East Lansing — Things can’t get much worse for Michigan State football.
Despite leading by 25 points in the second quarter, the Spartans fumbled it away as Illinois rallied to beat Michigan State, 37-34, when Brandon Peters hit Daniel Barker with a 5-yard touchdown pass with five seconds to play.
It was the fourth straight loss for the Spartans (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten), who turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions for quarterback Brian Lewerke, the last getting returned 76 yards for a touchdown.
The Spartans appeared to get a fourth-down stop inside the 5-yard line, but Shakur Brown was called for pass interference, allowing the Fighting Illini to score the winner two plays later.