Michigan State has had a great 3-0 start to its season, posting victories over Florida Atlantic, Maryland, and Prairie View A&M over the first quarter of its schedule. Despite there being a lot of football left this fall, the Spartans have already made some memorable plays.

From Nick Marsh emerging as a breakout star at wide receiver to cornerback Charles Brantley making clutch defensive plays, MSU has generated plenty of excitement amongst its fan base.

Let’s take a look at the 10 best plays of the 2024 season so far (through three games).

Later in the second quarter, the Spartans had the ball on their own 37-yard line. On first down, Aidan Chiles gave the ball to UMass transfer Kay'ron Lynch-Adams who found a hole to take the ball 63 yards to the house, increasing the lead to 16-0. This was also Lynch-Adams’ first statistical touchdown as a Spartan.

Maryland faced a crucial third-and-4 situation at the MSU 26-yard line with just 5:11 remaining in the game. UMD decided to run the ball but was met by Brantley in the middle of the gap. The Terps were stopped short and missed a field goal on fourth-and-1 to give late momentum to the Spartans, a crucial point differential as fans would later find.
(His sack comes around the 12:16 mark in the highlights below.)

The Spartans were rolling down the field on their opening drive of the game in College Park, but a third-and-4 threatened the momentum. Chiles dropped back and hit Montorie Foster Jr. on a post route to score a touchdown and tie the game. This touchdown pass marked Chiles' first of the season, propelling him to a stellar performance. MSU's young starter went on to finish the game with 363 yards and two additional touchdowns, leading the Spartans to a victory.

After a great punt by MSU's Ryan Eckley, Florida Atlantic was placed at its own one-yard line. FAU managed some breathing room with a four yard gain by running back CJ Campbell Jr. on first down, setting up quarterback Cam Fancher to fake a handoff to the running back on second-and-6 before making an attempt to drop back. There Fancher was rushed by defensive tackle D'Quan Douse who took him down in the endzone for a safety. This gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead and paved the way for a stellar defensive performance by defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s unit.

Please note the Big Ten Network broadcast clip mistakenly fails to update the downs and yardage for the play though the first down marker is accurate.

With Maryland driving down the field, the Terps converted another first down with 10:37 to go in the fourth quarter. At the Michigan State 37-yard line, Billy Edwards Jr. collected the snap, faked a handoff, and then overthrew Tai Felton right into the hands of Brantley. This play helped play a role in the Spartans getting a victory.

To wrap up a great game by MSU, kicker Jonathan Kim stepped up to drill a 37-yard field goal with just one second left. The kick was good and sealed the victory for the Spartans, bringing them to 2-0 on the season and an early lead atop the Big Ten standings.

On the last drive of the game, down 16-10, Fancher and the Owls had possession of the ball and attempting to mount a comeback. After completing a fourth-down pass over the middle to keep the drive alive, FAU was faced with another fourth down at its own 41-yard line a few plays later. Fancher dropped back, but ran to the outside after being faced with pressure. Talley, playing from the interior of the defensive line, got his hands on Fancher and was nearly able to take him down, but Fancher threw the ball out of bounds at the last second. Still, the play to sealed the victory for the Spartans.

Start the video below around the 10:35 mark to view the aforementioned play.

With the Spartans up 21-0 late in the second quarter, Peters took the snap for the Panthers and looked deep for the endzone. He threw it up, but the ball went into the hands of Brantley instead. The cornerback saw open room and took it all the way back for a 100-yard touchdown while extending MSU's lead to 27-0. This was the longest pick six in Michigan state history.

With MSU on its own 23-yard line and just 4:21 to play, Chiles faked a handoff to running back Nate Carter before dropping back and throwing to Marsh down the field. Marsh caught it 52 yards downfield, then out-ran four defenders for an eventual 77-yard touchdown to tie up the game at 24-24. This was the true freshman's longest play as a Spartan, and it was for Chiles as well.

The best play of the Spartans' season through the first three weeks, in my opinion, was the connection from Chiles to Marsh at the start of the fourth quarter.

Chiles took the snap, faked the handoff, and dropped back. Despite being hit while throwing the ball, he found Marsh down the field for a 57-yard gain even though Marsh was being covered by three defenders. This play was a turning point for Michigan State. Marsh had his first significant catch as a Spartan and Chiles demonstrated his ability to throw the ball deep accurately. Their confidence soared, which then led to other big plays such as the critical catch late in the fourth quarter.

Although this pass was overshadowed by the disappointing end of the drive, it provided the confidence boost needed for the Spartans to win the game.

The reason why I give this play the slight nod over the 77-yard touchdown connection between Chiles and Marsh is because I believe the 57-yard pass was the spark that gave the duo the confidence to make that game-tying play touchdown later on.

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