Illinois 38, Michigan State 37: Spartans go for two in overtime and come up short

Michigan State chose to end it in one snap, and the snap did not work. Down 38-31 in overtime, the Spartans scored on a 1-yard Jaziun Patterson run, then passed for two and the win. The pass failed, and Illinois left Spartan Stadium with a 38-37 victory on Saturday.

The decision capped a game in which Michigan State trailed 17-0 in the second quarter and 31-17 early in the fourth, then forced overtime with 1:17 left. Patterson finished with three touchdowns. The last one left his team a point short.

How it was won

Illinois controlled the first half. Ethan Moczulski opened the scoring with a 40-yard field goal, Katin Houser found Aidan Laughery for a 5-yard touchdown, and Houser ran in from 2 yards early in the second quarter for a 17-0 lead.

Michigan State answered with a 6-yard Alessio Milivojevic pass to Patterson, but Moczulski hit a 35-yarder as the half ended to make it 20-7. He added a 38-yarder in the third for 23-7.

The comeback started late in the third. Liam Boyd kicked a 42-yard field goal, and Patterson ran in from 11 yards to cut it to 23-17 going into the fourth.

Illinois pushed back immediately. Michael Clayton II threw 14 yards to Collin Dixon, and Laughery ran in the two-point conversion for a 31-17 lead with 13:14 to play. Milivojevic then hit Fredrick Moore for 24 yards, and Patterson's 2-yard run with 1:17 left tied it at 31.

Illinois had the ball first in overtime. Clayton found Hudson Clement for 25 yards and Moczulski converted. Patterson scored from the 1, and the two-point pass fell short.

Illinois outgained Michigan State 409 yards to 342 and held the ball for 33:52. The rushing totals were identical at 127 yards each; the gap came through the air, 282 passing yards to 215. Each team turned it over once.

Houser went 20 of 29 for 194 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Laughery ran 17 times for 70 yards. Clement caught 6 passes for 105 yards, and Dixon had 7 for 62.

For Michigan State, Milivojevic was efficient at 22 of 26 for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Patterson carried 17 times for 93 yards. Jayden Savoury led the receivers with 6 catches for 49 yards, and Moore had 2 for 42. The Spartans converted 6 of 10 third downs to Illinois' 5 of 12.

Against the number

Illinois closed as a 2.5-point favorite. Winning by one, the Illini cashed on the moneyline at -142, but Michigan State covered. Had the two-point try succeeded, the Spartans would have won outright at +120.

The total closed at 48.5. The teams had 62 points at the end of regulation and 75 after overtime, a clear over. Full closing prices are on the game page.

What's next

Illinois moves to 3-3 and snaps a two-game losing streak that included a 24-17 home loss to Purdue. The Illini have a week off before hosting Oregon on Saturday, October 24.

Michigan State falls to 2-4 and has lost four straight since opening with wins over Toledo and Eastern Michigan. This was the closest of those defeats; the previous three came by 17, 18 and 28 points. The Spartans host No. 25 Northwestern on Saturday, October 17, on Peacock.