Michigan State University sophomore quarterback Aiden Chiles (2) watches a play unfold from the bench during a game at Spartan Stadium on Nov. 2, 2024. Chiles sat out for the remainder of the game following an injury in the third quarter.
In Michigan State football's past two losses, first quarter success has turned into unproductivity for the rest of the way.
In a 24-17 loss at Michigan last Saturday, the Spartans won the first quarter 7-0, outgaining the Wolverines 135 to 15. In the next three quarters, MSU had trouble moving the football while Michigan took advantage of Spartan mistakes.
On Saturday at Spartan Stadium, history repeated itself for MSU in a 47-10 drubbing to undefeated Indiana.
"We got embarrassed today," MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said postgame. "It's a terrible taste in our mouths, but that's what you sign up for."
When the first quarter ended, the Spartans had a 10-0 lead on the No. 13 team in the nation and outgained the Hoosiers 128 to 52.
Then, like the Michigan loss, the Spartans fell flat.
It began with the Hoosier offense regrouping after a shaky start. After two three-and-outs to open the game, the Hoosiers consistently rolled down the field with their balanced approach. On a seven-play drive, Indiana sixth year quarterback Kurtis Rourke found wide open senior tight end Zach Horton for a 17-yard touchdown, putting the Hoosiers on the board.
Following the score, MSU’s offense — which found success until then — was unable to move the ball. A second-quarter interception thrown by MSU sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles to Indiana sophomore defensive back Amare Ferrell gave the Hoosiers all the momentum.
MSU’s defense had no answer for the Hoosiers for most of the game. In just four plays in the second quarter, Indiana found the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back Ty Son Lawton, taking a 14-10 lead.
Things continued to get worse for the Spartans.
With Indiana’s offense sparking, MSU needed an answer to keep the momentum from shifting out of reach. Faced with a third down, Chiles telegraphed a short pass to the sidelines and was intercepted by Ferrell, setting up the Hoosiers in prime field position to extend their lead.
With favorable field position and some cushion, Indiana wasted no time turning defense into offense and scoring a touchdown. The six-play drive was capped off by a four-yard connection from Rourke to wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. Indiana led 21-10.
After gaining 128 yards in the first quarter, MSU only mustered 50 in the second quarter and a miniscule 27 yards in the entire second half. Much of this was due to the its inability to run effectively. The Spartans combined for negative-24 yards rushing, the third-worst quantity in program history for a single game.
Chiles faced pressure all game, and after he exited with an injury in the third quarter, backup Tommy Schuster did as well. Indiana finished with seven sacks and three quarterback hits, one of them forcing Chiles into the locker room to be evaluated for an apparent upper-body injury.
Smith said he expects Chiles to recover quickly and be back for MSU's next game in two weeks against Illinois.
"(The injuries) aren't season-ending for any of those guys," Smith said postgame.
Chiles finished the day 16-for-24 for 193 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before leaving in the third quarter.
Chiles' favorite target, freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh, put on an early show and finished the first quarter with three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. For the rest of the game, Marsh caught two passes for 19 yards.
After a slow start, Rourke was almost perfect against the Spartans' banged-up secondary, finishing 19-for-29 with 263 yards and four touchdowns. Wideouts Ke'Shawn Williams and Sarratt combined for ten receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Indiana's rushing attack featured seven different ball carriers, who combined for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
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"We were just swinging and missing and getting attacked in the backfield," Smith said. "Credit to Indiana, but we didn’t execute like we should have."
On MSU’s inaugural drive, Chiles dropped back, read through his progressions and aired out a 50-50 ball to Marsh on third and long. Marsh jumped up over his defender and toe-tapped a 33-yard catch to put MSU into Hoosier territory. MSU settled for a field goal to strike first, 3-0.
On the Spartans' ensuing drive, Chiles benefitted off his receivers' ability to find soft spots in coverage, driving MSU into the red zone. Faced with another third and long, the connection between Marsh and Chiles struck again. With nobody open, Chiles scrambled right and threw another jump ball to Marsh. With Marsh’s momentum taking his body out of the end zone, he pulled the ball in while keeping one foot inbounds. After review, the 18-yard touchdown was confirmed, extending the Spartan lead to 10-0.
After the rise and fall of MSU, down 21-10 at the half, the Spartans' trajectory continued to plummet.
On the opening drive of the second half, Indiana held MSU to a three-and-out, forcing the Spartans to punt deep in their own territory. Indiana blocked the ensuing punt from MSU sophomore punter Ryan Eckley as the ball rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
Following the safety, the Hoosier offense picked up right where it left off. This time, down-the-field strikes by Rourke tormented the Spartans. Rourke found wide open receiver Myles Price for an 18-yard touchdown, extending Indiana's lead to 30-10. With this score, fans started to clear out of Spartan Stadium and the Hoosiers' eight-game win streak turned into nine with a 47-10 victory.
MSU moves on to a bye week before traveling to face Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 16.
"A good thing about the bye week is that we get a chance to really dive deep into the last few games," sixth year defensive lineman Maverick Hansen said. "We get a chance to build off of what we're doing good and fix what we're doing bad, and as a unit, we just have to come together and show love to each other."
