Game 11: Michigan State (4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) vs. Purdue (1-9, 0-7 Big Ten)

Date: Friday, Nov. 22
Kickoff: 8:05 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Stadium: Spartan Stadium (74,866)
Surface: Natural Grass

►GAME DAY INFORMATION

Game Day Information (Parking/Tailgating/Timeline): msuspartans.com/gameday

Parking: Donor lots open at 2 p.m.; public lots open at 3 p.m. | Parking Map

Game Day Updates: Fans can sign up to receive game day updates from MSU Police and Public Safety this season by texting SPARTANFB24 to 888777. Updates will include safety information, potential game delays, traffic suggestions, etc.

Construction/Traffic Information

►BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV: FOX

Streaming/Mobile: FOX Sports app

Announcers: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst), Josh Sims (sidelines)

Live Stats: msuspartans.com | Live Stats

Radio: Spartan Media Network | Affiliate Listings

Play-by-Play: George Blaha

Analyst: Jason Strayhorn

Sidelines: Jehuu Caulcrick

Broadcast Host: Dalton Shetler

Website/Mobile: msuspartans.com/watch, MSU Spartans app, Tune In radio

Flagship Stations: Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM)/WJIM (1240 AM); Detroit: WJR (760 AM); Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)

Affiliates: 23 affiliates listed at msuspartans.com

Satellite: SiriusXM Ch. 84 | SiriusXM App

Pregame Show: Begins at 6:30 p.m.

 

►SERIES INFORMATION

All-Time Series: MSU leads, 36-29-3

Series in East Lansing: MSU leads, 22-12

Last Meeting: Purdue 40, MSU 29 (2021 in West Lafayette)

Current Series Streak: 1 by Purdue

►HEAD COACHES

MSU Head Coach: Jonathan Smith

MSU Record: 4-6 (first year)

Overall Record: 38-41 (seventh year)

Record vs. Purdue: 0-1 (0-0 at MSU)

Purdue Head Coach: Ryan Walters

Purdue Record: 5-17 (second year)

Overall Record: 5-17 (second year)

Record vs. MSU: 0-0

►SPARTAN FOOTBALL NEWS AND NOTES

• Michigan State plays host to Purdue on Friday, Nov. 22 at 8:05 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on FOX with Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst) and Josh Sims (sidelines) on the call.

• MSU fell to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten following its 38-16 loss at Illinois last Saturday in Champaign. Purdue (1-9, 0-7 Big Ten) is coming off a 49-10 loss at home to No. 4 Penn State.

• MSU’s schedule currently ranks tied for the 18th-toughest in the FBS, according to the NCAA (opponents with a .630 winning percentage at 58-34). The Spartans have played four teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25 (No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 24 Illinois).

• The Spartans opened the season 3-0 with wins over Florida Atlantic, Maryland and Prairie View A&M. In Week 4, Michigan State lost at Boston College, 23-19, on a late fourth-quarter touchdown before falling to No. 3/3 Ohio State on Sept. 28 and at No. 6/6 Oregon on Oct. 4. Michigan State bounced back after its first bye week with a 32-20 win over Iowa on Homecoming on Oct. 19, but has dropped its last three games.

• Friday’s game marks the 69th meeting between Michigan State and Purdue. The Spartans lead the all-time series 36-29-3, including wins in eight of the last nine games. In the last matchup at Purdue in 2021,  MSU entered the game 8-0 and No. 3 in the CFP rankings, but fell to the Boilermakers, 40-29. The two teams haven’t met in Spartan Stadium since a 23-13 MSU victory on Oct. 27, 2018. Michigan State has won five straight against Purdue at home and is 22-12 against the Boilermakers all-time in East Lansing.

• Michigan State will be playing in its school-record seventh night of the game of the season, and fourth in East Lansing. MSU is 2-1 in night games in Spartan Stadium this season (wins over Florida Atlantic and Iowa; loss to Ohio State).

• Friday marks the 32nd night game in Spartan Stadium history but just the second in November (Nov. 8, 2014, vs. Ohio State). MSU is 22-9 all-time in night games in Spartan Stadium.

• True freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 67.9 receiving yards per game; that mark also ranks third among FBS freshmen and tied for 61st overall in the FBS. The Detroit native leads the team in receiving yards (611) and ranks second in receptions (37). He also ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 16.5 yards per catch. Marsh’s 611 receiving yards are the most ever by a Spartan true freshman (previous: Cody White with 490 in 2017).

