Toledo RocketsvsMichigan State Spartans
TOL 20/MSU 30
Things to say
Michigan State beat Toledo 30-20 at Spartan Stadium to open the season 1-0.
01
opener
Toledo actually had this thing early, up 20-19 in the fourth. Then Michigan State just took it over and pulled away to 30-20. Not pretty, but a win's a win in week one.
02
key player
Milivojevic went 26-of-34 for 247 and a score. Wasn't flashy, but the kid protected the ball and moved the chains all night.
03
hot take
Honestly Toledo outplayed them for stretches. If Michigan State plays like that against real Big Ten defenses, they're in trouble.
04
deep cut
Watch the Dabbs kid for Toledo — four catches, 101 yards, two touchdowns including a 60-yarder. Their quarterback found him whenever it mattered.
05
exit
Anyway, week one, nobody's who they are yet. Ask me again once they hit conference play.
The recap
Toledo hung around and even grabbed a 20-19 lead early in the fourth when Connor Walendzak broke off a 71-yard sprint, but Michigan State had the answer that mattered. Alessio Milivojevic was surgical all night — 26 of 34 for 247 and a touchdown — and his 5-yard strike to Rodney Bullard Jr., plus the two-point conversion right back to Bullard, flipped it to 27-20 for good.
Liam Boyd kept the Rockets breathing with four field goals, but a team living on chip shots instead of touchdowns is a team that loses, and Toledo couldn't get the stop when it counted. Sparty grinds out 30-20 and walks off 1-0.