In a tight game like Saturday's Boston College vs. Michigan State football contest, you almost need every bounce to go your way or some unlikely heroes to step up.
Fortunately, Michigan State got the latter with a few guys who I feel exceeded expectations.
Some of these guys just don't get enough love for what they bring to the table, while another is constantly doubted, and he showed up in a big way.
These are the three Spartans who I believe exceeded everyone's expectations against Boston College on Saturday night.
1. Martin Connington, K
How often do you see a program lose an NFL-caliber kicker, run out a punter in the opener to kick field goals, and then start a redshirt freshman in Week 2 with zero experience after coming back from an injury in his team's biggest non-conference game, and he drills a 50-yarder? Well, Michigan State can now say that it's in rare territory because that's what happened on Saturday.
Martin Connington redshirted in 2024, and then missed the first game of the season with an injury. He had never attempted a field goal in a collegiate game, but drilled both of his attempts, including a 50-yarder in the second half.
I can safely say that no one expected Connington to be one of the stars of Saturday's win.
2. Alante Brown, WR/KR
Alante Brown played one offensive snap on Saturday night. So how the heck did he exceed expectations? Well, he returned a kickoff 63 yards to the Boston College 33-yard-line in the second quarter when Michigan State was in danger of losing all momentum.
Appreciation post for Alante Brown.
— Moneybagg (@MoneybaggH0E) September 7, 2025
His career here probably hasn’t gone as he envisioned. He’s had a his role reduced and battled injuries, but he found a way to contribute to a win in a major way last night when we badly needed one pic.twitter.com/xPocCcsPSs
Is one huge special teams play enough to say someone "exceeded expectations" on Saturday? Absolutely. No one was expecting Brown to play the role of unsung hero in Saturday's win, but his 63-yard return really snatched momentum back for Michigan State, and he was rewarded as one of Jonathan Smith's players of the game.
3. Aidan Chiles, QB
After a self-proclaimed C+ performance in the opener against Western Michigan, the Aidan Chiles doubters were out in full force. It felt like everyone was down on the junior quarterback because he didn't air it out against the MAC opponent in Week 1.
But it seems like that was by design. He had a monster game in Week 2, maybe the best of his career.
Aidan Chiles in MSU's ELECTRIC 2OT win ⚡ Spartans QB1 left it all out on the field. 💪 pic.twitter.com/16uMrYpvst
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 8, 2025
Chiles was making plays with both his arm and legs, completing long passes (six completions of at least 15 yards) and short ones, to the tune of 231 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for another 39 yards and a score, accounting for a total of 270 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers.
Talk about exceeding expectations at the right time. He turned a corner on Saturday.