Photo by: Matthew Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications
Post-Game Notes: Maryland
11/29/2025 11:59:00 PM | Football
GAME NOTES
• Saturday's game against Maryland marked the third-ever game for Michigan State at Ford Field, and the Victory for MSU moved the Spartans to 2-1 at the home of the Detroit Lions . . . the Spartans beat Florida Atlantic, 30-17, on Sept. 11, 2010, during their first appearance at the facility, but lost to No. 11 Penn State in 2023, 42-0 . . . Prior to that win over Florida Atlantic in 2010, MSU's last visit to downtown Detroit was Oct. 27, 1944, when Coach Charlie Bachman led the Spartans to a 32-0 victory over Wayne State in a contest played at University of Detroit Stadium . . . Michigan State also played Detroit at U of D Stadium in 1923, 1928, 1931 and 1933.
• Senior wide receiver Alante Brown was Saturday's game captain . . . Brown joined three of the Spartan season captains for the coin toss in junior linebacker Jordan Hall, senior linebacker Sam Edwards and graduate defensive lineman Quindarius Dunnigan.
SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's game marked the 16th all-time meeting between Michigan State and Maryland . . . with Saturday's triumph over the Terrapins, the Spartans now lead the overall series, 12-4, including winning the last two match-ups with a 27-24 comeback victory over UMD in College Park last season, as part of winning six of the last eight meetings and eight of the last 11 as MSU improves to 8-3 against Maryland since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014.
OFFENSE
• After starting the same five offensive linemen in the previous three game for their longest consecutive streak of the season, the Spartans used their seventh different quintet of offensive linemen out of the 12 games this season . . . after not only starting each of the previous 11 games, but also playing in every 727 offensive snaps through the 11 games, graduate center Matt Gulbin, missed Saturday's game with an injury.
• Redshirt-sophomore Cooper Terpstra started at center in place of Gulbin, to register the first starting assignment of his career . . . Terpstra was the 11th different offensive lineman to start, which let the FBS.
• Senior offensive lineman Conner Moore was the lone offensive lineman to start all 12 games, in starting at two different positions, with nine starts at right tackle and three at left tackle, marking that no Spartan offensive lineman started in the same position all season.Â
• MSU's 38 points were a season-high for a Big Ten game and the third-highest scoring output of the season, trailing 42 in the 42-40 2OT Victory for MSU over Boston College (9/6/25) and 41 points in a 41-24 win over Youngstown State (9/13/25) . . . the 38 points topped the Spartans' previous B1G game high of 31 points in a 45-31 loss at USC (9/20/25).
• The Spartans' 17 points in the second quarter was their season-high for points in a quarter, topping 14 points in a quarter, done four previous times, all coming in the third quarter of games vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25), Youngstown State (9/13/25) and Iowa (11/22/25).
• MSU's 24 points in the first half was the most points scored in the first half this season, topping the previous mark of 21 points back in the season-opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25).
• The Spartans scored in all four quarters for just the second time in a Big Ten game, and first since the game at USC (9/20/25), and just the fourth time overall, joining the Boston College (9/6/25) and Youngstown State (9/13/25) games.
• Redshirt-freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw a career-high four TDs, with a career-best 27 completions, for 27-of-39 passing for 292 yards with one INT . . . the 292 yards is his second-best outing behind his career-high 311 yards vs. Minnesota (11/1/25), which was the No. 3 mark on MSU's Top Single-Game Passing Performances by Freshman/Redshirt Freshman QB list.
• Milivojevic now has six TDs in his last two games, as Saturday's four TDs topped his previous career-best of two TDs that came last time out at Iowa (11/22/25).
