Michigan State Edges Toledo 30-20 on Five Boyd Kicks
Five Liam Boyd field goals and one 71-yard run that Toledo could not follow up. That is the short version of Michigan State's 30-20 win.
The Spartans got in front on Cam Edwards' 2-yard run, and Boyd kicked from 32, 42, 48 and 35 yards, the last one as the first half ended, for a 19-7 lead (Toledo's only first-half answer was a 60-yard pass from John Alan Richter to Adjatay Dabbs). Dabbs caught a 6-yarder in the third to make it 19-14, and then Connor Walendzak's 71-yard run at 13:47 of the fourth put Toledo ahead 20-19 after a failed two-point try. That is 71 of the Rockets' 77 rushing yards on one carry.
Michigan State had the lead for good 3 minutes later: Alessio Milivojevic threw 5 yards to Rodney Bullard Jr. and the two-point conversion went to the same pair, 27-20. Boyd's 51-yarder with 1:55 left made it 30-20. The Spartans ran 48 times for 151 yards and Toledo threw an interception.
Michigan State is 1-0, Toledo 0-1. Dabbs was the top fantasy scorer at 26.1, ahead of Bullard at 22.0 and Camryn Edwards at 18.5 on 27 carries.
Toledo had three sacks to Michigan State's two, and threw for 196 yards against 247, and still lost by 10. Its touchdowns came on only three plays, a 60-yard pass, a 6-yard pass and the 71-yard run, and Richter threw both of the passes to Dabbs. Michigan State's 30 points included 15 from Boyd's five kicks, which is half the score, and that is the whole difference.