Jackson Kleather kicked a 34-yard field goal with two seconds left as No. 25 Northwestern rallied past Michigan State 24-21 on Saturday at Spartan Stadium, improving to 5-1 on the season. The Wildcats trailed for most of the fourth quarter before scoring the final 11 points in the last 7:24.
Michigan State led 21-13 after Alessio Milivojevic hit Chrishon McCray for a 53-yard touchdown with 11:48 remaining. Milivojevic finished 19 of 30 for 216 yards and two touchdowns through the air, but the Spartans could not answer after Northwestern’s go-ahead drive and fell to 2-5. Jaziun Patterson led Michigan State on the ground with 72 yards on 15 carries.
How Northwestern Won: Final Field Goal And Late Push
Northwestern answered McCray’s long touchdown with a drive capped by Aidan Chiles’ 1-yard touchdown run, then converted a two-point pass from Chiles to Alex Honig to tie the score at 21-21 with 7:24 left. The Wildcats then controlled the ball long enough to set up Kleather’s third field goal of the day as time expired, sealing the 24-21.
Kleather went 3 of 4 on field goal attempts, with kicks of 39, 37 and 34 yards bookending the scoring. His first-quarter field goal opened the contest before Milivojevic scored on a 3-yard run to put Michigan State ahead 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. Northwestern turned the ball over zero times on the day, a major factor in a game decided by three points.
Top Performers From Both Sides
Chiles completed 18 of 27 passes for 226 yards for Northwestern and added a rushing touchdown. Caleb Komolafe carried 15 times for 67 yards and a touchdown and also led the Wildcats in receiving yards among running backs with 51 on four catches. Griffin Wilde caught six passes for 57 yards. On defense, Braydon Brus recorded 15 total tackles to pace Northwestern.
For Michigan State, McCray caught three passes for 64 yards and the long touchdown. Bryson Williams added a 32-yard touchdown reception. Ben Roberts had two sacks on defense, and Dion Crawford totaled 14 tackles for the Spartans.
What It Means: Northwestern Improves To 5-1
Northwestern outgained Michigan State 360 yards to 305 and held a significant edge in time of possession at 34:55 to 25:05. The Wildcats converted seven of 14 third-down tries compared to three of 12 for the Spartans, and Northwestern did not commit a turnover while Michigan State lost a fumble. Those numbers help explain how Northwestern controlled the clock in the fourth quarter even while trailing.
The win moves Northwestern to 5-1 overall. Michigan State drops to 2-5 after its fourth loss of the season, despite outscoring Northwestern in two of the four quarters.
What’s Next
Northwestern will look to build on its 5-1 start in its next outing, while Michigan State looks to snap its losing stretch. Neither team’s next opponent was listed in the official game data released Saturday.
More College Football news from Total Apex Sports.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