• Milivojevic is MSU's second QB to have four TD passes in a game this season, joining junior QB Aidan Chiles with four TDs vs. Boston College (9/6/25), while all four of Milivojevic's TDs came in regulation, with Chiles throwing his fourth TD in OT.Â
• The 27 completions by Milivojevic also gives him 52 completions in his last two games, as Saturday's outing also tops his previous top mark of 25 completions from the Iowa game . . . the 27 completions is also Milivojevic's third outing with 20 or more completions in the last four games that he's started.Â
• Milivojevic made his fourth-straight start on Saturday, and he is now 79-of-136 passing for 986 yards (246.5 ypg), with seven TDs (1.8 pg) and two INTs in his four games as a starter.
• Sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh tied a season-high with seven catches for 85 yards, which is his second-highest yardage total of the season, and one TD reception . . . the seven catches tied his back-to-back outings with seven catches against both UCLA (10/12/25) and Indiana (10/19/25).
• Marsh now has 15 catches for 279 yards and two TDs in two games vs. Maryland, as he registered a career-high tying eight catches for a career-best 194 yards and one TD last season vs. Maryland (9/7/24).
• Marsh's TD catch was his first since Oct. 19, 2025 vs. Indiana, and his sixth total of the season.
• Marsh extended his team-leading streak of one catch in 23-consecutive games, with one in every game that he's appeared in as a Spartan, including multiple receptions in the last 22 games played after one catch in his collegiate debut.
• The seven catches was Marsh's seventh game with five or more receptions out of the 12 games played this season . . . it was his 10th career game with five or more catches out of 23 career contests played.
• Marsh's seven catches gives him exactly 100 for his career, becoming the third Spartan receiver to reach 100 career receptions in the last two games, joining teammates Omari Kelly and Chrishon McCray, who both hit the milestone last game vs. Iowa (11/22/25) . . . Marsh is the lone one of the three to reach 100 receptions at the same school, as both Kelly and McCray are transfers.
• With the 85 yards Saturday, Marsh now has 1,311 career receiving yards, moving up to No. 38 on MSU's career receiving list . . . the 100 career receptions moves Marsh to tie for No. 33 on the Spartans' career receptions list, tying MSU great Felton Davis III (2015-18).
• Senior wideout Omari Kelly had five catches for 76 yards and caught the Victory for MSU-clinching TD catch with 1:56 left in the game in his final outing in a Spartan jersey . . . Kelly has now snared five or more receptions in five games this season, while posting 50 or more yards in six games.
• Kelly snared his second TD catch and his third scoring reception of the season, joining a TD catch vs. USC (9/20/25) to go with catching the game-winning two-point conversion in the 42-40 double-OT walk-off win over Boston College (9/6/25).
• Senior tight end Jack Velling had five catches for 68 yards and a TD in his final game in the Green & White . . . Velling now has 13 receptions for 156 yards in his last two games after eight catches for 88 yards last time out vs. Iowa (11/22/25).
• Velling now has three TD catches this season with one each vs. USC (9/20/25) and Nebraska (10/4/25).
• Redshirt-junior tight end Kai Rios snared his first catch as a Spartan in dramatic fashion, coming on a his first TD catch as as Spartan on a 1-yard catch from Milivojevic to open MSU's scoring.
• Senior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver had game highs of 13 carries for 95 yards . . . the 95 yards was his second-highest outing of the season behind his top mark of 127 yards vs. Minnesota (11/1/25), and his third outing of 50+ yards of the season, all coming in the last four games.
• Tau-Tolliver's 13 carries was also his second-most of the season, behind his top mark of 16 carries last time out vs. Iowa (11/22/25) . . . Saturday was his third game with 10+ carries, also in his last four outings.
• Sophomore running back Brandon Tullis added nine carries for 46 yards . . . the nine carries is his second-highest rushing attempts mark of the season behind his career-high 14 carries vs. Minnesota (11/1/25) . . . the 46 yards is his fourth game with 40+ yards this season.
• Tullis also added a career-high three receptions for 8 yards.
• Freshman running back Bryson Williams had a season-long 14-yard rush in his lone carry of the game, for his second rushing attempt of the season, adding to a 6-yard run in game at Minnesota (11/1/25).
DEFENSE
• The Spartan defense forced their ninth takeaway of the season with one interception on Saturday, marking MSU's fifth oskie of the season.
