Spartans Ride Run Game, Defense to 23-6 Win Over Western Michigan
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State fans got to watch their Spartans' 2025 season opener a lot more comfortably than a year ago.
On Friday, Michigan State kicked off the second year of the Jonathan Smith regime with a resounding 23-6 win at home over Western Michigan.
The Spartans' 181 rushing yards told the story on offense. And the 6 points in the visitor column on the scoreboard essentially told the story on defense.
Michigan State's defense made life miserable for the visiting Broncos. Offensively, its 155 passing yards indicate that there is much more work to do.
The offensive line struggled to give junior quarterback Aidan Chiles much time in the pocket, an issue that had plagued this team all of last season. At the same time, the veteran quarterback still had some trouble with accuracy and, as a result, missed out on some big-time plays.
First Half
Western Michigan made its presence known immediately, as junior quarterback Brady Jones found graduate wide receiver Talique Williams for a 35-yard reception.
The Broncos marched all the way down to Michigan State's 26-yard line, threatening to take an early lead. But fifth-year senior Wayne Matthews III put a halt to the momentum, stumping Western Michigan with a tackle for a loss of a yard.
After gaining that yard back on the next play, the Broncos would go for it on fourth-and-short, but a pass breakup from senior defensive back Ade Willie would put an end to the visitors' opening possession, giving his team's offense the ball on its own 26-yard line.
The Spartans backed up their words from fall camp -- the run game did look improved right from the jump.
Michigan State put together 57 rushing yards on its first drive, with its two primary backs -- sophomores Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis -- each having explosive plays.
A 28-yard run from Frazier would put the Spartans in enemy territory. Just a couple of plays later, Tullis found the end zone on a 12-yard run, giving the home team its first points of the season.
Frazier finished the game with a game-high 103 rushing yards.
Fifth-year senior Blake Sislo would cap it all off with the extra point. The backup kicker filled in for redshirt sophomore kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic and redshirt freshman kicker Martin Connington, who were both out with injury.
With an opportunity to redeem its failure to execute on its first possession, Western Michigan would be forced to punt on its second, after redshirt freshman rush end Anelu Lafaele forced Jones to fumble.
Michigan State would find success once again on its second possession, though this drive was more focused on the pass. It ultimately ended with a 7-yard touchdown reception by sophomore wideout Nick Marsh.
Sislo's extra point was good once again, and the Spartans would take a 14-0 lead with less than 5 minutes gone in the second quarter.
Michigan State's defense continued to dominate, not allowing the visitors to get a fresh set of downs the entire second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Spartans' offense would score just once more before the break. On third-and-short in the opponents' territory, Chiles would take off for a 26-yard gain, going out of bounds at the 9-yard line, just before the 2-minute timeout.
On the very next play, it was Frazier's turn to find the end zone, as he ran it in for a 9-yard touchdown. Another successful extra point from Sislo would give Michigan State a 21-0 advantage.
The Broncos had two opportunities to make something happen in the final 2 minutes of the half, but a punt and an interception thrown from Jones to Matthews would add to the unit's first-half woes.
That pick would set up decent field position for Michigan State with 10 seconds remaining in the half. Redshirt junior punter Ryan Eckley would come in to attempt a 46-yard field goal on the final play before halftime but sent it left.
The score remained 21-0 at the break.
Second Half
The Spartans' offense's struggles from late in the second quarter carried over into the second half, as a three-and-out would quickly put the ball back in Western Michigan's hands.
And the visitors nearly capitalized, marching 51 yards in six plays. But they came up just a yard short of a fourth-and-long conversion that would have put it on the doorstep of its first touchdown.
Despite back-to-back 16-plus-yard gains from Frazier and Chiles, respectively, to start Michigan State's next possession, the offense would run out of steam once again, and Eckley would come in to punt. His punt was downed on the opponent's 1-yard line.
That allowed the Spartans to earn a safety, as Western Michigan redshirt junior running back Jalen Buckley was swarmed in the visitors' own end zone. That would give Michigan State a 23-0 lead with under 8 minutes to go in the third.
Michigan State wouldn't score the rest of the way, though it came close late in the fourth quarter, marching to the brink of the red zone before Chiles turned the ball over with a fumble. That would be his last play.
Michigan State's offense finished the second half with just 131 yards.
On the next Spartan possession, redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was picked off by Western Michigan graduate safety Tate Hallock on what was just his lone pass attempt of the game. Hallock returned it for a touchdown before the Broncos failed to convert the 2-point attempt.
It wasn't a shutout, but the defense did its job, holding the visitors' offense scoreless.
Michigan State will remain at home next week when it hosts Boston College for the second game of a home-and-home. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Notable Performances:
- Frazier: Game-high 103 rushing yards
- Junior linebacker Jordan Hall: Team-high eight tackles, 2.5 for loss, and a sack
- Matthews: Six tackles, 0.5 for loss, one interception
- Chiles: 155 passing yards, a passing touchdown
- Senior wide receiver Omari Kelly: Team-high 75 receiving yards
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