Post-Game Notes: Minnesota

GAME
• Temperature at kickoff was 33 degrees, MSU's coldest of the season to date . . . it was also the third-coldest October game in Minnesota's Huntington Bank Stadium history.

SERIES
• Saturday was the 49th meeting between Michigan State and Minnesota, and despite the loss, the Spartans still lead the all-time series, 30-19, including a 13-12 mark in games played in Minneapolis . . . MSU is now 2-2 in games at Huntington Bank Stadium . . . Overall, Michigan State has won 24 of the last 32 meetings, dating back to 1977, and MSU has still won five of the last seven matchups, although Minnesota has won two straight.

OFFENSE
• MSU scored on its opening possession for the second time in the last three games and its second straight road game, also doing so with a touchdown at Rutgers (10/14) . . . Jonathan Kim kicked a 38-yard field goal to cap MSU's opening series on Saturday.

• Redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser started his third straight game . . . Houser finished 12-of-22 for 117 yards . . . Houser completed a 34-yard pass to senior wideout Montorie Foster Jr. in the second quarter, which was Houser's second-longest pass of the season and longest in a starting role, as his career-long pass play was 61 yards vs. Washington (9/16) coming off the bench.

• Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt threw the first TD pass of his Spartan career, hitting sophomore wide receiver Tyrell Henry for a 9-yard TD in the fourth quarter . . . Leavitt ended the game 8-of-12 passing for 73 yards with one TD and one INT, recording season highs for completions, attempts, yards and TD . . . Leavitt also rushed six times for 52 yards with a long of 22-yards, MSU's longest rush of the day . . . the six rushes and 52 yards were also new season bests for the freshman QB.

• Graduate senior wide receiver Tre Mosley now has at least one catch in 25 straight games and in 42 of 44 career games played . . . the run of 25 straight games with a catch is the second-longest active streak in the Big Ten and 19th-longest in the nation.

• Redshirt sophomore Ethan Boyd registered his first career start on the offensive line, getting the starting nod at right tackle.

• Senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. snared a season-long 34-yard pass in the second quarter . . . it was Foster's second-longest catch of his career behind a 52-yarder vs. Maryland in 2021.

• Sophomore wide receiver Tyrell Henry snared his team-leading third TD catch of the season with a 9-yard catch from freshman QB Sam Leavitt . . . Henry now has at least one reception in the last six games as part of seven of the eight this season.

DEFENSE
• Michigan State's defense tied a season-high with three takeaways Saturday with two fumble recoveries and an interception . . . the Spartan defense also had three takeaways vs. Rutgers (10/14).

• Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Derrick Harmon registered his first career forced fumble in the first quarter, leading to a Spartan field goal.

• Sophomore defensive back Jaden Mangham collected his first career fumble recovery by collecting the fumble forced by Harmon in the first quarter . . . Mangham added an interception in the third quarter and he now leads the MSU defense with three interceptions this season . . . Saturday was Mangham's third-straight game with a pass defended as part of five total, with three oskies and two pass break-ups.

• Redshirt junior linebacker Cal Haladay registered his second double-digit tackle outing of the season and 13th of his career with a season-high 11 tackles Saturday . . . the 11 tackles topped his previous season-best of 10 stops in the season opener vs. Central Michigan (9/1) . . . Haladay has six double-figure tackle totals in his last 13 games played dating back to last season.

• Freshman linebacker Jordan Hall recorded his first career sack and forced fumble with the strip-sack in the first quarter . . . he finished with a career-high nine tackles and two sacks.

• Redshirt junior defensive lineman Avery Dunn notched his first career fumble recovery by covering up the fumble caused by Hall's sack-forced fumble play in the first quarter, setting up MSU's second field goal of the opening quarter.

• Redshirt-junior defensive lineman Simeon Barrow Jr. blocked a field goal in the second quarter . . . it was MSU's first blocked field goal since Michael Fletcher blocked a 37-yard attempt vs. Indiana on Nov. 18, 2022.

• Senior defensive back Angelo Grose logged a season-high 10 tackles, for his first double-digit tackle outing of the season and the fourth of his career . . . the 10 stops were his most since recording 11 tackles last season vs. Minnesota (9/24/22).

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Graduate senior placekicker Jonathan Kim split the uprights from 38-yards out in the first quarter and added a 42-yarder later in the opening stanza, finishing 2-of-3 after missing a 53-yarder wide left in the third quarter . . . Kim now has at least one field goal in six of the eight games, and is now 9-of-12 for the season, including 5-of-5 on field goals of 30-39 yards and 2-of-3 from 40-49 yards out . . . Saturday was Kim's second multi field goal outing of the season, and both coming in the last four games and both on the road, joining three field goals at Iowa (9/30).

• Redshirt freshman punter Ryan Eckley punted six times for a 42.7 ypp average with a long of 54 and tied a season-high with three inside the 20, matching vs. Iowa (9/30) . . . Eckley had two punts of 50-plus yards, a 54-yarder and a 53-yarder on back-to-back punts in the first quarter . . . the two 50+ yard punts marked Eckley's second game with multiple 50+ yard punts and the second-most behind four vs. Iowa . . . Eckley now has eight punts this season of 50+ yards and 11 inside the 20.

Players Mentioned

Simeon Barrow Jr.

Ethan Boyd

Avery Dunn

Ryan Eckley

Michael Fletcher

Montorie Foster Jr.

Angelo Grose

Cal Haladay

Jordan Hall

Derrick Harmon

Tyrell Henry

Katin Houser

Jonathan Kim

Sam Leavitt

Jaden Mangham

Tre Mosley

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