• By holding Maryland off the scoreboard in the first and fourth frames, MSU's defense pitched a shutout in two quarters in back-to-back games after blanking Iowa in the second and third quarters last game . . . it was the third time this season that MSU held the opposition scoreless in two or more stanzas in a game, joining the season-opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25) with the first, second and third quarters . . .  Saturday was only the second time that the Spartans held the opponent off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, joining the game vs. UCLA (10/11/25).
• Freshman defensive back Aydan West had a season-high eight tackles, including his first career sack, teaming up with junior linebacker Jordan Hall to sack Maryland QB Malik Washington on a pivotal fourth-down play for a turnover on downs.
• West's 0.5 sack Saturday marked his second game with at least 0.5 tackle for loss, with 0.5 TFL vs. Minnesota (11/1/25).
• The eight stops nearly doubled West's season total coming into Saturday and more than his last three games combined, as he had seven stops in his last three contests as part of 11 total tackles on the season, in starting the last three games and four total games on the season.
• Senior defensive back Malik Spencer tied a season-high with seven stops Saturday, matching his top outing of the year at USC (9/20/25) . . . the seven tackles was Spencer's ninth game this season with four or more tackles.
• Spencer added a pass break-up for his fifth pass break-up of the season, finishing second on the team.Â
• Fellow senior defensive back Malcolm Bell matched Spencer's seven stops and one pass break-up . . . the seven stops marked Bell's fourth-straight game with five or more stops as part of the sixth overall game of the season.
• Bell's one pass break-up gives his a team-leading sixth PBU of the season.
• Redshirt-senior linebacker Wayne Matthews III logged six tackles, as he's posted four or more tackles in all 11 games that he's played in their entirety, as he missed the end of the USC game with an injury . . . Matthews posted five of more stops in 10 games.Â
• Redshirt-junior linebacker Jordan Hall logged six tackles with 0.5 tackle on 0.5 sack, teaming with Aydan West for a sack of Maryland QB Malik Washington on a pivotal fourth-down play for a turnover on downs.
• Hall's 0.5 TFL was his second-straight game with at least 0.5 tackle for loss and fourth game this season with at least half a TFL.
• The 0.5 sack marked the third game with 0.5 sack for Hall, joining 1.0 sack in each of the Western Michigan (8/29/25) and Youngstown State (9/13/25) games.
• Graduate defensive lineman Quindarius Dunnigan posted a sack in his second-straight game with 1.0 sack last time out at Iowa (11/22/25) and 1.0 sack Saturday, marking his third game with at least 0.5 sack, now with 2.5 sacks on the season.
• Dunnigan now has 3.0 tackles for loss in the last two games after 2.0 TFL in the Iowa game . . . he has 5.0 TFL for the season.
• Redshirt-junior Aveon Grose snared his first career interception with the Victory for MSU-clinching oskie with 1:36 left.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• After missing the last nine games with an injury sustained in the Boston College game (9/6/25), graduate kick returner Alante Brown had a dramatic return to action, as he was not only the game captain for Saturday in his final game in a Spartan jersey, but he electrified the Ford Field crowd with a 92-yard kickoff return in the third quarter as the Spartans responded to the Terps closing to 24-21.
• Brown's kick return was the first Spartan kick return for a touchdown since Nov. 29, 2014, when R.J. Shelton returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to paydirt for a kick return TD.
• The KOR for TD was not only Brown's first kick return for a TD, but also his first career TD of any kind in his collegiate career, after transferring to MSU after three seasons at Nebraska (2020-22) and finished his third as a Spartans (2023-25).
• Brown's 92-yard kick return is the sixth-longest in the Big Ten this season, behind a pair of 100-yard returns by Iowa's Kaden Wetjen and Ohio State's Lorenzo Styles Jr., along with Nebraska's Kenneth Williams and Wisconsin's Vinny Anthony II each with a 95-yard return for a TD, and Minnesota's Koi Perich with a 93-yard run.
