Northwestern 24, Michigan State 21: Wildcats erase a halftime deficit

No. 25 Northwestern went into halftime at Spartan Stadium down four and came out with a 24-21 win over Michigan State on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The Wildcats outscored the Spartans 14-7 after the break to move to 5-1. Michigan State fell to 2-5.

The second half decided it. The first half was close and even, and Michigan State had the lead when it ended.

How it was won

Our scoring log and box score cover the first half only. Possession adds up to 30 minutes, 14:30 for Northwestern and 15:30 for Michigan State. We don't have the plays behind the second-half points, so this recap doesn't describe them.

Here is the first half in order:

• Q1 8:23: J. Kleather hit a 39-yard field goal. Northwestern 3-0.
• Q1 2:02: Alessio Milivojevic ran it in from 3 yards, and L. Boyd kicked the extra point. Michigan State 7-3.
• Q2 11:04: Caleb Komolafe scored on a 10-yard run, and Kleather converted. Northwestern 10-7.
• Q2 0:47: Milivojevic found B. Williams for a 32-yard touchdown, and Boyd added the kick. Michigan State 14-10 at the half.

Michigan State had the better half by yardage, 184 to 110. Milivojevic went 13 of 20 for 137 yards and the touchdown, and he added 13 yards and a score on six carries. Fredrick Moore caught three passes for 43 yards and Jayden Savoury caught four for 33. Jaziun Patterson ran six times for 34 yards.

Northwestern's offense was thin. It had 55 yards passing, 55 yards rushing and eight first downs. Aidan Chiles completed 5 of 10 passes for 55 yards. Komolafe led the ground game with 33 yards and the touchdown on six carries, and Joseph Himon II added 16 yards on three. Hayden Eligon II had the longest catch, 23 yards. Griffin Wilde caught two passes for 17 yards.

The Wildcats were cleaner with the ball. They had no turnovers in the half and Michigan State had one. Both teams converted 3 of their third downs, Northwestern on six tries and Michigan State on eight.

Against the number

Northwestern closed as a 7.5-point favorite. A three-point win means Michigan State covered.

The total closed at 50.5. The teams combined for 45 points, so the under hit. The first half produced 24 points, and the second half added another 21.

On the moneyline, Northwestern closed at -265 and Michigan State at +215. The favorite won, so -265 was the winning side. Full pricing history is on the game page.

What's next

This was Northwestern's sixth game. The Wildcats' only loss so far is 29-23 at No. 5 Indiana. They came in off wins over Ball State (45-14) and Penn State (34-13), and a ranked team winning by three on the road was a closer result than the market expected. Their next opponent isn't in our schedule feed yet. We'll post the price when the matchup is listed.

Michigan State has now lost five straight after a 2-0 start against Toledo and Eastern Michigan. The last two losses have been one-score games: 38-37 to Illinois and now this one. The Spartans' next game also isn't in our feed yet. It will be on the board here once it is.