"It was moving for our sideline when Cadillac took that back to the house on kickoff return," MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said. "For how he has continued to battle … for him to not go down and take that back, that was a huge lift for our sideline."

Brown was overwhelmed with emotion after giving the Spartans their first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2014. He took off his helmet and raced down MSU’s sideline as teammates followed, sprinting toward his family’s section in the crowd to share the moment.

"I've been having a lot of things going on outside [the game], some off-the-field things going on with my fiancée," Brown said. "It just meant a lot for me, my family at that moment and her family as well. So I dedicate that to God and my family."

After walking away from the crowd, all he could do was crouch to the ground and take it all in. He stayed in the same spot behind the bench for minutes as teammates kept coming up to celebrate with him. It was his first game since Week 2 against Boston College, after a broken foot had kept him sidelined — a special moment in the last game of his college career.

A moment filled with so much excitement delivered the spark the team had been missing in critical moments all season. It prevented the Spartans from watching their lead drift away and became the difference-maker in a game that fully symbolizes MSU’s season.

"Made a good point in the locker room that this game was like the season," junior linebacker Jordan Hall said. "Started off strong, getting whooped in the middle, but we found a way to rally at the end and finish strong."

The similarities are definitely there. Just like MSU’s perfect 3-0 start to the year, the Spartans played a nearly perfect first half, dominating Maryland 24-7 and showcasing their most complete half of football this season. Then came the downfall in the third quarter. Just like the eight-game losing streak, MSU struggled to get the job done.

Aside from Brown’s return, the Spartans scored no points as the offense struggled to move the ball. Meanwhile, the defense failed to stop Maryland freshman quarterback Malik Washington, who carved up the secondary for 229 of his 459 passing yards and two of his three touchdown passes in the quarter.

However, unlike the previous eight games, this time MSU stepped up and put it away in the fourth quarter.

After redshirt freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw an interception to end a promising drive late in the fourth, Spartan fans were ready for a story they knew too well — a win slipping away in the closing minutes. But the defense refused to let that happen.

"We wanted it. We knew where they were on the field," Hall said. "So, we knew we needed to knock them out."

Following two incompletions, it was already third down as Washington looked to make a play, but Hall had other plans. He rushed into the backfield and forced a bad throw. His determination carried over to the next snap, where Hall and freshman defensive back Aydan West met at the quarterback on fourth down to give MSU the ball back.

But it still was not over. The second-half offensive struggles continued, and MSU found itself facing fourth-and-7. The choice was a field goal to give Maryland a shot, or go for the win.

The Spartans chose the aggressive move — an uncharacteristic decision for Smith — and it paid off. Milivojevic found senior wide receiver Omari Kelly in the end zone.

It was an exclamation point on another impressive performance from the young QB, who finished 27 for 39 for 292 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception.

A win to push their record to 4–8 and avoid their first winless Big Ten season since 1958 is not the type of victory that guarantees another year in East Lansing, but it is a positive. The team broke the longest losing streak in school history and continued to show the same level of fight it has displayed all season — a character trait Smith used as a selling point for the future alongside the program’s young talent.

"Durability, I go back to leadership. When things are hard, [they] displayed some character of sticking together," Smith said regarding his takeaways from this season. "I do think we got some young players that are contributing in a big way, and they’ve got a bright future."

Although Smith’s future is unknown, one thing is certain: football season is over in East Lansing. Now marks the start of an important offseason for a program that has lost significant alumni and fan support, highlighted by the disappointing announced attendance of 30,317 — less than half of Ford Field’s capacity for the season finale.