CHAMPAIGN — Josh McCray ran for three touchdowns and Luke Altmyer threw two TD passes Saturday, leading Illinois to a 38-16 victory over Michigan State.
McCray had nine carries for 61 yards, Altmyer completed 19 of 32 passes for 231 yards and Pat Bryant caught four passes for a career-high 135 yards and a touchdown in his final home game as the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Aidan Chiles was 23-for-40 for 256 yards and two touchdowns and Aziah Johnson and Nate Carter caught TD passes for the Spartans (4-6, 2-5), who have lost six of seven.
Michigan State didn’t have a sack for the fifth straight game. Illinois sacked Chiles five times.
The Illini finished 6-1 at home. It’s the first time they’ve won six home games in a season since 2001, when they captured the Big Ten title and played in the 2002 Sugar Bowl.
After falling behind 21-9 at halftime, the Spartans closed within 21-16 on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Chiles to Carter.
Illinois’ David Alano responded with a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter, and McCray scored on a pair of 1-yard dives in the fourth.
Altmyer threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Bryant and a 4-yard TD pass to Zakhari Franklin, and McCray ran 11 yards for a score for the Illini in the first half.
It was Bryant’s eighth TD reception of the season and his career-long catch. It also was Altmyer’s career-long completion.
Michigan State scored on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Chiles to Johnson in the first quarter and a 38-yard field goal by Jonathan Kim with 1:02 left in the half.
The takeaway
Illinois: The Illini will hit the road to play at Rutgers and Northwestern at Wrigley Field in their final two regular-season games. Illinois is 1-2 away from Champaign, with all three games against ranked teams. Two road wins would give the Illini a 9-3 record and an opportunity to play in a major bowl game.
Michigan State: The Spartans have no margin for error if they want to play in a bowl game in Jonathan Smith’s first season as coach. They need to win their final two games, at home against Purdue and Rutgers, to be bowl-eligible.
Up next
Illinois: At Rutgers on Saturday.
Michigan State: Plays host to Purdue on Friday.
