It wasn’t easy, and it never is, but Michigan State football picked up its first win since the first month of the season, beating Maryland 38-28 to finish the regular season 4-8.
While it wasn’t easy, it had the crowd engaged all game, and it concluded with a huge interception in the final two minutes. It was looking a little dicey with the Spartans going for it on fourth-and-short with about two minutes left, and Alessio Milivojevic threw a touchdown pass to put the game away. An interception on the ensuing drive ended the game.
Milivojevic got to take a couple of knees and end the game with his first win as a starting quarterback in East Lansing.
What did we learn from the biggest win of the season?
1. Alessio Milivojevic is the future
The quarterback position has been a point of contention all season, but Alessio Milivojevic has come in and has quelled the doubters, exceeding expectations through his few starts.
Milivojevic was just under 1,000 yards with six touchdowns on the season coming into the Maryland game and he was a breath of fresh air again, completing 27-of-39 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns with one pick. He has been exactly what this team needed down the stretch, leading the team to a couple of near-wins and a victory over Maryland.
The Spartans really have something here in the redshirt freshman. They have to keep him no matter what.
2. Special teams injected some life into the team
Despite being out for months, Alante Brown returned on Saturday evening and came up with one of the biggest plays of the game. Maryland cut the Spartans’ 17-point second-half lead to just three in the third quarter, and Brown returned an ensuing kickoff after a Terrapins score for a touchdown, getting the momentum back on the Spartans’ slide.
Martin Connington was also perfect kicking the ball and Ryan Eckley had an incredible game, averaging about 48 yards per punt.
Special teams have been shaky all season, but they helped save the day on Saturday.
3. The Jonathan Smith returning rumors now have merit
Will Jonathan Smith be back for another season? That’s unsure still, but the rumors will definitely be louder than normal after winning the final game of the regular season. The team played for its head coach, and you could tell there was a little extra motivation on Saturday night.
The team won for Smith, but will this be enough to show J Batt that the team wants him back and he should retain the second-year head coach? I fear it may have been enough.
Fans may not love this, but Sunday will be interesting.