• Brown's KOR for TD is just the fifth kick return for a TD in the Big Ten this season.
• Redshirt-junior punter Ryan Eckley had five punts for a 47.6 ypp average with three punts of 50+ yards, starting with his first punt of the day, a 54-yarder in the first quarter, adding another 54-yarder in the second stanza, before a 50-yard punt in the third quarter . . . he then had a 46-yarder downed at the 9-yard line early in the fourth quarter, before a 34-yarder that was fair caught at the 16.
• Eckley's three punts of 50 or more yards gives him 23 punts of 50+ yards this season and 67 for his career . . . Saturday marked the ninth game this season that Eckley had at least one punt of 50 or more yards . . . Saturday's three 50+ yard punts was eighth game with multiple punts of half a century yards, including his fifth with three or more.
• With four punts inside the 20, Eckley tied a career-high for the third time in his career, also doing so vs. Ohio State in 2023 and in this year's season-opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25) . . . Eckley now has 20 punts inside the 20 this season and 49 for his career.
• Eckley finished the season with a 48.5 ypp season average, good for the No. 2 mark on MSU's single-season punting record list, behind Bryce Baringer's 49.0 ypp average in 2022, just topping Baringer's 48.4 ypp average in 2021 . . . Eckley now has three of the top seven marks in school history, as his 47.9 ypp average last season is now tied for No. 4 and his 46.8 ypp average in 2023 is now No. 7.
• Eckley now has a 47.7 ypp career average (148 punts for 7,055 yards), which ranks No. 1 in school history, topping Baringer's 46.0 ypp career average.Â
Eckley's 7,055 punting yards is No. 13 on MSU's career record list, while his 148 punts is also No. 13 on the Spartans' career punt attempts list.Â
• Redshirt-freshman placekicker Martin Coddington split the uprights on a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter and finished the year 12-of-16 on field goals.
• Coddington added a career-high tying five PATs, matching his outing vs. Youngstown State (9/13/25) and his fourth game this season with three or more PATs . . . he is now 27-of-28 on PATs.
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• Saturday's game against Maryland marked the third-ever game for Michigan State at Ford Field, and the Victory for MSU moved the Spartans to 2-1 at the home of the Detroit Lions . . . the Spartans beat Florida Atlantic, 30-17, on Sept. 11, 2010, during their first appearance at the facility, but lost to No. 11 Penn State in 2023, 42-0 . . . Prior to that win over Florida Atlantic in 2010, MSU's last visit to downtown Detroit was Oct. 27, 1944, when Coach Charlie Bachman led the Spartans to a 32-0 victory over Wayne State in a contest played at University of Detroit Stadium . . . Michigan State also played Detroit at U of D Stadium in 1923, 1928, 1931 and 1933.
• Senior wide receiver Alante Brown was Saturday's game captain . . . Brown joined three of the Spartan season captains for the coin toss in junior linebacker Jordan Hall, senior linebacker Sam Edwards and graduate defensive lineman Quindarius Dunnigan.
SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's game marked the 16th all-time meeting between Michigan State and Maryland . . . with Saturday's triumph over the Terrapins, the Spartans now lead the overall series, 12-4, including winning the last two match-ups with a 27-24 comeback victory over UMD in College Park last season, as part of winning six of the last eight meetings and eight of the last 11 as MSU improves to 8-3 against Maryland since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014.
OFFENSE
• After starting the same five offensive linemen in the previous three game for their longest consecutive streak of the season, the Spartans used their seventh different quintet of offensive linemen out of the 12 games this season . . . after not only starting each of the previous 11 games, but also playing in every 727 offensive snaps through the 11 games, graduate center Matt Gulbin, missed Saturday's game with an injury.
• Redshirt-sophomore Cooper Terpstra started at center in place of Gulbin, to register the first starting assignment of his career . . . Terpstra was the 11th different offensive lineman to start, which let the FBS.
