| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 14 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
| Northwestern | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
Game flow
Michigan State won by 17 · 9 scoresLead changes
0
0 times tied
NU biggest lead
—
never led
MSU biggest lead
+21
Q2 9:45
Time in front
NU 0% · MSU 100%
tied 0% · 0:00 vs 59:47 of game clock
The lead after every score: above the line Northwestern is ahead, below it Michigan State. Each dot is a score in the scoring team's colour; hover one.
Scoring summary
1st quarter
14:47
TD Kenneth Walker III 75 Yd Run (Matt Coghlin Kick)1 play, 75 yds, 0:13 · from MSU 25
MSU 7–0 NU7:44
TD Kenneth Walker III 3 Yd Run (Matt Coghlin Kick)10 plays, 74 yds, 4:12 · from MSU 26
MSU 14–0 NU2nd quarter
9:45
TD Jordon Simmons 14 Yd pass from Payton Thorne (Matt Coghlin Kick)4 plays, 66 yds, 1:28 · from MSU 34
MSU 21–0 NU0:59
TD Trey Pugh 1 Yd pass from Hunter Johnson (Charlie Kuhbander Kick)15 plays, 62 yds, 6:44 · from NU 38
MSU 21–7 NU3rd quarter
7:06
TD Kenneth Walker III 5 Yd Run (Matt Coghlin Kick)11 plays, 80 yds, 4:20 · from MSU 20
MSU 28–7 NU4th quarter
11:17
TD Trey Pugh 5 Yd pass from Hunter Johnson (Charlie Kuhbander Kick)16 plays, 69 yds, 7:52 · from NU 31
MSU 28–14 NU6:04
FG Matt Coghlin 37 Yd Field Goal 10 plays, 59 yds, 5:13 · from MSU 22
MSU 31–14 NU2:27
TD Stephon Robinson Jr. 14 Yd pass from Hunter Johnson (Charlie Kuhbander Kick)8 plays, 61 yds, 2:20 · from NU 39
MSU 31–21 NU1:29
TD Kenneth Walker III 6 Yd Run (Matt Coghlin Kick)4 plays, 52 yds, 0:58 · from MSU 48
MSU 38–21 NUDrives
NU 3/12 scoredMSU 6/12 scored| Q | Start | Team | From | Plays | Yds | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 15:00 | MSU | MSU 25 | 1 | 75 | 0:13 | Touchdown |
| Q1 | 14:47 | NU | NU 35 | 7 | 39 | 2:51 | Missed FG |
| Q1 | 11:56 | MSU | MSU 26 | 10 | 74 | 4:12 | Touchdown |
| Q1 | 7:44 | NU | NU 27 | 7 | 51 | 2:35 | Downs |
| Q1 | 5:09 | MSU | MSU 22 | 6 | 36 | 2:22 | Punt |
| Q1 | 2:47 | NU | NU 1 | 4 | 20 | 2:27 | Punt |
| Q1 | 0:20 | MSU | MSU 39 | 5 | 4 | 2:13 | Punt |
| Q2 | 13:07 | NU | NU 20 | 3 | 5 | 1:54 | Punt |
| Q2 | 11:13 | MSU | MSU 34 | 4 | 66 | 1:28 | Touchdown |
| Q2 | 9:45 | NU | NU 25 | 5 | 18 | 1:22 | Punt |
| Q2 | 8:23 | MSU | MSU 26 | 3 | 1 | 0:40 | Punt |
| Q2 | 7:43 | NU | NU 38 | 15 | 62 | 6:44 | Touchdown |
Win probability
Michigan State 100% · pregame line Northwestern −3.0 (closing line)The pregame line (TDC's for this week's games, the closing betting line for past ones), blended with the score, clock and field position (calibrated on every 2024–25 FBS play). Gold dots mark the biggest swings; hover one.
