EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Payton Thorne capped three straight drives with touchdown passes in the first half and threw for a fourth score in the final quarter…
EAST LANSING, Mich. Payton Thorne played well in spurts, allowing No. 15 Michigan State to earn a lopsided win over Western Michigan despite struggling for long stretches of the opener on both sides of the ball.
Thorne capped three straight drives with touchdown passes in the first half and threw for a fourth score in the final quarter to help the Spartans pull away and beat the Broncos 35-13 on Friday night.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “But I like what I saw in the locker room after the game. We’re a hungry football team and we know we need to get better.”
After taking a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter, the Spartans allowed an average Mid-American Conference team to pull within eight points late in the third after outscoring them 10-0 in the quarter.
“We didn’t play very well in the third quarter,” Thorne said. “I don’t know the official stats. It was pretty bad.”
Michigan State was fortunate Thorne’s uneven performance included four touchdowns, matching Connor Cook’s school record of throwing four touchdowns in four games. Thorne finished 12 of 24 for 233 yards with an interception.
Wisconsin transfer Jalen Berger ran for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown that gave the Spartans a 28-13 lead with 6:28 remaining.
