Michigan State’s offense was humming and the Akron defense had no answers in slowing down Michigan State’s running backs that put up 260 yards (Jalen Berger – 107 yds, Jarek Broussard – 81 yds, and Elijah Collins – 57 yds). Quarterback Payton Thorne threw the ball 28 times for over 200 yards but also threw 2 interceptions in the game.
Defensively, the Spartans held the Zips to just 22 rushing yards while coming up with 5 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss. Jacoby Windmon continued to be a terror to the opposing offense, leading the team with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Overall it was a collaborative effort that Akron was not able to match up to.
The #11 ranked Michigan State Spartans travel out west to a match up with the undefeated Washington Huskies next week in Seattle. Akron will face another tough opponent going against #15 ranked Tennessee in Knoxville.
Final Score: MSU 72 – Akron 0