Though it appeared a struggle for a while, a pair of late touchdowns allowed Michigan State to pick up a 20-point win over Central Michigan on Saturday in East Lansing.
The Spartans led by just a touchdown for a lengthy chunk of the second half, but Gerald Holmes rushed for a pair of scores in the fourth quarter to give second-ranked Michigan State a 30-10 victory to improve to 4-0.
It wasn’t a pretty win, with the Michigan State offense putting up just 17 points through three quarters and the defense allowing another sizable passing day to an opponent. Central out-gained Michigan State, 340-324.
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But Holmes had the two touchdown runs, Madre London had a touchdown run and Connor Cook had a touchdown pass to Josiah Price to provide enough points to make it a respectable win.
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Cook completed 11 of his 19 passing attempts for 143 yards and a touchdown. London led the way rushing with 73 yards and his touchdown. LJ Scott ran for 54 yards, and Holmes had 22 to go with his two TDs.
And it was a monster day for star defensive end Shilique Calhoun, who recorded 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss and blocked a field-goal try in the first quarter.
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Other than that, though, the defense had another shaky day. It hasn’t shown too much of an ability to slow down opposing passing attacks, and Saturday was no exception. Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush completed 26 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown.
Additionally, the already banged-up Spartans had a couple more high-profile injuries. Star offensive lineman Jack Conklin suffered an apparent leg injury and was held out the majority of the game. Defensive back R.J. Williamson also left the field on multiple occasions after getting roughed up.