The Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans met in East Lansing on Oct. 15, 2022. The Spartans ultimately came out with a 34-28 win in double-overtime.
Now, nearly four years later, the two teams will meet again — this time in Madison — for the first time since the memorable matchup.
Looking back at 2022
Heading into the 2022 matchup, Wisconsin was 3-3 and Michigan State was 2-4. The Badgers were coming off a dominant 42-7 win over the Northwestern Wildcats. On the other hand, the Spartans were coming off four consecutive conference losses.
The matchup was an important game for Wisconsin, who was trying to build off their previous week momentum, and for Michigan State, who was trying to find their footing after coming off an 11-2 season.
The Badgers scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game on a fourth and goal rushing touchdown by Braelon Allen, now running back for the New York Jets. In this game, Allen led the offensive charge for the Badgers with 29 carries for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns.
After a 14-play drive from the Spartans that put them in a fourth and goal situation on the one-yard-line, they elected to go for it — but running back Elijah Collins was stuffed in the backfield.
Just two plays later, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz threw an interception from his own endzone that gave the Spartans the ball inside the red zone. Two more plays later, they scored on a rushing touchdown from running back Jalen Berger.
Wisconsin responded with a touchdown of their own on a second rushing touchdown by Braelon Allen as they went into half with a 14-7 lead.
In the third quarter, a 72-yard pass from Michigan State Quarterback Payton Thorne to tight end Maliq Carr led to a rushing touchdown by Elijah Collins with under one minute to go. The Spartans proceeded to capture their first lead of the game just halfway through the fourth quarter on a 27-yard-pass to wide receiver Keon Coleman on a back shoulder ball. Michigan State had a 21-14 lead.
Now-Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Keon Coleman had five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
The Badgers responded quickly.
On the ensuing kickoff, Running Back Isaac Guerendo returned the kick 45 yards to the Wisconsin 48-yard-line, which helped set up the game-tying touchdown in the back of the end zone to Wide Receiver Keontez Lewis with two minutes remaining.
The Spartans had an opportunity to win the game on a 47-yard-field goal with six seconds to go, but a low snap cost them the chance.
On the first possession of the first overtime, Michigan State ran a wide receiver pass trick play, where Throne handed the ball off to Reed, who threw a contested 25-yard-touchdown pass to Coleman.
Wisconsin had to respond, and they did. On a third-and-10 from the 25-yard-line, Mertz fired a pass to Chimere Dike — now wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans — who ran it in for the score and tied it up at 28-28.
But, on the first play of the second overtime period, Allen fumbled the ball on a handoff that was recovered by the Spartans. The defense put themselves in a good position by forcing a third-and-12 from the 27-yard-line, but the blitz the Badgers brought on the following play — leaving their corners in man-to-man coverage — gave the Spartans the edge.
Throne threw it to the right side of the endzone to Reed, who ran a fade route and high pointed the ball for the win.
Looking to Saturday
The Badgers now have an opportunity four years later to redeem this loss. The team is coming off a massive 24-20 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday that should fuel their momentum and confidence heading into this game.
Michigan State lost their last two games to No. 3 Notre Dame and unranked Nebraska. Already facing challenges within the Big Ten, Michigan State is looking similar to the team that beat Wisconsin four years ago.
Since the last time these two teams met, a lot has changed for both programs. Pat Fitzgerald took over as head coach of Michigan State and Luke Fickell is leading Wisconsin. Both teams saw just four wins in their 2025 campaign and are trying to prove themselves in the early stages of conference play.
This game in 2022 was electric. Will we see deja vu on Saturday with both teams once again having a lot to play for?
