Michigan State picked up a “huge” win on Saturday night, beating Maryland to end the disappointing season on a positive note.
The win was in doubt on the team’s second-to-last drive as the Spartans needed one more score in the final minutes to really put the Terrapins away. As they were driving deeper into Maryland territory, Omari Kelly took a screen pass and turned it into about a 10-yard gain, setting the Spartans up with a big third-and-1 following a second-and-long.
After getting taken to the ground, a Maryland defender got far too chippy with Kelly for some reason, deciding to rip his helmet off out of frustration. The move didn’t make a ton of sense because Maryland hadn’t lost the game yet and the penalty would give Michigan State a huge first down and a chance to put the game away with a touchdown.
That was the last thing on Kelly’s mind after getting his helmet viciously ripped off.
The senior wide receiver immediately got up and was likely willing to get an unsportsmanlike penalty in retaliation for the dirty play. Another Spartan wasn’t about to let that happen, making one of the game that just isn’t talked about enough as playing a key role in the win.
Gavin Broscious immediately got between Kelly and the Maryland defender, ensuring that the veteran wideout didn’t pick up a penalty that would have cost the team a critical first down.
Omari Kelly is LIVID after getting his helmet ripped off at the end of this play 😳 pic.twitter.com/Z32mptKPNz
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2025
No one is going to talk about Broscious being a hero here, but he undoubtedly made one of the key plays to set up the game-sealing touchdown. If Broscious didn’t act quickly to try and cool a furious Kelly off (he had every reason to be mad), the Spartans would have gotten offsetting penalties and that great field position would’ve been wiped away.
Broscious may not have been Kelly’s favorite person in that moment because he wanted nothing more than to give the Maryland defender a piece of his mind after the dirty play, but looking back, he definitely owes him a thank you, as does the rest of the team.
It’s little plays like this one that led to the Spartans’ first win in a month, and that’s impressive leadership from a guy who doesn’t get a ton of love. Conner Moore also deserves a shoutout for being the extra backup there.
Who said this team didn’t have good leadership?