Milivojevic Shines with Four Touchdowns in Spartans’ Victory

In a thrilling matchup on December 2, 2023, Alessio Milivojevic showcased his talent by throwing a career-high four touchdown passes, leading Michigan State to a 38-28 victory over Maryland. This win marked a significant moment for the Spartans as it ended their eight-game losing streak, improving their record to 4-8 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten conference.

Milivojevic completed 27 of 39 passes for 292 yards during the game. His impressive performance was complemented by Alante Brown‘s remarkable 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. “I’ve said it for weeks now, we were gonna fight every single game, every single week, to get a win,” Milivojevic stated. “And we fought a lot today, and we got that win.”

Michigan State’s head coach, Jonathan Smith, expressed relief at avoiding a winless conference season, a fate last experienced by the Spartans in 1958 under coach Duffy Daugherty. When asked about his future with the team, Smith noted he had not yet received any information from Michigan State Athletic Director Jason “J” Batt regarding his return for the next season. “Really happy and proud of that locker room,” Smith remarked. “It has been a long season. Some downs, some disappointment, definitely frustration, but really proud of them as they continued to battle.”

Maryland, now also 4-8 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten, closed the season with its first eight-game losing streak since 2015. Freshman quarterback Malik Washington delivered a standout performance, completing 38 of 61 passes for a career-high 459 yards. His efforts included a touchdown pass to Shaleak Knotts and another to Jalil Farooq, who had 10 catches for 110 yards.

After Michigan State established a 24-7 lead by halftime, Maryland fought back, narrowing the score to 24-21 following a 5-yard touchdown run by DeJuan Williams and Washington’s 25-yard pass to Knotts. Following Brown’s kickoff return, Washington’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Farooq brought the Terrapins within three points. However, a missed 27-yard field goal by Sean O’Haire with 7:38 left in the game prevented Maryland from tying the score.

The Spartans secured their victory with Milivojevic’s 10-yard scoring pass to Omai Kelly on a fourth down with just 1:56 remaining. Maryland’s coach, Michael Locksley, acknowledged the team’s struggles this season. “This year was not good enough,” he stated. “We did not meet expectations that any of us set. It starts with me. It’s my job to quality control this season and to make any and every change to get this program back where it needs to be.”

Milivojevic’s success was instrumental in helping the Spartans finally close out a game after previously losing leads against Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Both teams will now look ahead to winter workouts and spring practice, focusing on rebuilding for the upcoming season.