Blocked Field Goal Dooms Michigan State Against Northwestern

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Michigan State vs. Northwestern came down to one kick, and the Spartans never got it off the ground. Pat Fitzgerald’s team could have gone up 24-21 with a minute left in his first game against the program he ran for 17 seasons, but Northwestern blocked Liam Boyd’s 33-yard attempt. Former Spartan Aidan Chiles then moved the Wildcats right back into range to win it 24-21.

Fitzgerald spent 17 seasons at Northwestern before his firing in 2023, and Chiles walked back into Spartan Stadium as the quarterback who beat him. Michigan State fell to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten. Northwestern is 5-1.

The Good: Alessio Milivojevic Keeps The Hot Hand

Despite the loss, Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic still had a solid outing, throwing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The longer one covered 53 yards to Chrishon McCray in the fourth quarter, matching the longest completion he has thrown this season. The other was a 32-yard throw to Bryson Williams with 47 seconds left in the half. He did not throw an interception, but he was sacked and stripped at his own 22 in the first quarter, and Northwestern turned the takeaway into a 39-yard Jackson Kleather field goal.

Defense Put Real Pressure On Aidan Chiles

The Michigan State defense had a solid outing and made Aidan Chiles uncomfortable in the pocket. Chiles threw for 226 yards, his second-lowest total this season, and the Spartans sacked him five times, the most he has been sacked in a game this year. Michigan State had not been able to get there at all lately, with zero sacks against Illinois and zero against Wisconsin. Two of the five came on the same first-quarter series after Milivojevic’s fumble, when Northwestern took over first-and-goal at the Michigan State 10, lost 10 yards and had to settle for the field goal.

The Bad: Blocked Field Goal Costs An Upset Chance

Michigan State got the ball back because its defense stopped a fourth-and-8 trick play at the Northwestern 28, with receiver Alex Honig throwing a pass that DeJae White broke up. Jaziun Patterson then ran it five straight times and got the Spartans to the 13. An illegal snap wiped out a third-down play and pushed them back to the 18, which left Boyd a 33-yard attempt from the 15. Northwestern’s Matthew Smith came through the middle and blocked it with a minute to play.

The Final Stand Never Reached Third Down

Northwestern had already tied the game at 21 on Chiles’ 1-yard touchdown run and his two-point conversion pass to Honig with 7:24 left. After the block, the Wildcats still had to drive from their own 20-yard line with 58 seconds showing, and Michigan State never made it difficult. Northwestern covered 64 yards in eight plays and never faced a third down: two completions to Griffin Wilde, a 21-yard catch by Caleb Komolafe and a 14-yard Komolafe run put the ball at the Spartans’ 16, where Kleather hit the 34-yard game-winner with two seconds on the clock.

The Intriguing: Alessio Milivojevic Flashes His Legs

Alessio Milivojevic had his best running game of the season. He rushed for 17 yards, a season high. It helped that he was sacked once, tying his season low. He also ran in a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter, his first rushing score of the year.

Strong passing numbers and a few flashes on the ground still did not get the Spartans a win. Fitzgerald and Michigan State are still looking for their first Big Ten win, and they travel to UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 24, at a kickoff time that has not been announced.

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