Michigan State fans who were hoping for a comfortable win over FCS opponent Prairie View A&M Saturday got just that as the Spartans marched to a 40-0 shutout victory.

It was the first shutout win for MSU since a 52-0 win over Akron on Sept. 10, 2022.

The win improves Michigan State to 3-0 on the young season (1-0 Big Ten) and Jonathan Smith becomes just the fifth-ever head coach for the Spartans to start 3-0 in East Lansing. Among names Smith now joins in that group includes former head coach Mark Dantonio.

This also marks the first time the Spartans have started 3-0 since the 2021 season.

Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles finished the day 12-for-19 passing for 173 yards and one touchdown through the air, along with one of his own on the ground as well. Sixth-year North Dakota transfer quarterback Tommy Schuster also saw action late in the second half, ending the day 8-for-10 for 97 yards and a rushing touchdown to his name.

Seven receivers for the Spartans had at least two catches, with Montorie Foster Jr. leading the way with four receptions. Antonio Gates Jr. tied with Jack Velling for second-most yards on the day with 42, but had three catches to Velling's two. Aziah Johnson had two catches for 50 yards and the lone touchdown of the group.

As for the running backs, Nate Carter finished the day with 91 yards on just eight carries (11.4 yards per carry), with 60 of those yards coming on a single rushing touchdown. Kay'ron Lynch-Adams had 15 carries for 63 yards (4.2 yards per carry) as well.

On the defensive side, linebacker Jordan Turner led the Spartans in tackles (seven), solo tackles (four), and tied for sacks (one).

Cornerback Charles Brantley had an interception he returned 100 yards, end zone to end zone, for a score as well. The 100-yard play is the longest interception return in Michigan State program history.

The Prairie View A&M quarterback, Cameron Peters, finished the day 9-for-17 passing for 123 yards and the aforementioned interception.

The Spartans started the game on a high note, winning the coin toss. MSU deferred to the second half and allowed the Panthers to convert on third-and-16 before forcing the punt.

The Spartans then marched it 60 yards for a touchdown with Chiles on the keeper for the final six yards.

MSU forced a three-and-out next time on defense and the Spartans' offense scored a second-straight drive.

This time, MSU marched it 69 yards, including a 34-yard gain by Velling and a 20-yard catch by true freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh among the major highlights leading up to a 17-yard catch by Johnson for the score.

With just seven seconds remaining in the quarter, MSU took a 14-0 lead.

The second quarter started following a quick 26-yard gain by Peters for the Panthers at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams were forced to punt it away on their respective drives before MSU risked its chance at a shutout by letting Prairie View A&M advance the ball to MSU's 20-yard line before settling for a field goal attempt. The kicker for the Panthers, Guillermo García Rodríguez, doinked it off the right upright and the Spartans took over on their own 20-yard line.

Six plays later, Michigan State's offense saw Carter run it in from 60 yards out for another touchdown for the Spartans. Not to be outdone, the MSU defense got in on the scoring on its next series.

After allowing the Panthers to advance all the way to MSU's 33-yard line, Brantley picked off Peters and ran it all the way to the end zone for a pick-six. He was helped out by blocks from defensive backs Nikai Martinez and Armorion Smith on the return.

After a replay review to try and determine if Brantley's knee was down before the ball crossed the line, the call stood and MSU took a 27-0 lead after kicker Jonathan Kim missed the extra point attempt with 42 seconds left before halftime. That's where the score would stand when the teams went into the locker room.

Michigan State looked poised to score yet another touchdown on its opening drive of the second half, but a holding penalty against tackle Brandon Baldwin resulted in calling back a touchdown run by Chiles from the Panthers' 17-yard line. MSU ended up having to settle for a field goal from 33 yards out that Kim connected on making it 30-0 MSU.

Unfortunately, more key injuries continued to pile up on the first drive of the second half as well, as redshirt sophomore offensive guard Gavin Broscious was carried off the field on the cart with an injury.

From thereon out, Shuster replaced Chiles at quarterback as the North Dakota transfer got reps under center. His opening series carried into the fourth quarter and marched the ball 84 yards before another Kim field goal, this one from 23 yards. The Spartans took a 33-0 lead.

On the next offensive series for MSU, Schuster led the Spartans 56 yards, including a 28-yard catch by Gates, for a score in which he kept it on the final one-yard rush for a touchdown.

Kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic was given the honors of kicking the PAT and Michigan State took a 40-0 lead with 3:49 remaining.

The Spartans' defense didn't allow the Panthers to cross the 50-yard line on their final drive, forcing a punt with 19 seconds remaining. MSU kneeled it out and that was the ball game.

Michigan State will head back to the East Coast next week to take on No. 24 Boston College. The Eagles fell by a final score of 27-21 at No. 6 Missouri earlier Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the ACC Network and BC announced the matchup as its "Red Bandana" game in honor of Welles Crowther.

Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.