Box score
| Passing | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payton Thorne | 15/25 | 185 | 7.4 | 1 | 0 | 76.2 |
| Team | 0/1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | -- |
| Rushing | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker III | 23 | 264 | 11.5 | 4 | 75 |
| Payton Thorne | 5 | 28 | 5.6 | 0 | 18 |
| Jayden Reed | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Harold Joiner III | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Jordon Simmons | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Receiving | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Reed | 5 | 64 | 12.8 | 0 | 23 |
| Tre Mosley | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 0 | 26 |
| Connor Heyward | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 0 | 16 |
| Jalen Nailor | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 13 |
| Jordon Simmons | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 1 | 14 |
| Kicking | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Coghlin | 1/2 | 50.0 | 37 | 5/5 | 8 |
| Punting | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Baringer | 4 | 189 | 47.3 | 1 | 1 | 57 |
Biggest plays
MSU +16% Q1 14:47 Kenneth Walker III run for 75 yds for a TD, (Matt Coghlin KICK)
MSU +16% Q1 7:44 Kenneth Walker III run for 3 yds for a TD, (Matt Coghlin KICK)
NU +15% Q2 0:59 Hunter Johnson pass complete to Trey Pugh for 1 yd for a TD, (Charlie Kuhbander KICK)
MSU +14% Q2 0:59 Charlie Kuhbander kickoff for 51 yds for a touchback
MSU +11% Q1 11:39 Kenneth Walker III run for 2 yds to the MchSt 28
Team stats
| Stat | MSU | NU |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 23 | 20 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 4-10 | 8-19 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1-1 | 4-5 |
| Total Yards | 511 | 400 |
| Passing | 185 | 283 |
| Comp/Att | 15/26 | 30/43 |
| Yards per pass | 7.1 | 6.6 |
| Rushing | 326 | 117 |
| Rushing Attempts | 37 | 38 |
| Yards per rush | 8.8 | 3.1 |
| Penalties | 5-50 | 6-40 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 24:18 | 35:42 |
Play by play
Q4 0:00 End of 4th Quarter
Q4 0:01 3rd & 4 at NU 31 Marcus Cisco run for 4 yds to the Nwest 35 for a 1ST down
Q4 0:39 2nd & 5 at NU 30 Marcus Cisco run for 1 yd to the Nwest 31
Q4 1:05 1st & 10 at NU 25 Marcus Cisco run for 5 yds to the Nwest 30
Q4 1:29 Matt Coghlin kickoff for 65 yds for a touchback
Q4 1:29 1st & Goal at NU 6 Kenneth Walker III run for 6 yds for a TD, (Matt Coghlin KICK)
Q4 1:36 1st & 10 at NU 36 Kenneth Walker III run for 30 yds to the Nwest 6 for a 1ST down
Q4 1:50 2nd & 6 at NU 48 Jayden Reed run for 12 yds to the Nwest 36 for a 1ST down
Q4 2:18 Timeout NORTHWESTERN, clock 02:18
Q4 2:19 1st & 10 at MSU 48 Kenneth Walker III run for 4 yds to the Nwest 48
Q4 2:27 Charlie Kuhbander on-side kick recovered by MICHIGAN ST at the MchSt 48
Q4 2:27 1st & 10 at MSU 14 Hunter Johnson pass complete to Stephon Robinson Jr. for 14 yds for a TD, (Charlie Kuhbander KICK)
Q4 2:40 3rd & 1 at MSU 23 Andrew Clair run for 9 yds to the MchSt 14 for a 1ST down
Q4 2:50 2nd & 5 at MSU 27 Hunter Johnson pass complete to Malik Washington for 4 yds to the MchSt 23
Q4 3:14 1st & 10 at MSU 32 Hunter Johnson pass complete to Evan Hull for 5 yds to the MchSt 27
Q4 3:45 2nd & 2 at MSU 36 Evan Hull run for 4 yds to the MchSt 32 for a 1ST down
Q4 4:00 1st & 10 at MSU 44 Hunter Johnson pass complete to Raymond Niro III for 8 yds to the MchSt 36
Q4 4:20 2nd & 1 at NU 48 Evan Hull run for 8 yds to the MchSt 44 for a 1ST down
Q4 4:30 1st & 10 at NU 39 Evan Hull run for 9 yds to the Nwest 48
Q4 4:47 1st & 10 at NU 47 Harold Joiner run for 8 yds to the Nwest 39 Harold Joiner fumbled, forced by A.J. Hampton Jr., recovered by Nwest Sean McLaughlin
Q4 4:57 4th & 23 at NU 12 Derek Adams punt for 35 yds, fair catch by Jayden Reed at the Nwest 47
Q4 5:06 3rd & 23 at NU 12 Hunter Johnson pass incomplete to Malik Washington
Q4 5:20 3rd & 13 at NU 22 Johnson, Hunter pass complete to Hull, Evan for 13 yards to the NORTHWSTRN35, PENALTY NORTHWSTRN holding (Schmidt, Charlie) 10 yards to the NORTHWSTRN12, NO PLAY.
Q4 5:37 2nd & 13 at NU 22 Hunter Johnson pass incomplete to Evan Hull
Q4 5:50 1st & 15 at NU 20 Hunter Johnson pass complete to Bryce Kirtz for 2 yds to the Nwest 22