PAYTON THORNE

C.

Michael Penix Jr. threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns and Washington emphatically stated its case as a contender in the Pac-12 with a 39-28 win over No. 11 Michigan State.

Payton Thorne capped three straight drives with touchdown passes in the first half and threw for a fourth score in the final quarter to help No. 15 Michigan State pull away and beat Western Michigan 35-13.

Payton Thorne’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed gave No. 11 Michigan State the lead with less than three minutes remaining and the Spartans overcame an 11-point deficit to beat No. 13 Pittsburgh 31-21 on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl.

Aidan O’Connell threw for a career-best 536 yards, matched his career high with three touchdown passes and led Purdue past No. 5 Michigan State 40-29.

Kenneth Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, lifting No. 8 Michigan State to a 37-33 comeback win over No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

Matt Coghlin's 51-yard field goal gave No. 10 Michigan State the lead and Payton Thorne's third-quarter touchdown throw gave the Spartans the breathing room they needed to beat Indiana 20-15.

Chester Kimbrough intercepted Adrian Martinez’s pass in overtime and Matt Coghlin made a 21-yard field goal to keep No. 20 Michigan State unbeaten with a 23-20 win over Nebraska.

Payton Thorne passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring throws going to Jalen Nailor, and Michigan State extended its unbeaten start by topping No. 24 Miami 38-17 on Saturday.

Nine of the 14 Big Ten football teams appear set at quarterback heading into the fall.

3 Ohio State to a 52-12 win over Michigan State on Saturday. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson coached Ohio State in Day's absence. Michigan State (2-4, 2-4) was coming off a win over another undefeated team — Northwestern — but the Spartans were overmatched Saturday. They punted on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter — and again on fourth down in Ohio State territory early in the third. Michigan State wraps up the regular season at Penn State.

Fryfogle had 11 catches for 200 yards — surpassing career highs he'd set just a week earlier — and the Hoosiers handled Michigan State 24-0 on Saturday. Michigan State was shut out at home for the first time since a 31-0 loss to Michigan in 1985. Michigan State: The Spartans have been hurt by turnovers in all three of their losses, and this was no exception. Lombardi isn't the only one to blame, but it was time for Michigan State to try another option at quarterback. “We thought it was some decision making early in the game," Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said.