MSU Captures Elusive B1G Win over Maryland to Finish Season
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DETROIT — They finally got one. Michigan State finished off its 2025 season with a 38-28 victory against Maryland, capturing that elusive Big Ten victory at Ford Field on Saturday night.
Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic finished with 292 passing yards and four touchdown passes to lead the way for the Spartans' offense.
MSU finishes the second season of the Jonathan Smith era 4-8, and now everybody will be awaiting word from athletic director J Batt and the school on whether he will get a third year.
Key dates are coming up for MSU soon, as the early signing period for high schoolers is from Dec. 3-5, and the transfer portal opens in January.
First Half
MSU got the ball first and reached Terrapin territory after only three plays. The Spartans faced a third-and-9, but quarterback Alessio Milivojevic stayed tough against the blitz and found wide receiver Nick Marsh for the conversion and a big gain. With their newfound life on their opening possession, Michigan State capitalized, as Milivojevic went to reserve tight end Kai Rios for a one-yard touchdown. It was Rios’ first catch of the season and as a Spartan; he transferred to East Lansing this past offseason after previously playing at FCS Indiana State.
Both teams traded a handful of punts for the rest of the first quarter, giving MSU a 7-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.
The Spartans kept pushing into the second quarter. Shortly after a 46-yard connection from Milivojevic to Omari Kelly, Martin Connington added three with a 25-yard field goal. Michigan State got a quick stop, and then its offense struck again with a 64-yard drive that only took six plays — culminating in a 15-yard touchdown catch for Marsh that made it 17-0.
Maryland didn’t go away so quickly, though. The Terrapins went 75 yards on eight plays, with quarterback Malik Washington finding receiver Jalil Farooq for a seven-yard score to trim the Spartans’ lead.
After an MSU three-and-out, Maryland started to drive again and threatened to make it a one-possession game. Michigan State’s defense stepped up, more specifically Malcolm Bell, who had great coverage on a deep ball to the endzone on fourth down.
The Spartans decided to try and score more points with 59 seconds and two timeouts. Milivojevic piloted perhaps the best drive of MSU’s season, going 6-for-7 for 69 yards on the drive, ultimately finding Jack Velling in the endzone to extend the advantage out to 24-7 with just four seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Second Half
Maryland got the ball first in the third quarter, and it came out swinging. The Terrapins made it look easy, covering 75 yards on 10 plays, with DeJuan Williams rushing in for a score to make it 24-14.
They did it again after a Michigan State punt. This drive was eight plays and 73 yards, with Washington delivering to Sheleak Knotts near the pylon on a third-and-10 from the 25 to make the difference just a field goal.
MSU’s response was quicker than anything one could have imagined. Alante Brown — coming off an injury that has sidelined him nearly this entire season — fielded the ensuing kickoff and housed it from 92 yards out. Instantly, the Spartans’ lead was 10 again.
The third-quarter craziness continued to ensue. Maryland put together a third consecutive touchdown drive in the second half — with a combined time of possession of just 6:45 — to make Michigan State’s lead just three again, with Washington finding Farooq again on a 25-yard score.
All that scoring slowed down towards the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, as both teams exchanged some more punts. The first big play of the final quarter went Maryland's way, as Knotts had nobody following on a shallow cross on a third-and-8, and he took it 47 yards into fringe field-goal range.
MSU's defense was able to get the stop it needed well into field-goal range, and it got a massive break after Maryland kicker Sean O'Haire missed a 27-yard attempt that would have tied the game with 7:38 to go.
The Spartans got a big play of their own, too. Elijah Tau-Tolliver ripped off a 38-yard gain on the first play of the drive to get Michigan State's offense back in business. But just as Michigan State was driving closer, Milivojevic threw a pick to Maryland's Jamare Glasker, and a penalty put the ball for the Terrapins near midfield with 3:22 to go.
Despite the rough third quarter, MSU's defense stood tall. It got off the field on four plays, with corner Ayden West getting home on a blitz on fourth-and-10 to give the Spartans the ball on the Terrapins' 35.
Michigan State sought to put the game away. It had that chance on fourth-and-7 on the Maryland 10-yard line. Most would have kicked the field goal, but the Spartans went for it, and Milivojevic found Kelly wide open in the endzone to do just that.
Washington then threw an interception on the ensuing Maryland drive, and MSU kneeled out the clock from there.
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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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