Wisconsin Rolls Past Michigan State 31-3 as Joseph Rushes for 141 Yards

Michigan State fell 31-3 at Camp Randall Stadium in its first visit since 2019, as Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown.

MADISON, Wis. — Michigan State lost to Wisconsin 31-3 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, the Spartans' first appearance in Madison since a 38-0 defeat there in 2019. Writing for the Lansing State Journal, columnist Graham Couch concluded that Michigan State remains a long way from winning this kind of game.

Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph powered the win as a runner, carrying 13 times for 141 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown. He opened the game with 41 yards on four runs in the first five plays, helping Wisconsin march 75 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown, and his 26-yard run was the biggest gain on the Badgers' next touchdown drive.

By halftime Wisconsin led 17-3, having converted 7 of 10 third- and fourth-down chances in the first half. Couch wrote that the first item on Michigan State's scouting report was to limit Joseph in the running game, and the Spartans' failure on that task helped produce the one-sided score.

The column traced the loss to lost one-on-one battles. Michigan State had no answer for a quarterback on the move, watched Wisconsin's playmakers convert on third down, could not hold up in pass protection against the Badgers' defensive line, and got no separation from Wisconsin's defensive backs. Couch also observed that Wisconsin does not carry overwhelming talent, which he found discouraging for the Spartans.

Offensively, Michigan State moved the ball at times but rarely reached the red zone, let alone finished drives there, and it failed to convert five fourth-down attempts. The Spartans have scored 26 points combined in three games against high-major opponents this season. Across their last three trips to Wisconsin, they have managed 19.

Redshirt freshman tight end Jayden Savoury was the lone reliable option in the passing game. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Savoury caught four passes for 26 yards, with 21 of those yards coming on three receptions during Michigan State's only scoring drive. Couch wrote that Savoury has shown signs of becoming an impact player over the past four weeks, highlighted by a remarkable near-catch against Nebraska, and projects as a strong complementary target once the Spartans develop a featured wide receiver.

The game fell in the first season of head coach Pat Fitzgerald, whom Couch wrote the program badly needs to succeed. Michigan State was also short-handed, with injuries to key players — among them the offense's one game-changing player — and too little depth to compensate. Couch described the defense as imperfect but not the team's central issue, and recalled that the 2019 shutout in Madison signaled the end of the program's strong years under Mark Dantonio.

Going forward, Couch wrote that improvement depends on the young quarterback raising his level, the offensive line returning to health and settling in, and another pass-catcher emerging alongside Savoury. He argued that frustration serves little purpose in a new staff's first season, and that attention in East Lansing shifts quickly to Tom Izzo's men's basketball team once November arrives. Without progress on the field, he concluded, Michigan State faces more afternoons like this one.