Michigan State takes care of Eastern Michigan, 35-7, with strong second half

Michigan State moves to 2-0 on the season after downing Eastern Michigan on Saturday, 35-7. The Spartans struggled to pull away in the first half before taking over in the second with a ground game the Eagles couldn't stop.

Alessio Milivojevic finished the day 12-for-20 through the air for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Edwards had two touchdowns of his own on 21 carries and 152 yards. Meanwhile, Charles Taplin led the receiving corps with 63 yards on three catches and a touchdown, hauling in all three of his targets. Jayden Savoury led the team in catches with four on five targets, adding 63 yards, including the long of the day for 46.

Defensively, Brady Pretzlaff and Devin Vaught led MSU with eight tackles each, including two solo for Pretzlaff and three for Vaught. Vaught also added a tackle for loss. Eli Coenen Jr. led the Spartans in sacks with two among his four tackles on the day while adding a quarterback hurry. Charles Brantley, meanwhile, added a forced fumble he recovered among his four tackles on the day.

Former Spartan Noah Kim finished the afternoon 16-for-26 for 118 yards. While sacks hurt his rushing yardage, Kim finished the day with seven yards on the ground as well for 25 yards, including a long of 11. Bradyon Bennet led the Eagles on the ground attack with 56 yards on nine carries.

First Half

The Spartans got off to a slow start and the defense clearly missed starter Jordan Hall. MSU was able to force a quick punt to start the game, but the offense turned around and lost four yards before having to do the same. After forcing yet another punt by EMU, Chrishon McCray set MSU up just shy of the red zone after he returned the Eagles' punt 31 yards to their own 24-yard line. Just three plays later, Milivojevic connected with Frederick Moore for the receiver's first touchdown in the green and white. After the PAT, MSU led 7-0 with 6:32 left in the quarter.

Eastern found its rhythm on its next drive, retaining control for eight plays over 37 yards and using up almost five and a half minutes of game clock before being forced to punt it away in MSU territory, accepting a touchback in the end despite a delay of game penalty to try and give the kicker more room to work with. The Spartans' long field position just meant more clock would get eaten away as MSU marched it 80 yards over 16 plays for another touchdown. The team ground it out in plays of mostly single digits on the drive, too, with just two accounting for more than 10 yards, an opening pass to Bullard for 17 yards to start the drive and a 19-yard throw to Charles Taplin on fourth-and-11 to get inside the red zone and keep the drive alive. Six plays later and the Spartans took a 14-0 lead.

EMU answered right back with its lone score, a 78-yard drive over 13 plays that ended with former Spartan Kim on the keeper for a four-yard score by the quarterback. That would be the last score for either team of the half.

EMU outgained MSU 162-143 in the half, including 107 yards on the ground for EMU compared to just 60 for MSU. The Eagles averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 19 rush attempts, outgaining MSU's 3.5 ypc on its 17 attempts. Both teams also gave up two sacks on the half.

Second Half

For all the first half struggles, the floodgates opened up by comparison for MSU's offense in the second half, adding three more touchdowns and jumping out to 8.9 yards per play, outgaining EMU 329-57 in yardage and holding the Eagles to -6 rushing yards on the half compared to 198 on the ground for MSU.

The Spartans scored on their opening drive of the half, relying heavily on Edwards to pound it the 75 yards needed for the end zone, including a 33 yard gain from the MSU 35 on the fifth play of the drive. Cam Fancher also joining the game under center late in the drive. Fancher would finish the day 6-for-6 for 44 yards, but Edwards was who finished out this drive with the final two yards on the ground for the score. With the PAT, the Spartans led 21-7.

On Eastern's next drive, Charles Brantley forced a fumble by receiver Harold Mack, giving MSU the ball at its own 40 yard line.

Just three plays later and Milivojevic connected with Charles Talpin for 38 yards and another touchdown to give the Spartans a 28-7 lead following the PAT.

Early in the fourth quarter, MSU's next drive ended with Edwards losing the ball on a fumble in the red zone as Peyton Christian forced the ball out at his team's own 10 yard line and Jason Marshall recovered it for the Eagles at the seven. The Eagles were forced to punt it away quickly as MSU's defense forced a three-and-out, setting the Spartans up at their own 47 with just nine minutes remaining in the game. Edwards ripped off a forty yard gain to open the drive before Jazlun Patterson would finish it off two plays later for the score up the middle.

The Spartans would finish the game 35-7 after the PAT as the defense forced another three and out and the offense would run out the clock from there.

Michigan State faces its first road game next week as it revives the rivalry against Notre Dame in South Bend. Kick is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC.