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