Post-Game Notes: Western Michigan
9/3/2022 1:22:00 AM | Football
SERIES/TEAM
• With the 35-13 win over Western Michigan on Friday night in Spartan Stadium, Michigan State is now 15-2 all-time vs. WMU, including a 14-2 mark in East Lansing.
• The Spartans are 8-0 in home Friday night games since 2011 and 10-0 overall in Friday night games during that same time span . . . all of those Friday night games were in season openers for the Spartans.
• Michigan State is now 86-37-3 all-time in season openers, including a 21-3 record in its last 24 games. In addition, the Spartans are 104-22 all-time in home openers, including victories in 23 of the past 24 years.
OFFENSE
• MSU junior quarterback Payton Thorne tied his career-high with four TD passes, which also ties for the No. 2 spot on MSU's single-game passing TD list, just behind the school record of five by Drew Stanton vs. Illinois in 2005 . . . Thorne finished 12-for-24 for 233 yards . . . the four TD passes was Thorne's fourth game with four scores, joining Maryland (11/13/21), Miami (9/18/21) and Youngstown State (9/11/21) from last season . . . Thorne's four TD passes was his third-straight game with multiple TDs after two vs. Penn State (11/27/21) and three vs. Pitt (12/30/21) in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, as part of five in his last six and ninth overall career game with multiple TD passes . . . Thorne's 233 yards passing was his 10th career game with 200+ yards passing . . . Thorne also rushed four times for 22 yards to finish with 255 yards of total offense.
• Michigan State's five TDs were scored by five different players, including three Spartans scoring their first TDs in their Green & White debuts in freshman wide receiver Germie Bernard, graduate tight end Daniel Barker and junior running back Jalen Berger.
• Tight end Daniel Barker, a graduate transfer from Illinois, caught his first reception as a Spartan for a 13-yard TD in the second quarter on a one-handed grab in the south corner of the end zone.
• With 120 yards on 16 carries, junior running back Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) became the second-straight MSU running back transfer to rush for 100 yards in their Spartan debut, joining Kenneth Walker III with 264 yards in the opening game of the 2021 season at Northwestern . . . Berger scored on a 1-yard TD plunge in the fourth quarter . . . his longest rush of the night was a 50-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, that was the longest offensive play of the night for the Spartan offense.
• Sophomore wide receiver Keon Coleman snared career highs of four catches for 84 yards and one TD . . . Coleman's previous career-high for receptions and yards was three catches for 27 yards last season at Ohio State (11/20/21), in the same game in which he caught his only other previous TD reception.
• Redshirt-junior wide receiver Tre Mosley had two catches for 51 yards and a 43-yard TD catch, the longest TD reception of his career . . . Mosley now has at least one TD catch in three of his four seasons as a Spartan and five total for his career.
• Freshman wide receiver Germie Bernard snared his first catch as a Spartan in the first quarter and it went for a 44-yard TD pass play for MSU's opening TD of the night for a 7-3 Spartan advantage, a lead they never relinquished.
• Senior wide receiver Jayden Reed had two catches for 31 yards, and also drew a pass interference penalty on another targeted pass to earn a first down for the Spartans in the third quarter in a drive that resulted in a missed field goal.
• Junior running back Jarek Broussard, a transfer from Colorado, had 10 carries for 54 yards in his Spartan debut.
DEFENSE
• In his Spartan debut, UNLV transfer linebacker/defensive end Jacoby Windmon recorded four sacks, tying for the second most in school history (school record: five by Travis Davis vs. Ohio State in 1987) . . . it marked the most sacks by a Spartan since Matthias Askew had four in 2003 in a game also against Western Michigan . . . Julian Peterson (Ohio State, 1998), Kelly Quinn (Northwestern, 1984) and Rich Saul (Iowa, 1969) are the only other Spartans to record four sacks in a single game . . . Windmon also posted seven tackles and one of the sacks he was also credited with a forced fumble.
• Michigan State recorded seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the game.
• Graduate senior linebacker Ben VanSumeren posted a career-high 11 tackles, including an 8-yard tackle for loss . . . it marked his second career start as a Spartan (at Rutgers, 2021).
• Junior safety Angelo Grose tied for the team lead with 11 tackles, his second most as a Spartan (career-high 16 vs. Western Kentucky in 2021).
• In his second career start, sophomore cornerback Charles Brantley had a career-high 10 tackles to go along with a pass break-up.
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cal Haladay had 10 tackles, marking the fifth time in his career with double-digit tackles.
• Senior nickelback Chester Kimbrough had six tackles, including a 6-yard sack, and also broke up two passes and recovered a fumble.
• Senior safety Kendell Brooks delivered five stops, his most as a Spartan, while forcing a fumble in the second quarter.
• Transfers Khris Bogle (Florida) and Aaron Brule (Mississippi State) both had sacks in their Spartan debuts.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Ray Guy Award candidate Bryce Baringer averaged 50.5 yards per punt on four punts (202 yards) . . . he had a game-long 70-yard punt, marking the third time he has punted a ball at least 70 yards in a game . . . his first punt of the game was a 67-yarder that was downed at the 4-yard line.
