Post-Game Notes: Toledo

GAME NOTES

• Michigan State kicked off its 130th season of football and opened its first season under head coach Pat Fitzgerald with a 30-20 Victory for MSU over Toledo.

• With the win, Fitzgerald now has 111 wins, which now ranks tied for 13th all-time for a Big Ten football coaches, tying John Cooper from Ohio State (1988-2000) ... next up at No. 12 on the B1G list is Fielding Yost of Michigan with 113 wins.

• Friday night was the 12th time in the last 16 years that Michigan State opened with a Friday night game in East Lansing, and the 14th time since 2011 that the Spartans began the season on a Friday night ... MSU improved to 12-0 in home Friday night games to start the season and 14-0 overall in its Friday night season openers during that time span ... the Spartans improved to 13-0 in home Friday night games since 2011 and 15-2 overall in Friday night games during that same time span.

• Friday's game marked just the second meeting between Michigan State and Toledo, and the first since Nov. 8, 1925 when the Spartans routed the Rockets, 58-0.

• With Friday's Sept. 4 date, it was MSU's first time opening a season in September since 2023 when opened on Sept. 1 ... the Sept. 4 date was the latest season-opener since the 2020 season after the COVID-19 pandemic ... it was the latest non-pandemic opener since 2015 when the Spartans also opened on Sept. 4.

• Michigan State moved to 90-37-3 all-time in season openers, including a 25-3 record in its last 28 openers ... in addition, the Spartans are 108-22 all-time in home openers, including victories in 27 of the past 28 years (only loss: 2020 vs. Rutgers on Oct. 24, 2020).

• The Spartans have won 26 consecutive home openers against non-conference opponents dating back to 1999.

• A total of 13 players who made their Spartan debuts were in the starting lineup (five on offense: RB Cam Edwards, WR Fredrick Moore, OG Nick Sharpe, C Nick Fraley, LT Ben Murawski; five on defense: EDGE Kenny Soares Jr.; S Devin Vaught; CB Tre Bell; DB Michael Richard; DL Eli Coenen; three on special teams: P Rhys Dakin, PK Liam Boyd, LS Nick Duzansky).

OFFENSE

• MSU's 30 points were its most in a season opener since 2023 when the Spartans scored 31 points ... it was the fourth time in the last six season openers and sixth time in the last 10 openers (35 in 2017; 38 in 2018; 38 in 2021; 35 in 2022; 31 in 2023).

• The Spartans scored on their opening drive with a 2-yard TD by graduate running back Cam Edwards ... MSU scored in three of the four quarters Friday night.

• MSU dominated the time of possession, 43:16-16:44 ... the Spartans scored on seven of their 10 offensive drives, with five field goals and two TDs.

• Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic was 26-of-34 passing (.765) for 247 yards and one TD, with no interceptions ... the 76.5 completion percentage was a new career-high for Milivojevic, topping his previous career-best of 71.4 percent (20-of-28) vs. Minnesota on Nov. 1, 2025 ... the 247 yards passing was Milivojevic's third-straight outing with 200+ passing yards and his fourth in his last five career starts dating back to the aforementioned Nov. 1, 2025 game at Minnesota.

• Milivojevic has thrown for at least one TD in his last three starts as part of in seven of his last nine games, now with 11 TDs for his career ... the 26 completions was also the third-straight start with 20+ completions and the fourth time in his last five starts.

• Graduate wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. snared a team-high 90 yards on seven catches with one TD and a 2-point conversion ... Bullard's seven catches was the most during his Spartan career and tied his second-most in his career with seven during his Valdosta State career, which came vs. West Georgia on Nov. 11, 2023, and only trailing his collegiate career-high of 11 catches which came two games later vs. Delta State in the Division II playoffs on Nov. 25, 2023.

• Bullard's seven catches topped his previous MSU high of four catches at Minnesota on Nov. 1, 2025, and Friday's TD was only his second scoring reception as a Spartan, also with one at Minnesota.

• Redshirt-senior wide receiver Crishon McCray snared a game-high eight catches for 69 yards ... McCray's eight receptions were the most of his MSU career, topping his previous mark of six catches vs. Iowa last season on Nov. 22, 2025, and the 69 yards was the second-most as a Spartans, trailing his 75 yards vs. Iowa last year.

• Graduate running back Cam Edwards had game-highs of 27 carries for 98 yards and one TD, scoring on MSU's opening possession ... the 27 carries was a collegiate career-high for Edwards, topping his previous top mark of 24 carries done twice during his career at UConn, most recently vs. Air Force on Nov. 15, 2025.

• Edwards' 27 carries was his seventh career game with 20+ rushing attempts.

DEFENSE

• The Spartan defense had one takeaway with an interception, adding 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, along with four pass break-ups and three QB hurries.

• Graduate edge Kenny Soares Jr. made his Spartan debut in smashing success with the first interception of his collegiate career, and his interception was the only takeaway by either team on the night.

• Graduate cornerback Tre Bell joined Soares in smashing Spartan debuts with the first sack of his collegiate career, as part of a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss ... Bell finished with three total tackles with two going for loss, adding one pass break-up.

• Senior safety Michael Richard, redshirt-junior safety Devin Vaught and redshirt-linebacker Brady Pretzlaff all led MSU with five tackles apiece, with Richard and Vaught also making their MSU debuts, while Pretzlaff was making his return to action after missing the final nine games of last season with an injury after the first three games of the year.

• Pretzlaff's five stops was a new career-high, topping his previous top mark of four tackles, which came during his true freshman season of 2024 vs. Indiana (Nov. 2, 2024)

• Redshirt-junior defensive junior defensive lineman Eli Coenen logged one sack.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Graduate placekicker Liam Boyd split the uprights a career-high five times.

• Boyd's five field goals was the most field goals by a Spartan kicker in debut ... it was also the fifth time in school history that a Spartan placekicker made five field goals in a game, and the most since Johnathan Kim's school-record tying six field goals on Oct. 19, 2024 vs. Iowa in a 32-20 Victory for MSU over the Hawkeyes.

• Boyd tied or topped his career-long field goals a total of three times tonight, tying his collegiate long field goal with his second field goal of the night, a 42-yarder in the second quarter, then topped it with a 48-yarder in the second quarter, and then breaking his career-long with a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter for the first 50+ yarder of his career.

• Boyd finished with 17 points on the night, a new career-high and first time in double-digits, topping his previous high of nine points, done twice during his career at Charlotte.

• Junior punter Rhys Dakin made his Spartan debut as holder on Boyd's field goals and PATs, as well as punting one time on the night, a 44-yarder in the third quarter, pinning Toledo at the 8-yard line, the first time that the Rockets started their offensive drive inside their own 25, and only one of two of their 10 drives all night and the only one inside the 20.