►SOPHOMORE AIDAN CHILES IN HIS FIRST YEAR AS STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR MSU                 

• Sophomore Aidan Chiles has completed 61 percent of his passes (164-of-269) for 2,106 yards (210.6 ypg), 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his first year as the starting quarterback for the Spartans. The Long Beach, California, native is in his first season in East Lansing after playing in a back-up role as a true freshman at Oregon State in 2023. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 37th in the FBS in passing yards per completion (12.8). Chiles is also tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns; he has a net of 210 rushing yards on 85 carries (21.0 ypg), but has gained a total of 384 yards on the ground.

• Chiles is just the sixth Spartan sophomore quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards in a single season (Payton Thorne with 3,233 in 2021; Brian Lewerke with 2,793 in 2017; Connor Cook with 2,755 in 2013; Kirk Cousins with 2,680 in 2009; Jeff Smoker with 2,579 in 2001). Thorne, Lewerke, Cook and Cousins all took a redshirt year and those totals came in their redshirt sophomore season; Smoker was a true sophomore in 2001.

• Chiles has thrown for 250-plus yards in three games this season, including a career-high 363 in the win at Maryland on Sept. 7, which was the eighth-highest total in MSU history. He threw for 256 yards both in the win over Iowa on Oct. 19 and at Illinois on Nov. 16.  

►SPARTANS FEATURE A PAIR OF 2,000-YARD CAREER RUSHERS IN THE BACKFIELD       

• Michigan State features two running backs – sixth-year graduate transfer Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and redshirt junior Nathan Carter – who have both rushed for more than 2,000 career yards. Carter (2,218) and Lynch-Adams (2,383) are one of 10 duos on the same team in the FBS to have more than 2,000 career rushing yards (Missouri, Ohio State, UCF, Ole Miss, Penn State, Michigan State, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas State, Boston College).

• Lynch-Adams and Carter have combined for 62 percent of the team’s overall rushing attempts (206 of 332) and 94 percent from the running back room (206 of 219).

►MONTORIE FOSTER JR. ECLIPSES CENTURY MARK FOR CAREER RECEPTIONS       

• Fifth-year senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. had a team-high six catches for 76 yards to surpass the century mark for career receptions. He leads all active Spartans with 104 career catches for 1,367 yards and seven TDs in 52 games, including 26 starts. Foster is the 34th Spartan in school history with at least 100 career catches. He leads the team in 2024 with 42 receptions for 529 yards and two TDs and has caught at least one pass in 23 consecutive games.

►SPARTANS RANK 35TH IN FBS IN TOTAL DEFENSE                                          

• Michigan State ranks 35th in the FBS in total defense, allowing 328.1 yards per game. The Spartans have held five opponents under 300 yards of total offense this season (Florida Atlantic, 248; Prairie View A&M, 140; Boston College, 292; Iowa, 283; Michigan, 265).

►LINEBACKER CAL HALADAY EXTENDS STARTING STREAK TO 33 STRAIGHT GAMES                 

• Fifth-year graduate senior linebacker Cal Haladay has started 33 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team. He is currently second on the Spartan defense with 49 tackles; his 356 career tackles rank ninth most in MSU history and seventh among active players in the FBS.

►SPARTANS EXCEL IN KICKING GAME                                                                                                

• Michigan State features one of the best kicking duos in all of college football with sixth-year graduate placekicker Jonathan Kim and redshirt sophomore punter Ryan Eckley. Kim is 18-of-20 (.900) on field goals for the season to rank first in the Big Ten and tied for 11th in the FBS in made field goals; he has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. Eckley, who was on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, ranks second in the Big Ten with his 48.5-yard punting average; 18 of his 35 punts this season (51 percent) have been for 50-plus yards.

• Kim earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named one of the Lou Groza Award three stars of the week after setting a school record with six field goals in the win over Iowa on Oct. 19. A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Kim connected on six of his seven field-goal attempts, including a season-long 55-yarder in the fourth quarter. He also was good from 42, 43, 36, 29 and 46 yards out. It also tied a modern-day Big Ten record, matching Jake Moody of Michigan with six field goals vs. Indiana (11/17/18); E.C. Robertson of Purdue owns the overall record with seven field goals on Oct. 27, 1900, vs. Rose Poly. With 20 points overall against Iowa, including two PATs, Kim also set a top scoring mark in modern-day Big Ten history by a kicker, bettering the 19 points by Moody in 2018 vs. Indiana.