• Senior offensive lineman Conner Moore was the lone offensive lineman to start all 12 games, in starting at two different positions, with nine starts at right tackle and three at left tackle, marking that no Spartan offensive lineman started in the same position all season.Â
• MSU's 38 points were a season-high for a Big Ten game and the third-highest scoring output of the season, trailing 42 in the 42-40 2OT Victory for MSU over Boston College (9/6/25) and 41 points in a 41-24 win over Youngstown State (9/13/25) . . . the 38 points topped the Spartans' previous B1G game high of 31 points in a 45-31 loss at USC (9/20/25).
• The Spartans' 17 points in the second quarter was their season-high for points in a quarter, topping 14 points in a quarter, done four previous times, all coming in the third quarter of games vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25), Youngstown State (9/13/25) and Iowa (11/22/25).
• MSU's 24 points in the first half was the most points scored in the first half this season, topping the previous mark of 21 points back in the season-opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25).
• The Spartans scored in all four quarters for just the second time in a Big Ten game, and first since the game at USC (9/20/25), and just the fourth time overall, joining the Boston College (9/6/25) and Youngstown State (9/13/25) games.
• Redshirt-freshman quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw a career-high four TDs, with a career-best 27 completions, for 27-of-39 passing for 292 yards with one INT . . . the 292 yards is his second-best outing behind his career-high 311 yards vs. Minnesota (11/1/25), which was the No. 3 mark on MSU's Top Single-Game Passing Performances by Freshman/Redshirt Freshman QB list.
• Milivojevic now has six TDs in his last two games, as Saturday's four TDs topped his previous career-best of two TDs that came last time out at Iowa (11/22/25).
• Milivojevic is MSU's second QB to have four TD passes in a game this season, joining junior QB Aidan Chiles with four TDs vs. Boston College (9/6/25), while all four of Milivojevic's TDs came in regulation, with Chiles throwing his fourth TD in OT.Â
• The 27 completions by Milivojevic also gives him 52 completions in his last two games, as Saturday's outing also tops his previous top mark of 25 completions from the Iowa game . . . the 27 completions is also Milivojevic's third outing with 20 or more completions in the last four games that he's started.Â
• Milivojevic made his fourth-straight start on Saturday, and he is now 79-of-136 passing for 986 yards (246.5 ypg), with seven TDs (1.8 pg) and two INTs in his four games as a starter.
• Sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh tied a season-high with seven catches for 85 yards, which is his second-highest yardage total of the season, and one TD reception . . . the seven catches tied his back-to-back outings with seven catches against both UCLA (10/12/25) and Indiana (10/19/25).
• Marsh now has 15 catches for 279 yards and two TDs in two games vs. Maryland, as he registered a career-high tying eight catches for a career-best 194 yards and one TD last season vs. Maryland (9/7/24).
• Marsh's TD catch was his first since Oct. 19, 2025 vs. Indiana, and his sixth total of the season.
• Marsh extended his team-leading streak of one catch in 23-consecutive games, with one in every game that he's appeared in as a Spartan, including multiple receptions in the last 22 games played after one catch in his collegiate debut.
• The seven catches was Marsh's seventh game with five or more receptions out of the 12 games played this season . . . it was his 10th career game with five or more catches out of 23 career contests played.
• Marsh's seven catches gives him exactly 100 for his career, becoming the third Spartan receiver to reach 100 career receptions in the last two games, joining teammates Omari Kelly and Chrishon McCray, who both hit the milestone last game vs. Iowa (11/22/25) . . . Marsh is the lone one of the three to reach 100 receptions at the same school, as both Kelly and McCray are transfers.
• With the 85 yards Saturday, Marsh now has 1,311 career receiving yards, moving up to No. 38 on MSU's career receiving list . . . the 100 career receptions moves Marsh to tie for No. 33 on the Spartans' career receptions list, tying MSU great Felton Davis III (2015-18).
• Senior wideout Omari Kelly had five catches for 76 yards and caught the Victory for MSU-clinching TD catch with 1:56 left in the game in his final outing in a Spartan jersey . . . Kelly has now snared five or more receptions in five games this season, while posting 50 or more yards in six games.
