Michigan State started off the Jonathan Smith era with a victory Friday night at Spartan Stadium, downing Florida Atlantic 16-10. The Spartans move to 1-0 to open 2024 and improved to 12-0 in Friday night Labor Day Weekend openers dating back to 2011.

MSU's offense finished the night with 293 yards of offense, 179 of that on the ground. The Spartans finished the game with an average 4.8 yards per carry, but sloppy play on both sides of the ball resulted in 12 penalties for 140 yards and three turnovers. The defense held FAU to just 2.8 yards per rush attempt and 248 total yards.

In his first collegiate career start, Aidan Chiles finished the night 10-for-24 passing for 114 yards and a rushing touchdown. Chiles also logged two interceptions, including one in the red zone.

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams led to Spartan rushing attack with 101 yards on nine carries, including a 63-yard touchdown. Nate Carter took the most handoffs with 19 attempts for a total of 48 yards.

The passing game saw seven players with at least one catch. Montorie Foster Jr. finished with three catches for 23 yards while Michael Masunas totaled 29 yards on two catches. Aziah Johnson tallied the longest catch at 22 yards on his lone reception.

On the defensive side of the ball, Angelo Grose led the Spartans with 11 total tackles, including eight solo. Grose and Nikai Martinez both finished with an interception apiece while Martinez finished the night second in tackles with six, including five solo. Khris Bogle totaled 1.5 sacks.

The Owls saw Cam Fancher finish 12-for-25 for 116 yards and one touchdown alongside two interceptions.

After the Owls won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, things got off to about as bad of a start for the offense as they could. On his opening play under center, Chiles was picked off by Kahzir Brown. The play was initially ruled incomplete, but video review overturned the call on the field for an immediate turnover by MSU.

The defense responded in opposite form, holding FAU to a three and out and forcing a punt. After the Spartan offense managed to pick up 23 yards before being forced to punt it away on its second possession, Ryan Eckley's 40 yard punt helped pin the Owls at their own one-yard line.

Showing complimentary football, the defense immediately picked up the first safety for MSU football since Dec. 5, 2020 against Ohio State for the first points of the season.

On the ensuing kickoff, Alante Brown saw an opening and returned the ball 33 yards to the MSU 46-yard line to give the Spartans excellent field position to start. MSU's offense had a rhythm built up following the spark and started to have fans excited in the stands, particularly after a 22-yard pass to Michael Masunas advanced the Spartans into the red zone.

The turnover bug was just getting started for the night, though, as three plays later the Owls' Michal Antoine forced the fumble by Foster and FAU recovered the ball. That set up an Owls' offensive drive as the clock flipped over to the second quarter.

On the very first play of the quarter, Florida Atlantic's Fancher scrambled and ran for a gain of 15 yards, but drew a targeting call against Michigan State's Malik Spencer. The official review upheld the call and Spencer was disqualified for the remainder of the game.

Just as FAU managed to push ever closer to the MSU red zone, Angelo Grose intercepted a pass up the middle from Fancher and returned it 15 yards to the MSU 29-yard line.

The offense was forced to punt after FAU held it to a three and out, but Fancher was picked off again, this time by Nikai Martinez who returned it 41 yards to FAU's 18-yard line.

That pick set up the Spartan offense in the red zone from the start of its drive and it essentially scored twice. One the second play, Adams ran it all the way in for a touchdown from 13 yards out, but a premature whistle widely criticized even by the announcing crew resulted in the ball coming back out to the 11.

Chiles kept it and ran in for his first touchdown of the year. The PAT by Jonathan Kim was good, and MSU led 9-0 with 11:15 left in the half.

After the defense held FAU to another three and out, Lynch-Adams lined up as running back again and ran it 63 yards for the touchdown he was denied on the last drive. After the PAT, it was 16-0 for the Spartans.

The Owls were able to quiet the crowd some on their own ensuing drive, marching it 43 yards to the MSU 27 before calling out the field goal unit. Morgan Suarez managed to get FAU on the board from 43 yards to make it 16-3 with just 4:43 left in the half.

Each team's offense had drives that resulted in a punt before the Spartans handed it off to Carter for two straight runs to run out the clock and head into the locker room with the lead.

Neither team could build much momentum in the third quarter on offense. Florida Atlantic managed to get to MSU's 26-yard line on its opening drive, but a 44 yard field goal attempt went wide right and MSU's offense was forced into a three and out to open the half. Back to back sacks by the Spartans' Ed Woods and then Bogle helped kill the Owls' drive after pushing them back a combined 10 yards from the MSU 16.

Two offensive drives later for MSU, the Spartans were in great field position to start, beginning at their own 47-yard line. Chiles was forced to scramble on first-and-10 from FAU's 29, but he still connected with Johnson while taking the hit for a dime catch to advance MSU 22 yards to the FAU seven-yard line.

Just three plays later Chiles was picked off again as Phillip Dunnam returned it 58 yards to the MSU 40. Seven plays later and the Owls finally got into the end zone to bring the game into a one-score range. The PAT was good and FAU tailed just 16-10 with :07 remaining in the quarter.

Neither team could find any points in the final quarter of the game, though MSU came close on its drive that started at the end of the third quarter. Just as the Spartans were pushing toward another touchdown as they marched deep into the Owls' red zone, the drive stalled. The staff elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from FAU's nine-yard line, but the attempt fell short as Lynch-Adams was brought down in the backfield for a loss of two and a turnover on downs.

The Spartans' defense returned the favor on FAU's drive, this one for a four-yard loss on fourth-and-2 from MSU's 37-yard line.

Neither team could build any consistency on the remaining drives of the half and another initial targeting call against MSU was overturned late in the game. The call was changed on video review and Fancher was ruled down short of the line for a turnover on downs at the FAU 41-yard line with 3:27 left in the half.

Michigan State will open Big Ten play next with a road trip to College Park next Saturday to take on Maryland. Start time is set of 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time with the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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