The middle of a three-game homestand began with a thud for Michigan State. The No. 12 Spartans (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten) put together a sloppy first half before rallying for a 76-66 win against Northwestern (8-7,

MSU followed one of its worst halves of the season with a classic second-half comeback to down Northwestern at home.

No. 12 Michigan State overcame a seven-point halftime deficit against Northwestern, outscoring the Wildcats 48-31 during the final 20 minutes to pull out a 76-66 victory. This is MSU's second straight win, propelling it to 14-2 overall and 4-1 during Big Ten play. The Wildcats dropped to 8-7 and 0-4, respectively.

MSU was propelled by 13-0 runs in the second and third quarters while adding to its win streak. The Spartans trailed by 11 in the final minute of the opening quarter but recovered with a big second quarter where they outscored Washington, 25-11. That included finishing the opening half with 13 unanswered points.

A Michigan State football transfer is reportedly receiving interest from the Spartans ' top rival. Spartans transfer linebacker Aisea Moa has reportedly received an offer from rival Michigan, according to Blair Angulo of 247Sports. Angulo reported on the offer from the Wolverines for Moa on Thursday evening.

Weber State transfer Keahnist Thompson is the 20th person to join MSU via the portal so far, committing to the Spartans on Thursday night. Thompson had 7.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks this past season across nine games for the Wildcats in 2025. The defensive end is listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds and has one year of eligibility remaining.

The former Michigan State offensive coordinator was announced as Stanford’s new quarterbacks coach on Thursday by head coach Tavita Pritchard. Lindgren spent two seasons with the Spartans and was not retained by new coach Pat Fitzgerald after Jonathan Smith was fired.

It has been a day where the Michigan State staff has bolstered its defensive line, and has added another defensive line transfer. Weber State defensive end Keahnist Thompson has committed to the Spartans.