• Kelly snared his second TD catch and his third scoring reception of the season, joining a TD catch vs. USC (9/20/25) to go with catching the game-winning two-point conversion in the 42-40 double-OT walk-off win over Boston College (9/6/25).
• Senior tight end Jack Velling had five catches for 68 yards and a TD in his final game in the Green & White . . . Velling now has 13 receptions for 156 yards in his last two games after eight catches for 88 yards last time out vs. Iowa (11/22/25).
• Velling now has three TD catches this season with one each vs. USC (9/20/25) and Nebraska (10/4/25).
• Redshirt-junior tight end Kai Rios snared his first catch as a Spartan in dramatic fashion, coming on a his first TD catch as as Spartan on a 1-yard catch from Milivojevic to open MSU's scoring.
• Senior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver had game highs of 13 carries for 95 yards . . . the 95 yards was his second-highest outing of the season behind his top mark of 127 yards vs. Minnesota (11/1/25), and his third outing of 50+ yards of the season, all coming in the last four games.
• Tau-Tolliver's 13 carries was also his second-most of the season, behind his top mark of 16 carries last time out vs. Iowa (11/22/25) . . . Saturday was his third game with 10+ carries, also in his last four outings.
• Sophomore running back Brandon Tullis added nine carries for 46 yards . . . the nine carries is his second-highest rushing attempts mark of the season behind his career-high 14 carries vs. Minnesota (11/1/25) . . . the 46 yards is his fourth game with 40+ yards this season.
• Tullis also added a career-high three receptions for 8 yards.
• Freshman running back Bryson Williams had a season-long 14-yard rush in his lone carry of the game, for his second rushing attempt of the season, adding to a 6-yard run in game at Minnesota (11/1/25).
DEFENSE
• The Spartan defense forced their ninth takeaway of the season with one interception on Saturday, marking MSU's fifth oskie of the season.
• By holding Maryland off the scoreboard in the first and fourth frames, MSU's defense pitched a shutout in two quarters in back-to-back games after blanking Iowa in the second and third quarters last game . . . it was the third time this season that MSU held the opposition scoreless in two or more stanzas in a game, joining the season-opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25) with the first, second and third quarters . . .  Saturday was only the second time that the Spartans held the opponent off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, joining the game vs. UCLA (10/11/25).
• Freshman defensive back Aydan West had a season-high eight tackles, including his first career sack, teaming up with junior linebacker Jordan Hall to sack Maryland QB Malik Washington on a pivotal fourth-down play for a turnover on downs.
• West's 0.5 sack Saturday marked his second game with at least 0.5 tackle for loss, with 0.5 TFL vs. Minnesota (11/1/25).
• The eight stops nearly doubled West's season total coming into Saturday and more than his last three games combined, as he had seven stops in his last three contests as part of 11 total tackles on the season, in starting the last three games and four total games on the season.
• Senior defensive back Malik Spencer tied a season-high with seven stops Saturday, matching his top outing of the year at USC (9/20/25) . . . the seven tackles was Spencer's ninth game this season with four or more tackles.
• Spencer added a pass break-up for his fifth pass break-up of the season, finishing second on the team.Â
• Fellow senior defensive back Malcolm Bell matched Spencer's seven stops and one pass break-up . . . the seven stops marked Bell's fourth-straight game with five or more stops as part of the sixth overall game of the season.
• Bell's one pass break-up gives his a team-leading sixth PBU of the season.
• Redshirt-senior linebacker Wayne Matthews III logged six tackles, as he's posted four or more tackles in all 11 games that he's played in their entirety, as he missed the end of the USC game with an injury . . . Matthews posted five of more stops in 10 games.Â
• Redshirt-junior linebacker Jordan Hall logged six tackles with 0.5 tackle on 0.5 sack, teaming with Aydan West for a sack of Maryland QB Malik Washington on a pivotal fourth-down play for a turnover on downs.
