CHAMPAIGN – Josh McCray ran for three touchdowns and Luke Altmyer threw two TD passes to lead Illinois to a 38-16 victory over Michigan State on Saturday.

McCray had nine carries for 61 yards, Altmyer completed 19 of 32 passes for 231 yards and Pat Bryant caught four passes for a career-high 135 yards and a TD in his final home game as the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) ended a two-match losing streak.

Aidan Chiles was 23 of 40 passing for 256 yards and two TDs and Aziah Johnson and Nate Carter caught TD passes for the Spartans (4-6, 2-5), who lost six of seven.

Michigan State had no sack for the fifth straight game. Illinois sacked Chiles five times.

The Illini finished 6-1 at home. It’s the first time they’ve won six home games in a season since 2001, when they captured the Big Ten title and played in the Sugar Bowl in 2002.

After falling behind 21-9 at halftime, the Spartans closed within 21-16 on a 5-yard TD pass from Chiles to Carter.

Illinois’ David Alano responded with a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter, and McCray scored on a pair of 1-yard dives in the fourth quarter.

Altmyer threw a 57-yard TD pass to Bryant and a 4-yard TD pass to Zakhari Franklin, and McCray ran 11 yards for a TD for the Illini in the first half.

It was Bryant’s eighth TD reception of the season and his catch of his entire career. It was also the completion of Altmyer’s career-long pass.

Michigan State scored on a 52-yard TD pass from Chiles to Johnson in the first quarter and a 38-yard field goal by Jonathan Kim with 1:02 left in the half.

Kim missed the PAT on Chiles’ TD pass to Johnson. It was the first time in his college career that he missed a PAT. He was 3 of 3 in North Carolina and is 34 of 35 in the state of Michigan.

The takeaway

Illinois: The Illini will hit the road to play at Rutgers and Northwestern in their final two regular season games. Illinois is 1-2 against Champaign, with all three games against ranked teams. Two road wins would give the Illini a final record of 9-3 and a chance to play in a major bowl game.

Michigan State: The Spartans have no room for error if they want to play in a bowl game in Jonathan Smith’s first season as coach. They must win their final two games of the regular season, home games against Purdue and Rutgers, to be eligible to bowl.

Next

Illinois: This Saturday at Rutgers.

Michigan State: Hosts Purdue on Friday.