EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State got everything it was looking for on Saturday afternoon — almost.
The 14th-ranked Spartans rolled to a 52-0 victory over Akron, the overmatched foe from the Mid-American Conference, using a potent rushing attack led by Jalen Berger's 107 yards and three touchdowns.
But there's also little doubt Michigan State and coach Mel Tucker will be lamenting some more mistakes and misfires, namely in the passing game.
It mattered little in the end as the Spartans gained 260 yards on the ground and scored six rushing touchdowns, the most since they scored seven in a win over Eastern Michigan in 2014. Jarek Broussard added 81 yards rushing with two touchdowns and Elijah Collins scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, his first rushing touchdown since 2019 when he was Michigan State's leading rusher.
The defense was effective, once again, forcing four Akron turnovers, all four leading to Michigan State touchdowns. The Spartans (2-0) also had five more sacks with Jacoby Windmon credited for 1.5, giving him 5.5 through two games.
Quarterback Payton Thorne wasn't sharp for the second straight game, going 18 for 28 for 212 yards. He misfired on several passes in the first half and threw two more interceptions, the second coming on the first play of the second half when he took a heavy hit, leading to Noah Kim taking over on the next possession.
Kim made the most of it, throwing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tre Mosley, the first of Kim's career. Thorne returned and played most of the third quarter before Kim took over, finishing 2 for 2 while Jayden Reed had six receptions for 76 yards before leaving with an injury late in the first half.
Akron (1-1) had some early success through the air but quarterback DJ Irons was knocked out of the game and the Zips couldn't find any momentum from there.
It didn't take long for the Michigan State defense to start making things happen. As Akron was cruising on its opening drive and had just completed a 16-yard pass to the MSU 20, receiver TJ Banks was nailed by safety Kendell Brooks, knocking the ball loose. It was picked up by Cal Haladay, who returned it 21 yards to the MSU 41. After three Berger runs and a facemask call, the Spartans were deep in Akron territory and took advantage when Broussard scored on a 1-yard run to give Michigan State a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Later in the first quarter, Akron's Shocky Jacques-Louis hauled in a 22-yard pass but had the ball stripped by Windmon and recovered by Maverick Hansen. The Spartans capitalized on that with a Jalen Berger 1-yard touchdown run to go up 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Then, late in the second quarter, Windmon recovered a fumble on a bad pitch from Akron backup quarterback Jeff Undercuffler, setting up Berger's second touchdown run to give the Spartans a 21-0 lead. Michigan State added three points when freshman kicker Jack Stone booted a 43-yard field goal, the first of his career, to give the Spartans a 24-0 lead headed to the locker room.
The Spartans overcame Thorne's second interception on the first play of the second half by creating another of their own as Haladay nailed Undercuffler, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Derrick Harmon. Two plays later, Kim, in for the injured Thorne, hit Mosley with for the score.
On its next drive, Michigan State followed the legs of Berger and Broussard as Broussard capped a nine-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to extend Michigan State's lead to 38-0 with 7:58 to play.
Michigan State added Berger's third score on its next possession and closed out the third quarter with Collins' score.
