If you were looking for the latest Michigan State Spartans football score during the 2025 season, you probably noticed a trend that most fans in East Lansing would rather forget. It was a rough one. The Spartans finished their campaign with a 4-8 record, a result that ultimately cost Jonathan Smith his job after just two seasons at the helm.
Things actually started out pretty promisingly. Honestly, after three weeks, people were thinking the rebuild might be ahead of schedule. They opened up with a 23-6 win over Western Michigan and then followed it up with a wild 42-40 double-overtime victory against Boston College. Remember that game? Aidan Chiles scrambled into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown in the second overtime and then found Omari Kelly for the two-point conversion to seal it. It was electric.
Then the wheels fell off.
The Brutal Reality of the 2025 Michigan State Spartans Football Score
The Spartans hit a wall once the meat of the Big Ten schedule arrived. Between September 20 and November 22, the team suffered through an eight-game losing streak. Some were close, like the 23-20 overtime heartbreaker against Minnesota, but others were just plain ugly. Getting thrashed 38-13 by UCLA and then again by an Indiana team that turned out to be a juggernaut was a tough pill for the Spartan faithful to swallow.
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One of the biggest issues was the defense's inability to get off the field. While Jalen Thompson and Jordan Hall played their hearts out, the unit allowed nearly 30 points per game. When you’re only scoring about 24.6 points yourself, the math just doesn't work.
The season wrapped up on a slightly high note with a 38-28 win over Maryland at Ford Field on November 29. Aidan Chiles threw for 1,392 yards on the season, while freshman Alessio Milivojevic stepped in and showed some serious flashes, throwing for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns himself. But one final win in Detroit wasn't enough to save the staff.
2025 Game-by-Game Results
- Aug 29: Western Michigan — W 23-6
- Sep 6: Boston College — W 42-40 (2OT)
- Sep 13: Youngstown State — W 41-24
- Sep 20: @ #25 USC — L 31-45
- Oct 4: @ Nebraska — L 27-38
- Oct 11: UCLA — L 13-38
- Oct 18: @ #3 Indiana — L 13-38
- Oct 25: #25 Michigan — L 20-31
- Nov 1: @ Minnesota — L 20-23 (OT)
- Nov 15: Penn State — L 10-28
- Nov 22: @ Iowa — L 17-20
- Nov 29: Maryland (at Ford Field) — W 38-28
Why the Scoreboard Led to Pat Fitzgerald
On December 1, 2025, Michigan State made a massive splash by hiring Pat Fitzgerald as the 27th head coach in program history. After the 1-8 conference record, Athletic Director Alan Haller and the Board of Trustees decided a change was necessary to fix the "toughness" of the program.
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Fitzgerald brings a lot of Big Ten experience from his 17 years at Northwestern. He’s already started building a staff that looks like a "who’s who" of Midwest football. He kept defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, which was a smart move for continuity, but he brought in Nick Sheridan from Alabama to run the offense.
The biggest news for fans? Max Bullough is back. The former Spartan linebacker was hired as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Having a "Spartan Dawg" back on the sidelines is exactly the kind of move that wins over a frustrated fan base.
What to Expect Next for the Spartans
The focus has shifted entirely to 2026. Fitzgerald has been hitting the transfer portal hard to find help for the offensive line, which struggled to protect Chiles and Milivojevic last year. They’ve also been looking for a consistent threat at running back now that the roster is resetting.
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If you’re checking for the Michigan State Spartans football score right now, you won't find one until the 2026 opener against Central Michigan on September 5. In the meantime, the "score" is being settled in the recruiting rankings and the weight room.
Next Steps for Spartan Fans:
- Watch the Spring Game: Keep an eye out for the 2026 Spring Green and White game, usually held in April, to see how the players are adjusting to Nick Sheridan's new offensive scheme.
- Monitor the Portal: The secondary was a major liability in 2025. Follow the late-winter transfer window to see if Fitzgerald can land a veteran cornerback to help Joe Rossi's 4-2-5 system.
- Check Recruiting Rankings: With Fitzgerald's deep ties to the Midwest, see if he can flip any local four-star prospects who might have been wavering during the coaching transition.
The 2025 season was a slog, no doubt about it. But with a new leader and a coaching staff filled with familiar faces, the hope is that the next time you search for the score, it's a lot closer to that 3-0 start than the 1-8 finish that followed.