Michigan State needs to finish what it starts

Alessio Milivojevic took Michigan State 70 yards in seven plays after Toledo seized a fourth-quarter lead, and the Spartans kept the offense on the field for his fourth-down touchdown pass to Rodney Bullard Jr. Milivojevic then found Bullard again for two points. Michigan State won 30-20, giving Pat Fitzgerald a successful debut without letting a controlled game disappear late.

That response matters because Milivojevic completed 26 of 34 passes for 247 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He supplied the calm, accurate quarterback play this rebuilt offense needed when the game finally tightened.

The larger shape of the opener looked like Fitzgerald football. Michigan State ran 49 times and possessed the ball for 43:16. Cam Edwards touched the ball on eight of the opening drive’s 13 plays, while Fitzgerald credited the blocking and Nick Sheridan’s in-game adjustments. That is encouraging evidence of a physical identity, but one September win cannot establish that it will hold up across the Big Ten.

Eastern Michigan should reveal whether control can become separation

Eastern Michigan visits Spartan Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on BTN. The model gives Michigan State a 75% chance to win, so this is a game to expect the Spartans to handle, not an upset wish to build the weekend around.

The useful test is how they handle it. Michigan State scored on every first-half possession against Toledo, yet four of those five drives ended with field goals from the Toledo 14, 24, 30 and 17. Liam Boyd rescued those stalls by making five field goals, including a 51-yarder after Michigan State drained 5:55 on its final scoring possession. His range is a real strength; needing him that often against Eastern would mean the offense left its clearest Week 2 improvement unfinished.

Watch what happens once Michigan State crosses midfield. The Spartans do not need to abandon the 49-rush structure or chase quick highlights. They need that structure to create touchdown opportunities, then let Milivojevic finish them with the same decisiveness he showed on fourth down against Toledo.

Eastern has a credible way to make a favored team uncomfortable. Its defense has produced two takeaways in each of its first two games and converted both San José State turnovers into touchdowns. Michigan State’s best route to a comfortable afternoon is therefore connected at both ends. Sustain the possession game, finish with seven points and refuse to donate short fields.

Make Noah Kim’s familiarity irrelevant

Former Spartan quarterback Noah Kim returns with three other former Michigan State players, defensive back Caleb Coley, long snapper Reeves Taylor and offensive lineman Cole Dellinger. Kim started Michigan State’s first five games in 2023, so the setting will not be foreign to him.

The defense’s job is to ensure familiarity never becomes disruption. Joe Rossi created the opener’s only interception by disguising coverage and dropping edge Kenny Soares Jr.; Jordan Hall added four tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Eastern gives that group a chance to show the disguise was the beginning of a repeatable defensive personality while avoiding the explosive scores that kept Toledo alive.

Michigan State also needs its reconstructed roster to play like a settled team for a second straight week. Thirteen players making their Spartan debuts started the opener, with Edwards carrying 27 times, Soares intercepting a pass, Tre Bell and Eli Coenen recording sacks, and the new special-teams operation making five field goals. Those contributions showed that the newcomers could fill consequential roles immediately. Saturday can show whether they can do it again while playing as the favorite rather than responding to an emergency.

Michigan State visits Notre Dame next week, then eventually reaches a late stretch at Michigan and home against Washington and Oregon before the finale at Rutgers. That schedule makes this home game valuable without making it dramatic. Bank the expected result, sharpen the offense and arrive in South Bend with more than possession time to admire.

Five field goals made Toledo survivable. Against Eastern, the better ending is sustained drives becoming touchdowns before Kim can exploit a short field. The interactive guide carries the week’s probabilities, and the methodology explains how they were produced. Keep Fitzgerald’s physical structure, let Milivojevic turn sustained drives into touchdowns, and give Kim no takeaway-assisted route to a personal upset.