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• With the 35-13 win over Western Michigan on Friday night in Spartan Stadium, Michigan State is now 15-2 all-time vs. WMU, including a 14-2 mark in East Lansing.
• The Spartans are 8-0 in home Friday night games since 2011 and 10-0 overall in Friday night games during that same time span . . . all of those Friday night games were in season openers for the Spartans.
• Michigan State is now 86-37-3 all-time in season openers, including a 21-3 record in its last 24 games. In addition, the Spartans are 104-22 all-time in home openers, including victories in 23 of the past 24 years.
OFFENSE
• MSU junior quarterback Payton Thorne tied his career-high with four TD passes, which also ties for the No. 2 spot on MSU's single-game passing TD list, just behind the school record of five by Drew Stanton vs. Illinois in 2005 . . . Thorne finished 12-for-24 for 233 yards . . . the four TD passes was Thorne's fourth game with four scores, joining Maryland (11/13/21), Miami (9/18/21) and Youngstown State (9/11/21) from last season . . . Thorne's four TD passes was his third-straight game with multiple TDs after two vs. Penn State (11/27/21) and three vs. Pitt (12/30/21) in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, as part of five in his last six and ninth overall career game with multiple TD passes . . . Thorne's 233 yards passing was his 10th career game with 200+ yards passing . . . Thorne also rushed four times for 22 yards to finish with 255 yards of total offense.
• Michigan State's five TDs were scored by five different players, including three Spartans scoring their first TDs in their Green & White debuts in freshman wide receiver Germie Bernard, graduate tight end Daniel Barker and junior running back Jalen Berger.
• Tight end Daniel Barker, a graduate transfer from Illinois, caught his first reception as a Spartan for a 13-yard TD in the second quarter on a one-handed grab in the south corner of the end zone.
• With 120 yards on 16 carries, junior running back Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) became the second-straight MSU running back transfer to rush for 100 yards in their Spartan debut, joining Kenneth Walker III with 264 yards in the opening game of the 2021 season at Northwestern . . . Berger scored on a 1-yard TD plunge in the fourth quarter . . . his longest rush of the night was a 50-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, that was the longest offensive play of the night for the Spartan offense.
• Sophomore wide receiver Keon Coleman snared career highs of four catches for 84 yards and one TD . . . Coleman's previous career-high for receptions and yards was three catches for 27 yards last season at Ohio State (11/20/21), in the same game in which he caught his only other previous TD reception.
• Redshirt-junior wide receiver Tre Mosley had two catches for 51 yards and a 43-yard TD catch, the longest TD reception of his career . . . Mosley now has at least one TD catch in three of his four seasons as a Spartan and five total for his career.
• Freshman wide receiver Germie Bernard snared his first catch as a Spartan in the first quarter and it went for a 44-yard TD pass play for MSU's opening TD of the night for a 7-3 Spartan advantage, a lead they never relinquished.
• Senior wide receiver Jayden Reed had two catches for 31 yards, and also drew a pass interference penalty on another targeted pass to earn a first down for the Spartans in the third quarter in a drive that resulted in a missed field goal.
• Junior running back Jarek Broussard, a transfer from Colorado, had 10 carries for 54 yards in his Spartan debut.
DEFENSE
• In his Spartan debut, UNLV transfer linebacker/defensive end Jacoby Windmon recorded four sacks, tying for the second most in school history (school record: five by Travis Davis vs. Ohio State in 1987) . . . it marked the most sacks by a Spartan since Matthias Askew had four in 2003 in a game also against Western Michigan . . . Julian Peterson (Ohio State, 1998), Kelly Quinn (Northwestern, 1984) and Rich Saul (Iowa, 1969) are the only other Spartans to record four sacks in a single game . . . Windmon also posted seven tackles and one of the sacks he was also credited with a forced fumble.
• Michigan State recorded seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the game.
• Graduate senior linebacker Ben VanSumeren posted a career-high 11 tackles, including an 8-yard tackle for loss . . . it marked his second career start as a Spartan (at Rutgers, 2021).
• Junior safety Angelo Grose tied for the team lead with 11 tackles, his second most as a Spartan (career-high 16 vs. Western Kentucky in 2021).
• In his second career start, sophomore cornerback Charles Brantley had a career-high 10 tackles to go along with a pass break-up.
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cal Haladay had 10 tackles, marking the fifth time in his career with double-digit tackles.
• Senior nickelback Chester Kimbrough had six tackles, including a 6-yard sack, and also broke up two passes and recovered a fumble.
• Senior safety Kendell Brooks delivered five stops, his most as a Spartan, while forcing a fumble in the second quarter.
• Transfers Khris Bogle (Florida) and Aaron Brule (Mississippi State) both had sacks in their Spartan debuts.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Ray Guy Award candidate Bryce Baringer averaged 50.5 yards per punt on four punts (202 yards) . . . he had a game-long 70-yard punt, marking the third time he has punted a ball at least 70 yards in a game . . . his first punt of the game was a 67-yarder that was downed at the 4-yard line.
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LB/DL
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