►STAT LEADERS

Michigan State:

Rushing – Gr.-6 Kay’ron Lynch-Adams (106 carries for 495 yards, 4.7 avg., 2 TDs, 49.5 ypg)

Passing – So. Aidan Chiles (164-of-269, .610, 2,106 yards, 10 TDs, 11 INTs, 210.6 ypg)

Receiving – Sr.-5 Montorie Foster Jr. (42 receptions for 529 yards, 12.6 avg., 2 TDs, 52.9 ypg)

Tackles – Sr.-5 LB Jordan Turner (57 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 1 INT)

Purdue:

Rushing – R-Jr. Devin Mockobee (104 carries for 612 yards, 5.9 avg., 3 TDs, 68.0 ypg)

Passing – R-Sr. Hudson Card (101-of-168, .601, 1,113 yards, 8 TDs, 5 INTs, 159.0 ypg)

Receiving – R-So. TE Max Klare (32 receptions for 475 yards, 14.8 avg., 2 TDs, 52.8 ypg)

Tackles – So. DB Dillon Thieneman (75 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 5 PBUs)

►QUICK GLANCE AT PURDUE (1-9, 0-7 BIG TEN)                                                  

• The Boilermakers roll into East Lansing with a 1-9 overall and 0-7 B1G ledger in tow. Purdue is coming off a 49-10 loss to No. 4 Penn State as the Nittany Lions spoiled the Boilermakers’ Senior Day.

• Penn State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, stretching the advantage to 21-3 at halftime. PSU broke the game open with 21 points in the third stanza for a 42-3 lead before Purdue scored a TD, and the Nittany Lions tacked on a final TD for the 49-10 final score.

• Last Saturday was part of Purdue’s stretch of playing four teams ranked in the AP Top 5, having already played then-No. 2 Oregon (L, 35-0) on Oct. 18, then-No. 2 Ohio State (L, 45-0) on Nov. 9 before facing No. 4 Penn State, and the Boilermakers wrap up the season against in-state rival and No. 5 Indiana next week.

• Purdue has played a total of five AP Top 25 teams, also losing to then-No. 18 Notre Dame, 66-7, on Sept. 14 and at then-No. 23 Illinois, 50-49 in OT, on Oct. 23. The Boilermakers’ lone win came in their season-opener, beating in-state foe Indiana State, 49-0, on Aug. 31.

• The Boilermakers are 18th in the B1G in both scoring offense (17.2 ppg) and scoring defense (38.9 ppg).

• The Purdue offense is ranked 16th in the conference in total offense (318.6 ypg), ranking 12th in rushing offense (137.5 ypg) and 15th in passing offense (181.1 ypg).

• Defensively, the Boilermakers are 18th in total defense (455.7 ypg), 18th in rushing defense (203.3 ypg) and 17th in passing yards allowed (252.4 ypg).

• Individually, senior quarterback Hudson Card is 16th in the B1G in passing yards/game (158.0) and 15th in passing TDs (8). Card is 112-of-188 (.596) for 1,264 yards with the eight TDs and five INTs. Redshirt-freshman quarterback Ryan Browne is 40-of-68 (.588) for 513 yards, ranking 19th in the B1G with four TDs, and has one INT.

• Junior running back Devin Mockobee is seventh in the B1G in rushing yards/carry (5.67) and 13th in rushing yards/game (65.2). Overall, Mockobee has 115 carries for 652 yards, with three TDs.

• Sophomore tight end Max Klare is 14th in the league in yards/reception (14.5), 16th in receiving yards/game (56.6), 21st in receiving TDs (3) and 24th in receptions/game (3.9). He has 39 total catches for 566 yards.

• Sophomore defensive back Dillon Thieneman is sixth in the B1G in total tackles (83), ranking fifth in the conference in tackles/game (8.5), adding 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack, along with five pass break-ups.

• Senior linebacker Kydran Jenkins is tied for sixth in the league in tackles for loss (10.0), just ahead of sophomore defensive end Will Heldt in 10th (8.5). Jenkins has 69 total tackles, while Heldt adds 47 stops.

• Junior defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove is tied for fourth in the B1G in interceptions (3), adding four pass break-ups to rank tied for 15th in passes defended (7).

• Freshman placekicker Spencer Porath is 17-of-17 on PATs and is 7-of-11 on FGs with a long of 45 yards.

