Spartans vs. Badgers: Wisconsin routed Michigan State 31-3 on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium behind Colton Joseph, who threw three touchdown passes and rushed for 141 yards. The Badgers’ dominant performance stretched their winning streak to four games.
Wisconsin controlled the game from the opening series, marching 75 yards in 15 plays and converting all four third downs to set the tone. Jacob Harris caught two touchdown passes from Joseph, while Michigan State managed just a Liam Boyd field goal before halftime and never found the end zone. Jaziun Patterson led the Spartans (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) with 18 carries for 62 yards in the loss.
Spartans vs. Badgers: How Wisconsin pulled away
The Badgers (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) wasted no time. Joseph connected with Harris on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 8:16 left in the first quarter, then found him again for a 15-yard score with 1:01 remaining to make it 14-0. Gavin Lahm’s 30-yard field goal with 3:56 left in the second quarter extended the lead to 17-0 before Michigan State’s Boyd answered with a 31-yard field goal of his own with 9 seconds left in the half, cutting it to 17-3.
Wisconsin erased any doubt in the third quarter when Joseph slipped past defenders and sprinted 47 yards for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 24-3. The Badgers put the finishing touch on the rout with 7:56 left in the fourth quarter when Joseph hit Malachi Coleman for a 46-yard touchdown, making it 31-3.
Top performers
Joseph finished 9 of 20 passing for 145 yards and three touchdowns while adding 141 rushing yards and a score on 13 carries. According to CBS Sports, Joseph became the first Badgers quarterback to record at least 100 rushing yards in a single game since Tanner McEvoy’s 158-yard performance against Bowling Green in 2014.
Harris caught two touchdown passes and Coleman added a 46-yard scoring reception. Cooper Catalano paced the Wisconsin defense with 10 tackles. For Michigan State, according to FOX Sports, Alessio Milivojevic went 15 of 32 for 103 yards, and Dion Crawford led the defense with eight tackles. The Spartans finished just 1 of 6 on fourth-down attempts and 5 of 18 on third down, unable to sustain drives against the Badgers’ defense.
What it means
Wisconsin’s fourth straight win has the Badgers knocking on the door of the national rankings. The Badgers collected the most votes of any unranked team. Michigan State’s loss is its third straight, dropping the Spartans to 0-2 in Big Ten play as their early-season momentum stalls.
What’s next
Michigan State hosts Illinois next Saturday looking to snap its losing streak. Wisconsin travels to face No. 23 UCLA on Oct. 17 as the Badgers push for a fifth consecutive win and a spot in the national rankings.
Reporting from CBS Sports and FOX Sports contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
