Michigan State football holds on late in 24-17 win over Purdue

On November 23, 2024By Littum

EAST LANSING — For 30 minutes, with the wind blowing and the rain falling and the stands far from full, Michigan State football put it all together.

The offense clicked and scored 24 straight points. The defense got stops, generated sacks and turnovers.

Then came the second-half shutout, kicking off survival mode. And finally, escaping at home against one of the country’s worst teams.

Jonathan Smith’s side must now find a way to get 60 more minutes of winning football to extend their season.

Aidan Chiles went 15-for-31 for 159 yards and two touchdowns while running for 26 more, Nate Carter scored rushing and receiving TDs and Jordan Turner delivered a diving fourth-quarter interception as Spartans fended off lowly Purdue, 24-17, Friday night at Spartan Stadium.

In the end, it came down to a Chiles fumble on fourth down after the sophomore ran out of bounds, just shy of a game-clinching first down. He picked it up one play later the length of a football and the Spartans ran out the clock.

MSU (4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) closes the regular season next Saturday when it hosts Rutgers and needs another win in Smith’s first season to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2021. Kickoff is at 15.30 (FS1).

Quarterback Hudson Card was 26-for-47 for 342 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Purdue (1-10, 0-8), which has lost 10 straight since its season-opening win over Indiana State in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Boilermakers gave the Spartans fits by going 5-for-13 on third downs and 2-for-3 on fourth downs.

30 strong minutes for the Spartans

It was by no means perfect. But MSU opened a 24-3 halftime run with one of the most productive 30 minutes of the season.

The Boilers moved the ball quickly and efficiently on the opening drive, but the Spartans finally got their first sack in seven games when Angelo Grose dropped Card on third-and-8. That forced a 40-yard Ben Freehill field goal after 5:23 of a Purdue possession that put MSU in a short hole.

Tight end Jack Velling was knocked out of the game on the Spartans’ ensuing drive, taken to a local hospital for evaluation after being carted off on a backboard and cart. That came after Chiles hit his fellow Oregon State transfer for an 11-yard completion on third-and-9 to keep the chains moving.

After a long delay, Chiles used his legs to convert another third down and then hit Ademola Faleye for 14 yards to the Purdue 7. On the next play, Chiles blitzed a dart to Montorie Foster Jr. in the front right corner of the end zone for a 7-yard TD pass with 4:24 left in the opening quarter.

The Spartans hit a 43-yard Jonathan Kim field goal after a three-and-out by their defense. The offense quickly got the ball back two plays into the Boilersmakers’ next drive, with Quindarius Dunningan stripping the ball from Devin Mockobee and Maverick Hansen fumbling it at Purdue’s 33. It was MSU’s second fumble recovery of the season and first since Sept. 21. at Boston College, the Spartans’ first turnover forced in the last four games.

Chiles almost gave it right back when Purdue’s Dillon Thieneman — who delivered the hit on Velling — took an apparently errant pass and ran it back into MSU territory. But Foster drew a pass interference flag on Tarrion Grant to instead move the Spartans 15 yards closer than zone. Six plays later, on third-and-goal, Carter hacked down the line and hit the pylon on his dive for a 2-yard touchdown with 7:45 left.

MSU got another sack of Card, then Freehill’s 30-yard field goal attempt hit his teammate in the back of the helmet with 2:36 before halftime. Chiles marched the Spartans 84 yards in 10 plays and used his legs for another third-down conversion with an 18-yard gain before making two NFL throws to cap the drive. The first was a 33-yard plunge to Foster, and the last 20 came on a laser to Carter on a running back route that sent MSU into the locker room with its first interception since beating Iowa on Oct. 19.

Chiles was 10-for-19 for 120 yards and two TDs passing and 23 yards on three rushing attempts. Kay’ron Lynch-Adams had 54 yards as the Spartans rushed for 100 yards on 20 attempts. Their defense held Purdue to minus-7 yards on the ground in the first two quarters to offset the Cards’ 141 passing yards.

Where did the mojo go?

As the second half began and the occasional rain turned into a steady drizzle, many of the 57,000-plus fans who braved the cold, a large majority of them students, left Spartan Stadium.

And with them went MSU’s mojo and momentum.

The Spartans’ opening possession of the third quarter resulted in just 9 yards, though a Chile sneak gave them a fourth-down conversion. Purdue needed 10 plays to move 73 yards, with Card hitting Shamar Rigby for a 17-yard gain on fourth-and-5 before Mockobee raced around the left side for a 2-yard touchdown run to cut into MSU’s lead as he gnawed another 5:24 off the clock.

Card and the Boilermakers continued to take advantage of the extra chances and injury-depleted MSU secondary. Grose was flagged for pass interference on a third-and-8 that kept the drive alive. Then Card, facing third-and-21 after a timeout thanks to sustained pressure by the Spartans, ran away from Ken Talley and delivered a 38-yard comeback strike to receiver Jaron Tibbs in front of cornerbacks Ade Willie and Ed Woods. Short found tight end Max Klare for a 7-yard score on the next play.

MSU’s offensive quagmire continued with a quick three-and-out, and Purdue got the ball with a chance to tie the game with 9:44 left. But Card’s pass to Klare bounced off his hands, Grose tipped it and Turner made a diving interception not even a minute later.

However, Purdue got the ball back again as MSU was unable to capitalize. Card’s deep shot to a wide-open Jahmal Edrine well behind the Spartans’ defenders hit his receiver in the crotch and slipped through his hands. Tibbs dropped a third-down pass, and Turner and Khris Bogle forced Card into a fourth-down incompletion with 3:18 left. That set up Chiles to get the last first down, though his first 4-yard run fell just short of the Purdue bench.

MSU managed just 73 of its 293 yards in the second half, including 17 on the final drive, while Chiles was just 5-for-12 for 39 yards after the break.

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.

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