Michigan State came into Saturday needing a win on Senior Day to clinch bowl eligibility, but ended the season with a 41-14 defeat at the hands of Rutgers.

Snowy conditions with cold temperatures added to the misery of a depleted secondary suffering from the injury bug and a lackluster offense continued to stall out or fail to get a spark at the outset of its drives. MSU ends the season with a 5-7 record and a 3-6 mark in Big Ten play.

Aidan Chiles finished the game 13-for-23 for 150 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Jack Velling was back in action as well after being carted off the field following an injury against Purdue the week prior. The tight end led MSU in catches (five), targets (six), receiving yards (77), and scores (one touchdown). Overall, MSU finished with 150 yards in the air on 13 receptions.

The run game saw Kay'ron Lynch-Adams finish the game with 69 yards on nine carries while Nate Carter totaled 47 yards on the ground on seven carries, including a score. Carter was also second on the team in receiving yards with 23 yards on three catches.

The Scarlet Knights, meanwhile, totaled 365 yards of offense, including 208 net rushing yards to MSU's 103. The teams did finish with an equal 4.3 yards per carry, though. RU managed to go seven-for-13 on third down while MSU went just three-for-9 and totaled seven penalties for 70 yards.

The Spartans were able to quickly move the ball on their opening drive, giving the relatively small crowd in the stands something to cheer for off the bat. MSU's drive was five-straight rushing plays with Lynch-Adams totaling 36 on one attempt and Carter capping the drive off with a 26-yard scamper into the end zone for a score.

From there, the Scarlet Knights went on to score 23 unanswered points with several setbacks for MSU along the way. Among those was a bad snap to Ryan Eckley on a punt attempt following Michigan State's second offensive drive that resulted in Rutgers taking over at the two-yard line. While MSU held RU to just a field goal, the Spartans lost the lead for good as the Scarlet Knights took a 10-7 lead.

Then in the second quarter, the Spartan coaching staff opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Rutgers six-yard line but Lynch-Adams was brought down for no gain on the play to turn it over on downs in the red zone while trailing 10-7.

Then on the ensuing defensive series, MSU also lost freshman Jaylen Thompson to an injury as he was carted off the field after being secured via a backboard. The very next play, RU ripped off a 33-yard pass gain that was followed by a 13-yard touchdown run to take a 17-7 lead.

The Scarlet Knights would go on to finish the half with another touchdown drive and a field goal as time expired to take a 23-7 advantage into the locker room at the half.

With cold and snowy conditions, the third quarter wound down quickly with each team only getting one full drive apiece. The Scarlet Knights used theirs to open the half with a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and opted for the two-point conversion despite holding a commanding lead already. The Spartans responded to now being down 31-7 with a seven-play, 32-yard drive that ended with a turnover on downs.

Rutgers opened the fourth quarter continuing a drive begun in the prior stanza, and capped it off with a field goal with 10:55 remaining to open up a 34-7 lead. But Michigan State's offense finally found a spark not snuffed out by the wintry conditions — or really more so RU's defense — and responded with another score.

The MSU drive opened with an eight-yard gain by Velling and ended with a five-yard touchdown catch by the tight end as well. Along the way, Montorie Foster Jr. drew a pass interference call against RU's Al-Shadee Salaam, Carter managed a four-yard catch a play later, and right before his touchdown catch, Velling added a big 18-yard gain well inside the red zone. After the PAT by Jonathan Kim, MSU trimmed its deficit to 34-14.

The Spartans attempted an on-side kick, but despite a hard-fought effort, failed to recover it and the Scarlet Knights started with advantageous field position at their own 44. Rutgers was able to take advantage with another touchdown to reach the 40 point mark for the first time since Week Two — and just the third time on the season — when RU defeated Akron 49-17. The touchdown gave the Scarlet Knights a 41-14 lead after the PAT and with just 1:51 left, that was all she wrote.

MSU was unable to score on its final drive as Alessia Milivojevic was put in under center for MSU and was picked up on the second play of the series. RU kneeled it out and that was the game.

The Spartans end the season with a 5-7 record. The loss means Michigan State will miss a bowl game for the fourth time in five seasons and post a losing record for a third-straight year.

MSU will return to the field in 2025 with a season-opener against Western Michigan currently scheduled for Aug. 30 at Spartan Stadium.

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