7 tackles, pass breakup
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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