Michigan State defeated, 31-3, at Wisconsin

Michigan State dropped its third-straight game of the season Saturday at Wisconsin. The Spartans fell 31-3 in Madison, dropping a fourth-straight game in the series against the Badgers. MSU falls to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in Big Ten action.

Alessio Milivojevic finished the day 15-for-32 passing for 103 yards while Cam Fancher started the second half and went 1-for-2 for five yards in the air and added 13 yards on four carries. Jaziun Patterson led the running back corps with 62 yards on 18 carries followed by 36 yards on 11 carries for Marvis Parrish.

Meanwhile, Jayden Savoury led the receiving corps with 26 yards on four catches while Frederick Moore also had four grabs for 23 yards. On the defensive side, Dion Crawford led the unit with eight tackles, seven of them solo, and had a pass breakup. Devin Vaught was right behind him with seven tackles, all solo, and Kenny Soares, Jr. had three tackles, including two solo and one for loss, along with being credited with a quarterback hurry.

For the Badgers, Colton Joseph finished 9-for-20 passing for 145 yards and three touchdowns while Jacob Harris two catches were both for touchdowns among his 35 receiving yards. Former Nebraska and later Minnesota wide receiver Malachi Coleman now with the Badgers caught one pass for 46 yards and a touchdown as well. Wisconsin finished the day with 228 rushing yards and was led by Joseph's 141 yards on 13 carries, one for a touchdown of his own on the ground as well. Darrion Dupree added 61 yards on 19 carries.

First Half

Wisconsin deflated any hope MSU fans had quickly as the Badgers scored on their first three possessions. In an ode to classic Big Ten football on Wisconsin's homecoming, it took almost seven minutes for the 12 plays needed on the first touchdown for Wisconsin with Joseph finding tight end Jacob Harris for a 20-yard touchdown with 8:16 left in the first quarter. Harris caught another touchdown pass with 1:01 left to make it 14-0. The Badgers would go on to add a 30-yard kick with 3:56 left in the second quarter to cap a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone for Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, MSU's offense struggled to find any rhythm. Starting offensive lineman Conner Moore left the game with an injury on the Spartans' first offensive play. A sack later knocked them out of field goal range, and they turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-7. On its next drive, MSU controversially chose to go for it again on fourth-and-2 from the Wisconsin 24-yard line, but Cooper Catalano tipped the pass at the line for a second turnover on downs. After MSU was forced to punt it away, a 62-yard punt, from well inside its own territory late in the second quarter, Wisconsin tried to run out the clock late in the half, but MSU finally got a stop defensively and forced a punt by Sean West. The 28-yard punt gave MSU the ball at its own 36 with 1:03 left. Milivojevic completed three passes to Jayden Savoury on the drive, and Wisconsin penalties of 15 yards each for a personal foul and pass interference helped the Spartans reach the 13-yard line.The drive stalled, though, and Liam Boyd kicked a 31-yard field goal with 11 seconds left to avoid a shutout and give the Spartans their only score of the game.

The numbers favored the Badgers across the board. Wisconsin outgained MSU 218-115 and ran 39 plays to the Spartans' 34. The Badgers rushed for 136 yards on 25 carries, an average of 5.4 yards, while MSU managed 54 yards on 17 carries, an average of 3.2.

Second Half

Wisconsin stretched its lead to 24-3 in a third quarter that MSU spent mostly stalling out and losing one of its quarterbacks. The Spartans took the opening second-half kickoff, and Kenneth Williams' 27-yard return gave them the ball at their own 34-yard line. Fancher came in at quarterback but left with an injury on a 3-yard keeper, bringing Milivojevic back into the game. The drive ended when Parrish was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Wisconsin 46, MSU's third turnover on downs of the game.

Wisconsin needed only three plays to take advantage. Joseph kept it himself on third-and-3 and ran 47 yards up the middle for a touchdown with 10:35 left in the quarter. After that, the offenses traded failed possessions, and a classic Big Ten punt fest ensued. MSU went three-and-out after a penalty pinned it deep, then West punted 54 yards for Wisconsin, and Rhys Dakin's 56-yard punt for MSU went for a touchback after another three-and-out. Wisconsin's next drive reached midfield on a 17-yard completion to Eugene Hilton Jr., then stalled for another punt. MSU started its last drive of the quarter at its own 15, and a roughing-the-passer penalty on Wisconsin's Jake Anderson helped it move into Wisconsin territory. Milivojevic completed passes of eight yards to Fredrick Moore and 13 to Rodney Bullard Jr., but Jayden Savoury and Nick Sharpe both left with injuries, and Milivojevic's fourth-and-7 pass to Moore was broken up by Junior Poyser. Wisconsin then ran out the clock, with the ball at its own 43-yard line as the third quarter ended.

MSU failed on both of its drives in the final quarter while the Badgers, including yet another turnover on downs when the Spartans once again chose to go for it on fourth-and-4, this time at the Wisconsin 43. Just five plays later, Wisconsin scored on a 46-yard pass to Coleman for the last points of the game and 7:56 still left to play. Both teams would punt it away before the Spartans ran the clock out with 1:53 left on three rushing attempts to Tullis.

Michigan State returns to Spartan Stadium next where it will host Illinois for a 3:30 p.m. matchup on FS1.