Michigan State football: 3 takeaways from season-opening win over WMU

Michigan State football opened the 2025 season with a comfortable win over Western Michigan. What’d we learn?

Michigan State football is back. On Friday, the Spartans took to the field for the first time this season. The Spartans scored on their first drive of the season and did not look back, for one half at least.

Michigan State won with ease, mostly, winning 23-6.

Here is what was learned.

1. Aidan Chiles is a brand-new quarterback

On Friday, the biggest game-time question was how Aidan Chiles would look in his second year as a starter. Those questions were answered in the first half. Chiles was decisive, efficient, and elusive. The Spartan starter went 11-for-13 for 75 yards in the first half, in addition to springing a 26-yard rush to set up the third MSU touchdown.

One of Chiles’ rare incompletions was a perfectly placed ball, too. Chiles scrambled out from a rapid pressure, and saw Brandon Tullis on a wheel route. The running back had slowed too much, and it bounced off of his fingertips. Tullis made up for it by running the ball in for the first Spartan touchdown of the season.

On the first Chiles touchdown of the season, the quarterback found Nick Marsh and had great placement. Marsh hauled in the pass, the fourth time the Chiles-Marsh connection scored in their young careers.

In the second half, Chiles was efficient when called upon, but did have a few more misfires. Additionally, he had his first turnover of the season, a sack-fumble. To be fair to the quarterback, the blame should fall on Tullis for a whiffed block.

2. The offensive line is still a problem in pass pro

One narrative for an improved Chiles was improved line play. On Friday, that was not the case. Chiles was harassed constantly during the first half, with Nadame Tucker of the Broncos trying his best to send Chiles into the Red Cedar River. Tucker had two sacks in the first half, and could have had five with a less athletic quarterback. As a team, the Broncos had five tackles for loss.

The tight ends also did not help, with Jack Velling and Michael Masunas missing a pair of blocks for run stuffs.

Michigan State football rotated its lines constantly, and Tucker got the best over Stanton Ramil and Ashton Lepo on multiple occasions. No matter which side the Houston transfer lined up on, he would wind up in the backfield.

The second half was just as unwatchable, with the offense putting up a dud and recording three-and-outs, mostly from their own lapses. Worse yet, Chiles took a massive hit, when a whiffed block on a blitz gave WMU the ball back with Michigan State driving to score.

3. Omari Kelly is that guy

Omari Kelly put in work, with the senior wide receiver providing a dynamic spark for the offense. By the midpoint of the second quarter, Kelly had 40 yards, which was more than any Spartan receiver in last season’s home opener.

Kelly looked comfortable with Chiles from the very start of the game, and finished with 75 yards. All other receivers combined for 80 yards. Chiles was complimentary of Kelly post-game, with the quarterback praising the veteran wide receiver for making his life easy.

“When you have a veteran guy that knows how to get open, it makes my job pretty easy,” Chiles said. “He does his job, runs his routes right, he gets open, makes my job pretty simple.”

Perhaps some of it was all the attention on Marsh, but regardless, the senior transfer from Middle Tennessee State excelled and did his job all the same. Michigan State football has two surefire top receivers on its roster. The rotating cast of characters at the third spot made it clear that Michigan State football will not be an easy gameplan, assuming their second half offense can improve.

We will tell with time. I do walk away with more questions than answers, however, ones that I likely have to wait until Boston College or USC to find answers to. Until then, go green.