• Junior punter Keelan Crimmins is third in the B1G and 16th in the FBS in punting (45.0 ypp) with a long of 64-yards, one of 11 punts of 50+ yards, pinning 13 of his 52 total punts inside the 20.

• Purdue head coach Ryan Walters is in second year engineering the Boilermakers, posting a 5-17 overall record.

►SERIES NOTES                                                           

• Friday’s game marks the 69th meeting between Michigan State and Purdue. The Spartans lead the all-time series 36-29-3, including wins in eight of the last nine games.

• In the last matchup at Purdue in 2021,  MSU entered the game 8-0 and No. 3 in the CFP rankings, but fell to the Boilermakers, 40-29.

• The two teams haven’t met in Spartan Stadium since a 23-13 MSU victory on Oct. 27, 2018. Rocky Lombardi threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start for Michigan State as the Spartans halted Purdue’s four-game win streak.

• Michigan State has won five straight against Purdue at home and is 22-12 against the Boilermakers all-time in East Lansing.

LAST TIME OUT: ILLINOIS 38, MSU 16

►GAME RECAP                                           

• Michigan State fell at Illinois, 38-16, before a crowd of 52,660 last Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

• Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles was 23-of-40 passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans, while fifth-year senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. led the team with six catches for 76 yards. Redshirt junior Nathan Carter compiled 48 all-purpose yards, including a 5-yard TD reception in the third quarter.

• Defensively, linebacker Darius Snow led MSU with seven tackles, while fellow linebackers Jordan Turner and Cal Haladay each had six stops.

• Although the total yardage was close, with Illinois compiling 369 yards to MSU’s 343, third downs proved to be the difference, with the Illini converting on 8-of-15 attempts, while the Spartans were just 2-of-15.

►SCORING SUMMARY                                                     

• Illinois struck first on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Luke Altmyer to Pat Bryant, giving the Fighting Illini a 7-0 lead at the 9:52 mark in the opening quarter. The Spartans responded on their next drive as Aziah Johnson caught a career-long 52-yard touchdown pass from Chiles, but MSU did miss the point-after attempt.

• Illinois’ Josh McCray capped a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive over the course of 6:47 with an 11-yard run with 1:06 left in the first to make it 14-6 in favor of the Fighting Illini. Illinois extended its lead to 21-6 on Zakhari Franklin’s leaping 4-yard grab in the end zone with 2:01 left in the first half.

• Michigan State cut into the deficit before the half with a nine-play, 55-yard scoring drive in just 59 seconds after Jonathan Kim connected on a 38-yard field goal to make it 21-9 at the break.

• The Spartans got the ball first in the second half and took advantage, driving 75 yards on 10 plays while taking 5:25 off the clock in scoring their second TD of the game. MSU converted two fourth downs on the drive, including Carter’s 5-yard catch in the end zone on fourth-and-2 for his first career TD reception.

• The Illini drove into the red zone on their first possession of the third quarter, but the Spartans forced a David Olano 37-yard field goal to keep the margin within one score, 24-16, at the 5:45 mark.

• Illinois outscored the Spartans, 14-0, in the fourth quarter, behind two McCray rushing touchdowns. His second TD of the game came from 1-yard out with 7:30 remaining, and he scored his third rushing TD again from 1-yard out with just 1:56 left to make the final, 38-16.

►OFFENSIVE NOTES                                                     

• MSU finished with 343 yards of total offense, marking the sixth game this season over 300 yards . . . the Spartans had 256 passing yards, their fourth game with 250-plus yards.

 

• Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles was 23-of-40 for 256 yards with two TDs . . . it was the third game with 20-plus pass completions and the 23 was his second-highest of the season, just one shy of his career-best of 24 in the Maryland game (9/7/24), while the 40 attempts was a new career high, topping his previous mark of 38 from the same Maryland contest . . . it marked Chiles’ fourth game with 200-plus passing yards and matched the second most of his collegiate career with 256 vs. Iowa (10/19/24) and just behind his career-high of 363 at Maryland.

• Chiles has now thrown at least one TD pass in four straight games and five of the last six outings, as part of seven of the 10 games this season, now with 10 total TDs on the season . . . with the two TD passes last Saturday, Chiles registered his second game with multiple TD tosses (three at Maryland).

