The Chippewas tried their best to make the Spartans sweat late in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon in Spartan Stadium, with running back Jonathan Ward's successful 29-yard trick play touchdown pass to keep his team hanging around. But ultimately, it wasn't enough.
Michigan State football (3-1, 1-0 in Big Ten) would go on to defeat Central Michigan (1-4), 31-20, with help from its high-scoring second and third quarters, in their first afternoon game of the season Saturday in Spartan Stadium.
The Spartans went scoreless in the opening and closing quarters, but put up 31 total points in the other two periods.
To start off the game, junior quarterback Tommy Lazzaro’s pass to Brandon Childress gained 35 yards on the Chippewas' first play. They would go on to score a field goal from 40 yards out to put themselves on the board first.
Through the first quarter, junior quarterback Brian Lewerke and MSU's offense struggled, gaining only 52 rushing yards. Lewerke made one pass to the end zone in the opening period, but it would be intercepted by Central Michigan to keep the Spartans scoreless.
Junior safety David Dowell’s interception on the Chippewas' first drive of the second quarter would help get the Spartans adjusted. Lewerke would earn the first touchdown for MSU on a 3-yard carry on the ensuing drive to put his team up, 7-3.
Lewerke then completed a five-yard run to score another touchdown towards the end of the first half to put MSU up, 14-3. Sophomore kicker Matt Coghlin would connect on a 33-yard field goal right before halftime to give the team in green and white a 14-point advantage at the break.
Junior defensive end Kenny Willekes led the Spartans in tackles in the first half with five, and recorded one sack on Lazzaro.
Early in the third quarter, sophomore running back Connor Heyward took a hand-off for two yards into the endzone, which made him the first person besides Lewerke to score for the Spartans at that point in the game.
Freshman running back La’Darius Jefferson would earn his first-career touchdown with the Spartans on a two-yard run to complete an eight-play drive with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, and gave his team a 31-3 lead.
Central Michigan wouldn't score their first touchdown of the game until the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Lazzaro flicked a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Julian Hicks to close the Spartans' scoring gap to 31-10. A few minutes later, kicker Ryan Tice would make a 40-yard field goal to cut the Chippewas' deficit to 18 points.
Ward's touchdown bomb to back-up quarterback Tony Poljan with just under seven minutes remaining in the game brought Central Michigan to within 11 points of the Spartans, but that was as close as the Chippewas would get.
The Spartans will hit the field again next Saturday for their homecoming game against Northwestern in Spartan Stadium.
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