EAST LANSING ~ Michigan State finished with a win on Saturday after a 35-7 victory over Eastern Michigan, a game in which MSU widened its lead through deeper rotation and steadier execution.
The Spartans controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and outgained the Eagles in totals yards 472 to 219, relying on touchdowns rather than field-goals that made up half of their score against Toledo. Possession time was nearly even, but Eastern struggled to finish drives while the Spartans sustained theirs.
Head Coach Pat Fitzgereald said Monday that expanding the depth chart was a priority after week one. “We’ve got talented players that didn’t get on the field. So, that was my challenge to the staff yesterday was we’ve got to get more guys involved.” That plan became more important when captain linebacker Jordan Hall sustained an injury last week that would leave him out of the Eastern game. Caleb Wheatland started in Hall’s place and finished the game with four tackles, anchoring a defense that kept Eastern out of the end zone.
The offense also saw controlled rotations. Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic gave up a few third-quarter snaps to Cam Fancher, who helped set up a drive that led Cam Edwards to a rushing touchdown. Other touchdowns in week two came from Charles Taplin, Jazuin Patterson, and Frederick Moore. Moore is not a starting receiver for MSU, but played a major role in the opening minutes of Saturday’s game when he caught an 18-yard pass from Milivojevic to put the first points on the board.
With two “buy” weeks behind them, the Spartans will face a sharper test next weekend against undefeated Notre Dame — a matchup that will offer a clearer measure of Fitzgerald’s rotation strategy and MSU’s early‑season progress.
