“I'm so proud of this team and the way we fought,” junior linebacker Jordan Hall said. “This game was like the season, it started off strong, got whooped in the middle, but we found a way to rally at the end and finish strong. I'm just so glad that we can send those seniors off the right way and finish the season on the right end.”

The chaotic game reached its peak midway through the third quarter and didn’t regress until the final whistle. After a Maryland touchdown cut MSU’s lead to 24–21, the Terrapins kicked off to sixth-year senior Alante Brown — a player who hadn’t appeared in 12 weeks because of a lower-leg injury. Brown returned the kick up the middle, broke through several Terrapin tacklers and used his speed to take the ball 92 yards into the end zone, extending MSU’s lead to 31-21 and giving a much-needed jolt of momentum to a team that desperately needed it.

It was Brown's only touch of the day, and the final touch of his college football career. 

“I knew that coming in off my injury, I wasn't going to get a lot of offensive reps,” Brown said. “So I just wanted to take advantage of all the special team reps that I could, and once [the coaches and I] came up with the plan on how I was going to get the ball on kickoff return, I just ran as fast as I could.”

But the momentum MSU gained from Brown’s electric return lasted only four plays. In one minute, Maryland and its red-hot freshman quarterback, Malik Washington, drove 75 yards, showing a quick, hurry-up air-raid offense that the Spartans couldn’t handle. Washington capped the drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalil Farooq, cutting the score to 31–28.

All night, Washington’s raw talent shined. The true freshman went 38-for-61 with 459 yards and three touchdowns to one interception. His leading receivers were Farooq and senior wide receiver Shaleak Knotts, who combined for 18 receptions and 249 yards with three total touchdowns. The trio's workhouse and productive talent stand to be a major reason the Terrapins offense amounted for 534 total yards.

Yet when the trio and Maryland’s offense were needed the most, they fell flat and became non-existent in comparison to what they had been all second half. 

Following a Spartan turnover and trailing 31-28 with three minutes left in the game, the Terrapins were set up for success with good starting field position. All Maryland needed was 65 yards and it would finish the season with a victory. Instead, in only four plays, it would get negative-13 yards and turn the ball back over to MSU on a failed fourth down attempt. 

On that unsuccessful Maryland drive, MSU’s 11-man defense looked like it was playing with 22. The Spartan secondary covered the Terrapin receivers better than it had all game, and the pressure on Washington became too much for the young quarterback to escape. On Maryland’s fourth-down attempt, Washington took the snap, dropped back to pass and was met with immediate pressure from a Spartan blitz. He rolled left but wasn’t quick enough to evade Hall and freshman defensive back Aydan West, who combined for the sack.

“This is still the game of football, it's such a team game,” MSU head coach Jonathan Smith said. “I think we’re pretty tough as a group. I'm really happy and proud of that locker room. They’ve been through a lot, some downs and disappointments, but I'm really proud of them. We played and practiced with energy and I’m so happy for them to come out with a win like they did.”

Leading 31-28 with three minutes left and in prime field position, MSU had the chance to snap its eight game losing streak. But like the season has gone, it did not come easy. After five plays where the Spartans were able to drive the ball into the red zone, they stalled. What was presented to Smith and his offense was a fourth and seven that had the potential to determine if MSU could end its season with a victory, or it was bound for defeat like it had been eight consecutive times. 

With the game on the line, Milivojevic took the snap, scanned through his progressions, and delivered an 11-yard touchdown to a wide open senior wide receiver Omari Kelly, extending MSU’s lead to 38-28. 

Three plays later, junior defensive back Aveon Grose intercepted Washington to seal a Spartan victory. 

“I wasn't too high on the depth chart at the beginning of the year,” Grose said. “But I kept working, kept showing up, and I got my chance, and I secured us a win and sent the seniors out well. It feels pretty good, honestly.”

On the offensive side, Milivojevic went 27-for-39 with 292 yards and a career high four touchdowns. He had one interception but was not sacked once. 

Milivojevic’s leading receivers were Kelly and sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh, who combined for 12 receptions for 161 yards with two touchdowns. Senior tight end Jack Velling also racked in five receptions for 68 yards, finding the endzone once. 

On the ground, MSU rushed for 161 yards. It was a sneaky advantage that helped MSU and its offensive efficiency. The leader of the ground attack was senior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver, who had 13 rushes for 95 yards, catching two passes for ten yards. 

On the defensive side, MSU hit Washington nine times, bringing him down twice. West and Hall both combined for 14 tackles and one sack, while senior defensive backs Malik Spencer and Malcolm Bell both combined for 14 tackles and two pass breakups.  

It was a display of full effort by the offense, defense, the special teams, every player and every coach; an effort that helped lift MSU past Maryland in its 38-28 victory. MSU will finish its 2025 football season with a record of 4-8.