 

• Chiles’ 52-yard scoring pass to Aziah Johnson was the second TD pass play of 50-plus yards this season, joining a 77-yard scoring pass from Chiles to freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh in the Maryland game (9/7/24) . . . it was also the Spartans’ fourth scoring play of 50 or more yards, joining a 63-yard TD run by graduate running back Kay’ron Lynch-Adams in the season-opener vs. Florida Atlantic (8/30/24) and a 60-yard TD run by redshirt junior running back Nathan Carter vs. Prairie View A&M (9/14/24).

 

• Freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh has at least one catch in all nine games that he has played, missing the Boston College game with an injury . . . Marsh finished with four catches for 58 yards . . . with the 58 yards, Marsh extends his MSU true freshman top mark of 611 yards . . . Marsh now has 37 receptions on the season, moving into No. 2 on the Spartans’ true freshman receptions list, passing Cody White (2017) with 35, and is the most by a freshman wide receiver, trailing running back Sedrick Irvin (1996) with 40.

 

• Redshirt freshman wide receiver Aziah Johnson snared his career-long catch with the 52-yard TD reception from Aidan Chiles in the first quarter . . . it was Johnson’s first TD catch in a Big Ten contest and second overall of the season, with a 17-yard TD reception vs. Prairie View A&M (9/14/24) . . . Johnson topped his career-high receiving total in the first half alone, adding an 8-yard catch and a 10-yard reception in the second quarter for 70 yards before halftime . . . Johnson’s top two marks of his career have come on the road, as last Saturday’s outing bettered his previous top mark of 59 yards at Boston College (9/21/24).

 

• With a reception on the Spartans’ opening drive of the second half, senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. extended his team-leading streak of at least one reception to 23 consecutive games, dating back to 2022 . . . Foster now has at least one catch in 33 of his last 45 career games played . . . Foster finished with a season-high tying six receptions for 76 yards, matching the half-dozen catches vs. Maryland (9/7/24) . . . the Spartan senior has had three or more receptions in nine of the 10 games, including four or more in the last four games . . . Foster’s 76 yards is his third-most of the season, behind his career-high 100 yards vs. Iowa (10/19/24) and 87 at Boston College (9/21/24) . . . the 76 yards is also his fifth game with 50-plus yards.

 

• Foster’s second reception of the game was his 100th career reception, becoming the 34th Spartan football player with 100 career catches.

 

• Redshirt junior running back Nathan Carter snared the first TD catch of his collegiate career, matching his jersey-number with a 5-yard catch on MSU’s opening possession of the second half . . . Carter ended the game with a season-high and career-best tying five catches, matching his most of five for the fourth time of his career, most recently done last season at Minnesota (10/28/23).

 

►DEFENSIVE NOTES                                                     

• Redshirt junior linebacker Darius Snow posted five tackles in the first half alone, tying a season-high from five stops vs. Iowa (10/19/24) . . . Snow finished the game with a team-leading seven tackles, for a new season-high and his most stops post-injury, after missing a majority of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with an injury; it was Snow’s most stops since seven tackles in the 2021 match-up with Penn State (11/27/21) . . . it was Snow’s 10th career game with five or more stops, including a streak of eight straight games during the 2021 season, from Oct. 2 – Nov. 27, 2021.

 

• Graduate linebacker Cal Haladay registered six tackles, including on three straight plays in the first quarter, as part of five stops in the first half . . . the six stops marks Haladay’s sixth game this season with five or more stops.

 

• Senior linebacker Jordan Turner logged six tackles, including 1.0 tackle for loss, tallying his eighth game with five or more stops out of the 10 contests this season . . . Turner now has at least 0.5 tackle for loss in seven of the 10 games and 8.5 TFLs for the season.

 

• Freshman safety Jaylen Thompson posted five tackles in his first career start, giving him 11 tackles in the last two games after logging a season-high six stops last time out vs. Indiana (11/2/24) . . . Thompson has 14 total tackles on the season in playing four games, with three tackles in his Spartan debut vs. Ohio State (9/28/24) and playing in the game at Oregon (10/4/24).

 

►SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES                                                     

 • Graduate placekicker Jonathan Kim split the uprights from 47 yards out for MSU’s opening score on its first possession of the game . . . Kim is now 8-of-10 on field goals in his last three games as part of 18-of-20 on the season, leading the Big Ten . . . the 47-yarder was Kim’s 10th field goal of 40+ yards and he is now 10-of-11 on the season from 40 or more yards out.

►UP NEXT                                                  

 • Michigan State will host Rutgers on Senior Day in the home finale on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The game will be televised on FS1.