Kim leads Michigan State to 31-7 win over Central Michigan

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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Noah Kim threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, helping Michigan State pull away to beat Central Michigan 31-7 on Friday night.

The Spartans (1-0) started slow in Kim’s first start due to errant throws and dropped passes before taking control with accurate passes, clutch catches and stingy defense.

Nathan Carter had a 2-yard, go-ahead touchdown run with 48 seconds left in the first half and the Connecticut transfer finished with 113 yards on 18 carries.


Michigan State wide receiver Jaron Glover (15) catches during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Michigan, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Michigan State wide receiver Jaron Glover (15) catches during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Michigan, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The Chippewas (0-1) led 7-3 late in the first half after Bert Emanuel Jr. threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chris Parker, but they gave up an 84-yard touchdown drive on the ensuing possession in less than a minute and couldn’t recover.

Kim, who began 2 of 7 for 6 yards, converted a third down with a 32-yard pass to Jaron Glover and connected with him on a 33-yard pass that set up Carter’s touchdown to put Michigan State ahead 10-7.

The fourth-year quarterback completed 18 of 31 passes, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Henry and an 8-yard pass to Maliq Carr for a score to give the Spartans a 31-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Emanuel was 11 of 17 for 87 yards with a touchdown and an interception, a deflected pass picked off by standout linebacker Cal Haladay. The quarterback’s father, Bert, is a former NFL wide receiver with 28 career touchdown receptions.

ON SECOND THOUGHT

Michigan State’s Alante Brown was carted off the field with an injury after the game-opening kickoff and came back in the game, returning a kickoff 16 yards late in the first half. Brown was on the sideline, not in uniform, in the second half.

THE TAKEAWAY

CMU: Emanuel is potentially a dual-threat quarterback, but the Chippewas will need to develop a passing game to help them bounce back from a four-win season and approach the nine victories they had in 2021.

MSU: Mel Tucker chose Kim over Katin Houser to take the first snap and kept him in the game even when he didn’t get off to a good start in part because teammates dropped some passes in the first half.

UP NEXT

CMU: Hosts New Hampshire on Sept. 9.

MSU: Hosts Richmond, a second-tier program, on Sept. 9 before facing a tough test against No. 10 Washington at home Sept. 16.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll