Wisconsin Defeats Michigan State 31-3 at Camp Randall Stadium

Colton Joseph had a hand in all four Wisconsin touchdowns as the Badgers held Michigan State to three points in Big Ten play at Camp Randall Stadium.

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin routed Michigan State 31-3 on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, at Camp Randall Stadium, dropping the Spartans to a second consecutive lopsided loss to open Big Ten play. The Badgers reached the end zone four times, while Michigan State finished the afternoon with only three points.

Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph anchored the victory, rushing for 141 yards and passing for 145 while having a hand in all four Wisconsin touchdowns. His rushing total nearly matched his passing output. Every Wisconsin scoring play covered 15 yards or more, and two of the four began from around midfield.

Michigan State's passing game produced little. Alessio Milivojevic finished with 103 passing yards on 32 attempts, an average of 3.2 yards per throw, as the offense run by offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan leaned on short routes rather than attacking downfield. Wisconsin linebacker Sebastian Cheeks pressured Milivojevic into a fourth-quarter incompletion, and Jayden Savoury led the Spartans in receiving with four catches for 26 yards.

The ground game, still searching for a way to replace the production of Cam Edwards, gained little. Jaz Patterson ran for 62 yards at 3.4 per carry, Marvis Parrish added 36 at 3.3, and Brandon Tullis managed 10 at 2.0. No Michigan State running back is currently averaging better than four yards per carry.

Fourth-down failures compounded the Spartans' problems. They went 1-for-6 on fourth down, and their only conversion came on a pass-interference penalty against Wisconsin. One miss came on fourth-and-8 from the Badgers' 41-yard line, when Coach Fitzgerald kept the offense on the field rather than punting, and Wisconsin scored its second touchdown shortly after the stop. Michigan State controlled time of possession, but drives repeatedly stalled once the Spartans crossed into Wisconsin territory.

The Michigan State defense has not recorded an interception since a Week 1 win over Toledo. Wisconsin's first touchdown came on a throw that slipped through the hands of Kenny Soares Jr. in the end zone, a play on which the Spartan pass rusher was in coverage. Injuries also piled up: Cam Fancher and Caleb Wheatland both went down during the game, and freshman quarterback Kayd Coffman saw playing time before the finish.

Michigan State has now been outscored 89-26 over its last three games, a stretch that includes the loss to Nebraska and Saturday's defeat in Madison. Each of the Spartans' first two Big Ten games has ended in a lopsided result, and the team has been dealing with major injuries to several of its best players this season.

Michigan State will look to regroup next Saturday when it hosts Illinois at Spartan Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., giving the Spartans a chance to secure their first Big Ten win of the season on their home field.