Furman Paladins vs Michigan State Spartans Match Player Stats On Sep 02, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 2, 2016

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Tyler O'Connor threw three touchdown passes in his second career start and No. 12 Michigan State defeated pesky Furman 28-13 on Friday night at Spartan Stadium.

O'Connor, who won a training camp battle to replace record-setting quarterback Connor Cook, completed 13 of 18 passes for 190 yards with an interception. The fifth-year senior led the Spartans to an upset of Ohio State in place of an injured Cook last season.

Sophomore running back LJ Scott gained 105 yards on 20 carries and scored Michigan State's first touchdown. Senior receiver Monty Madaris caught five passes for 85 yards for the Spartans, who have a bye week before a showdown with No. 10 Notre Dame on Sept. 17 in South Bend, Ind.

Paladins junior quarterback P.J. Blazejowski completed 15 of 30 passes for 123 yards and was intercepted once. Freshman running back Darius Morehead had 83 yards on 20 carries for Furman, an FCS school that finished 4-7 last season.

Jon Croft Hollingsworth's 23-yard field goal with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter, set up by a Michigan State fumble, pulled the Paladins within eight at 14-6.

O'Connor's second touchdown pass, a 21-yard toss to senior tight end Josiah Price near the pylon, extended the Spartans' lead to 15.

Furman came right back with a 73-yard drive. Junior Antonio Wilcox's 6-yard touchdown run made it 21-13 with 13:37 remaining.

O'Connor's 12-yard scoring pass to senior tight end Jamal Lyles with 4:55 left halted Furman's upset bid.

The Spartans, who led 14-3 at halftime, showed a combination of speed and power on their first two plays from scrimmage.

Wide receiver R.J. Shelton scooted around the left side on an end around for a 32-yard gain. Scott then bulled over and dragged defenders on a 21-yard pickup.

Scott finished off the seven-play, 76-yard drive with a 1-yard run.

Michigan State missed a field goal attempt on its next possession and didn't score again until late in the second quarter. Sophomore receiver Felton Davis III collected his first career touchdown catch with 3:19 remaining, beating one-on-one coverage on a 13-yard, third-down strike from O'Connor.

The Paladins got very little going offensively before driving inside the Spartans' 5 on their last possession of the half. They wound up settling Hollingsworth's 20-yard field goal.

NOTES: The Spartans' 17-game winning streak in home openers was tied for the third-longest active streak in the nation. Mark Dantonio won his first nine home openers as head coach. ... Furman received a $655K guarantee to play the Spartans. ... The Paladins were playing their first game against a Big Ten school. They faced Penn State in 1958 before the Nittany Lions joined the conference. ... Michigan State had never previously played a team from South Carolina, though Dantonio was a defensive back at the University of South Carolina. ... Michigan State won eight of its last 10 night games at Spartan Stadium. ... The Paladins' next FBS opponent is North Carolina State in a game scheduled for Sept. 16, 2017.