Michigan State Athletics
The Jonathan Smith era at Michigan State began with an emphatic win Friday night as the Spartans beat Western Michigan, 23-6, at Spartan Stadium.
Spartans Set the Tone Early
The game got off to a promising start for the Broncos with a quick 35 yard connection from Brady Jones to Tailique Williams to cross into Michigan State territory on the first offensive play of the season. Two plays later, Jones and Williams again connected for 12 yards and another Western Michigan first down. That’s when the Spartans decided that playtime was over. Western Michigan would be forced to turn the ball over on downs four plays later and Michigan State and junior quarterback Aidan Chiles would go to work.
Chiles and the Spartans methodically marched 74 yards in 10 plays before Brandon Tullis took a handoff and hit the gap on the right side of the line for his first career touchdown and the first score of the year.
After the Michigan State defense held Western Michigan scoreless on the ensuing drive, Chiles was able to pick the defense apart in what would become the theme of the night. On the 10th play of the drive with pressure coming in hot, Chiles lofted a touch pass into the endzone where he found Nick Marsh to give the Spartans a 14-0 advantage.
The next scoring drive would come just before halftime. After forcing a punt to get the ball back at their own 46-yard line. Chiles would rush for 29 yards on the drive and Makhi Frazier would add 17, including a nine yard score to put the game even further out of reach, 21-0.
As time ticked under a minute remaining in the first half and Michigan State’s offense looked poised to run the clock out, the Broncos elected to use their timeouts to force a punt and try for some momentum before the break. Unfortunately for everyone watching in Kalamazoo, the punt was muffed and Western Michigan took over deep in their own territory. On the second play of the drive Jones was intercepted by Wayne Matthews with 10 seconds remaining.
After a pass play that gained zero yards but cost seven seconds, the Spartans would line up to attempt a 46-yard field goal. Ryan Eckley’s attempt would sail wide left, temporarily halting the bleeding for Western Michigan.
Michigan State Continues Smothering Defensive Effort
Coming out of the break the Broncos were able to get a quick defensive stop before switching things up at quarterback. Redshirt sophomore and former Indiana Hoosier Broc Lowry would be charged with getting things turned around and all things considered, he was promising on his first drive. Lowry connected with Baylin Brooks on his second play for 42 yards in a play that was eerily similar to Western Michigan’s first offensive play of the game. A few players later, facing a fourth and 12 after a questionable running call on third and 12, Lowry connected with Williams who was drug down about a foot short of the line to gain.
The first points of the second half would come on the Broncos next drive when the Spartans would tackle Jalen Buckley in his own endzone for a safety. The safety, the first for Michigan State since last season’s season opener, would push the score to 23-0 with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Lowry would again show flashes, dragging an overmatched team into field goal range where Western Michigan would have an opportunity to finally get on the board. The 46-yard field goal attempt would never have a chance as it skidded across the ground in the endzone.
Going into the fourth quarter in desperate need of a score and a quarterback that was finally giving the team signs of life, the Broncos did the logical thing and reinserted Jones back into the lineup, replacing Lowry. The ensuing drive amounted to a net of 13 yards before Western Michigan would again punt.
As Western Michigan took possession with just under six minutes to play and trailing 23-0, the Broncos’ coaching staff exhibited all the decisiveness of your wife when you ask where she would like to eat, again switching quarterbacks back to Lowry.
Michigan State would send in the backup quarterback, Alessio Milivojevic, late in the fourth. As it turns out, he was the answer the Broncos were looking for as he would throw an interception to Tate Hallock who would score on a pick six. Western Michigan would fail to convert the two-point conversion but would be successful on the onside kick.
Suddenly, the Broncos found themselves down 23-6 with the ball and 2:43 remaining. Unfortunately, indecision would continue as Jones would be sent back into the game and quickly find himself and the offense facing a fourth and 16. Jones would throw an incomplete pass and the Spartans would take several knees to wrap things up.
“I thought both quarterbacks played really well at times,” said Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor. “They both showed why we’re playing two quarterbacks and why they both earned the right to play in this game. Brady (Jones) played well, took us down on the first drive, made some really good throws, made some really good decisions, but also some bad throws and bad decisions. Broc (Lowry) came in the second half, very similar to Brady, first drive in the second half he takes us down the field. Again, we don’t get any points out of it, but he made some really good plays, made a couple of decisions he wants back. Both played really well.”
Chiles finished the game completing 17 of 23 pass attempts for 155 yards and a touchdown. Frazier and Tullis were able to do the heavy lifting on the ground finishing with 103 and 52 yards, respectively. Frazier and Tullis also each recorded a rushing touchdown.
“Especially in the first half, I thought the O-Line set the tone in the run game,” said Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith. “Makhi (Frazier) had a great game, Brandon (Tullis) early with his touchdown run, and you know, the stats show you kind of the physicality and what we want to be able to do in the run game. Want to find some more consistency in the second half – still, that’s run and pass. But overall, we did play more than five O-Linemen, you guys saw rotating, like we talked about, and multiple backs carried it. Was overall pleased when you got two backs with that kind of average yards per carry.”
“The offensive line really opened the way, we just went out there, did our job and stayed focused,” added Frazier.
Western Michigan’s standout player of the evening was Williams. He finished with six receptions for 74 yards on nine targets.
The Spartans start the season 1-0 and will stay put in East Lansing next weekend when they host Boston College. Western Michigan returns to Kalamazoo to host North Texas with a matchup against #12 Illinois looming after.
Be sure to check back throughout the week to find out which players helped their NFL Draft stock the most and who might have seen it slip, key takeaways from Week 1, and much more.
About the Author
Dalton Tinklenberg is the Founder and Media Director of The Scouting Depot, where he leads comprehensive coverage of college and professional football. He is an active member of some of the most respected organizations in sports journalism, including the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), Maxwell Football Club, Online News Association (ONA), National Football Foundation (NFF), and the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).
Before launching The Scouting Depot, Dalton worked with Blue HQ Media, where he covered major sporting events such as the Indianapolis 500, the College Football Playoff, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Through his professional affiliations and on-the-ground experience, Dalton combines deep knowledge of the game with recognized standards of storytelling, editorial excellence, and authenticity in sports coverage.
