Michigan State 15, Michigan 6: Five Liam Boyd field goals and four Michigan turnovers

Michigan State won at Michigan Stadium without scoring a touchdown. Liam Boyd kicked five field goals and the Spartans did not turn the ball over. Michigan turned it over four times, and Michigan State took a 15-6 win over Michigan on Saturday, November 7.

The Spartans led 15-0 until 1:35 remained. It was their first win since beating Eastern Michigan in September and ended a six-game losing streak. Full prices and the box score sit on the game page.

How it was won

The first quarter was scoreless. Boyd got Michigan State on the board with a 21-yard field goal at 1:33 of the second quarter. He added a 37-yarder with five seconds left in the half, making it 6-0 at the break.

His 38-yard kick at 2:12 of the third quarter made it 9-0. In the fourth he kicked two in under a minute of game clock: a 24-yarder at 5:04 and a 49-yarder at 4:09. That made it 15-0.

Michigan's only points came on a 1-yard run by Savion Hiter at 1:35. The two-point pass failed, and the score stayed 15-6.

The box score shows a team that controlled the ball and another that kept giving it away. Michigan State had 298 total yards to Michigan's 192 and held possession for 38:07 to 21:53. The Spartans converted 9 of 20 third downs. Michigan converted 2 of 10.

Alessio Milivojevic completed 21 of 32 passes for 188 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Brandon Tullis carried 25 times for 86 yards, and Kenneth Williams added 41 yards on 10 carries. Chrishon McCray caught six passes for 92 yards. Bryson Williams had one catch for 36.

For Michigan, Tommy Carr completed 14 of 26 for 138 yards with two interceptions. The Wolverines lost the ball twice more for four turnovers in all, against none for Michigan State. Bryson Kuzdzal led the ground game with 49 yards on nine carries. The team ran for 54 yards in total. Andrew Marsh caught four passes for 38 yards, and Travis Johnson caught three for 38.

The Spartans never reached the end zone. Michigan's offense was held to six points for the second time in three games, after the 13-6 loss to No. 6 Indiana.

Against the number

Michigan closed as a 14-point favorite. Michigan State won outright by nine, so it covered by 23 points.

The Spartans closed at +455 on the moneyline, with Michigan at -625. That made this one of the larger upsets on the conference board this season.

The total closed at 39.5. The teams combined for 21 points, so the under came in by 18.5. It was never in doubt: the game was 6-0 at halftime and 15-0 with under two minutes to play.

What's next

Michigan State (3-6) hosts Washington on Saturday, November 14, on BTN. The Spartans were outscored 59-13 in losses to Nebraska and Wisconsin earlier in the year. They have now won a game in which they did not allow a touchdown until the final two minutes.

Michigan (5-4) travels to No. 23 Oregon on Saturday, November 14, on FS1. The Wolverines have lost three of their last five. Two of those losses came at home, by a combined 16 points. They will need more from an offense that has 40 points in its last three games.