EAST LANSING – It was far from pretty. In fact, it looked more like a Big Ten football game from the days of yore, back when the league actually had only 10 teams.
Michigan State football once again used its developing run game and Payton Thorne’s big plays Saturday to defeat Rutgers, 27-21, and pull within a win of bowl eligibility.
Thorne played erratically at times but finished 19 of 35 for 256 yards and two touchdowns for MSU (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten). Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard combined for 163 of the Spartans’ 197 rushing yards, as MSU's posted 451 yards of total offense.