• Hall's 0.5 TFL was his second-straight game with at least 0.5 tackle for loss and fourth game this season with at least half a TFL.
• The 0.5 sack marked the third game with 0.5 sack for Hall, joining 1.0 sack in each of the Western Michigan (8/29/25) and Youngstown State (9/13/25) games.
• Graduate defensive lineman Quindarius Dunnigan posted a sack in his second-straight game with 1.0 sack last time out at Iowa (11/22/25) and 1.0 sack Saturday, marking his third game with at least 0.5 sack, now with 2.5 sacks on the season.
• Dunnigan now has 3.0 tackles for loss in the last two games after 2.0 TFL in the Iowa game . . . he has 5.0 TFL for the season.
• Redshirt-junior Aveon Grose snared his first career interception with the Victory for MSU-clinching oskie with 1:36 left.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• After missing the last nine games with an injury sustained in the Boston College game (9/6/25), graduate kick returner Alante Brown had a dramatic return to action, as he was not only the game captain for Saturday in his final game in a Spartan jersey, but he electrified the Ford Field crowd with a 92-yard kickoff return in the third quarter as the Spartans responded to the Terps closing to 24-21.
• Brown's kick return was the first Spartan kick return for a touchdown since Nov. 29, 2014, when R.J. Shelton returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to paydirt for a kick return TD.
• The KOR for TD was not only Brown's first kick return for a TD, but also his first career TD of any kind in his collegiate career, after transferring to MSU after three seasons at Nebraska (2020-22) and finished his third as a Spartans (2023-25).
• Brown's 92-yard kick return is the sixth-longest in the Big Ten this season, behind a pair of 100-yard returns by Iowa's Kaden Wetjen and Ohio State's Lorenzo Styles Jr., along with Nebraska's Kenneth Williams and Wisconsin's Vinny Anthony II each with a 95-yard return for a TD, and Minnesota's Koi Perich with a 93-yard run.
• Brown's KOR for TD is just the fifth kick return for a TD in the Big Ten this season.
• Redshirt-junior punter Ryan Eckley had five punts for a 47.6 ypp average with three punts of 50+ yards, starting with his first punt of the day, a 54-yarder in the first quarter, adding another 54-yarder in the second stanza, before a 50-yard punt in the third quarter . . . he then had a 46-yarder downed at the 9-yard line early in the fourth quarter, before a 34-yarder that was fair caught at the 16.
• Eckley's three punts of 50 or more yards gives him 23 punts of 50+ yards this season and 67 for his career . . . Saturday marked the ninth game this season that Eckley had at least one punt of 50 or more yards . . . Saturday's three 50+ yard punts was eighth game with multiple punts of half a century yards, including his fifth with three or more.
• With four punts inside the 20, Eckley tied a career-high for the third time in his career, also doing so vs. Ohio State in 2023 and in this year's season-opener vs. Western Michigan (8/29/25) . . . Eckley now has 20 punts inside the 20 this season and 49 for his career.
• Eckley finished the season with a 48.5 ypp season average, good for the No. 2 mark on MSU's single-season punting record list, behind Bryce Baringer's 49.0 ypp average in 2022, just topping Baringer's 48.4 ypp average in 2021 . . . Eckley now has three of the top seven marks in school history, as his 47.9 ypp average last season is now tied for No. 4 and his 46.8 ypp average in 2023 is now No. 7.
• Eckley now has a 47.7 ypp career average (148 punts for 7,055 yards), which ranks No. 1 in school history, topping Baringer's 46.0 ypp career average.Â
Eckley's 7,055 punting yards is No. 13 on MSU's career record list, while his 148 punts is also No. 13 on the Spartans' career punt attempts list.Â
• Redshirt-freshman placekicker Martin Coddington split the uprights on a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter and finished the year 12-of-16 on field goals.
• Coddington added a career-high tying five PATs, matching his outing vs. Youngstown State (9/13/25) and his fourth game this season with three or more PATs . . . he is now 27-of-28 on PATs.
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