College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, August 30, 2024
Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
Temperature: 84°
Head Official: Bryan Banks
Attendance: 70271

Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams scored on a 63-yard run and Michigan State gave new head coach Jonathan Smith a victory in his debut as the Spartans topped Florida Atlantic, 16-10, in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday night.

Lynch-Adams finished with 101 yards on nine carries. Aidan Chiles, who followed Smith from Oregon State, was held to 114 passing yards and threw two interceptions but had a rushing touchdown, and the Spartans defense notched two turnovers and seven sacks.

Owls quarterback Cam Fancher passed for 116 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions. He led FAU in rushing with 67 yards on 25 carries.

The Spartans led 16-3 at halftime.

They scored their first points of the season on a safety in the first quarter. Fancher was sacked in the end zone by D'Quan Douse.

Nikai Martinez's 41-yard interception set up the Spartans' first touchdown in the second quarter. Chiles scored three plays later on an 11-yard run.

After a three-and-out series from the Owls, Michigan State made it 16-0 on Lynch-Adams' 63-yard scamper. The Massachusetts transfer took advantage of a big hole up the middle and outraced the defense.

Florida Atlantic got on the board when Morgan Suarez made a 43-yard field goal with just under five minutes remaining in the first half.

The Spartans were on the verge of scoring with three minutes left in the third quarter. They drove to the Owls' 5-yard line, but Chiles' pass was picked off by Phillip Dunnam. He returned the interception 58 yards to the Michigan State 40.

The Owls cashed in seven plays later on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Fancher to Jayshon Platt with seven seconds remaining in the quarter.

Michigan State drove inside the Florida Atlantic 10 on its next possession. This time, the Spartans turned the ball over on downs as Lynch-Adams was thrown for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1.

Florida Atlantic also turned it over on downs after driving to the Spartans' 37. Anthony Jones sacked Fancher on fourth down.

After the Spartans were forced to punt, Fancher came up short on a fourth-and-1.

Fancher was sacked twice on the Owls' final possession.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Florida Atlantic   Michigan State
Cam Fancher Player Kay'ron Lynch-Adams
25 Attempts 9
67 Yards 101
2.7 Avg Yards 11.2
0 Touchdowns 1
0 Long 0
Receiving
Florida Atlantic   Michigan State
Omari Hayes Player Michael Masunas
5 Receptions 2
74 Yards 29
14.8 Avg Yards 14.5
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Florida Atlantic 248 132 116 1 1 2 1.0 0
Michigan State 293 179 114 2 0 1 7.0 0