EAST LANSING, Mich. – Aidan Chiles threw for two scores in the first half and built a three-touchdown lead as Michigan State defeated Purdue 24-17 on Friday night.

The Spartans (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) are one win away from qualifying for a bowl under first-year coach Jonathan Smith and will play Rutgers at home in the final game of the regular season.

“It means a lot,” Chiles said. “We should have been here a long time ago.”

The Boilermakers (1-10, 0-8) have dropped 10 straight games and will need to pull off a stunning upset on the road against rival and fifth-ranked Indiana to avoid tying a school record with an 11th loss among second-year coach Ryan Walters.

Pressure to perform is expected, Walter acknowledged.

“It comes with the territory and sitting in the chair I’m in,” he said.

Michigan State scored three touchdowns and a field goal on its four drives in the first half to take a 24–3 lead, then struggled to move the ball in the second half and Purdue nearly took advantage.

“It’s a bit disappointing to come out hot and the next half looking like we’ve never played football before,” Chiles said.

With a chance to drive for a tying touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, Hudson Card threw a pass to Max Klare who spun and was picked off by linebacker Jordan Turner at the Michigan State 31.

Card gave the Boilermakers a chance to tie the game on their next drive, but Jahmal Edrine dropped a long pass while running behind the secondary all alone and they finally turned the game around on downs at midfield with 3:05 left .

Chiles missed his first chance to seal the victory on a third-down run when he went out of bounds instead of pushing back to likely get a first down and keep the clock running.

“I was supposed to score first and I thought I did that,” he said.

On fourth-and-1, Chiles’ sneak was spotted just past the stick and he was able to kneel down to run the remaining time.

Chiles finished 15 of 31 for 159 yards yards and threw multiple touchdown passes for the third time this season.

He threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Montorie Foster midway through the first quarter and a 20-yard touchdown pass to Nate Carter with 41 seconds left in the first half. Carter also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Card was 26 of 47 for a career-high 342 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Klare had seven receptions for 83 yards and a 7-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter to bring the Boilermakers within a touchdown.

The takeaway

Purdue: Walters was expected to struggle after a four-win debut season, including a win over the Hoosiers, but the Boilermakers were competitive in just two of the 10 games they lost.

“My focus right now is on Indiana and that’s what I can control,” Walters said. “I don’t feel any pressure other than trying to win a ball game.”

Michigan State: Smith’s team has somewhat exceeded low expectations and the program would get a much-needed boost with another win to earn a spot in the postseason.

Next

Purdue: The season mercifully ends Saturday as heavy underdogs against Indiana on the road.

Michigan State: Hosts the Scarlet Knights, who need a win to end Smith’s first season in a bowl game.

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