Colston Loveland's two touchdowns and two-point conversion help Michigan beat Michigan State 24-17

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Colston Loveland caught two touchdown passes and a two-point conversion to help Michigan beat Michigan State 24-17 on Saturday night.

As the last seconds of the clock passed, players threw punches in the center of the field, two years after a skirmish broke out between the rivals in the tunnel.

The fight started after Loveland and Michigan State defensive end Anthony Jones pushed and shoved helmets after quarterback Davis Warren got down on one knee to let the remaining time expire.

“It was kind of the heat of the moment,” Loveland said.

Players from Michigan and Michigan State left the sidelines to join the battle.

“I told the team this was unacceptable,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said.

The Wolverines (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) ended a two-game losing streak and earned a much-needed win with a challenging schedule remaining in the regular season to earn a bowl bid under first-year coach Sherrone Moore .

“It was huge for our kids to get the win,” Moore said.

The Spartans (4-4, 2-3) gained 130 yards and had the ball for more than 13 minutes on their first two possessions, but only had a 7-0 lead to show for it.

Aidan Chiles lost a fumble late in the first half, allowing Michigan to build momentum and take a 9-7 lead at halftime.

Chiles bounced back later in the game, throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Nick Marsh with 6:12 remaining.

Chiles led the Spartans to the Michigan 16 with two minutes left and on fourth-and-5, he threw an incomplete pass into the end zone.

“We think we should have won this game,” Spartans running back Nathan Carter said.

Michigan State started strong, but missed opportunities.

The Spartans reached the Michigan 2 on the opening possession and planned to go for it on fourth down, but were called for a postponement and botched a field goal attempt.

Carter capped Michigan State’s second drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving it a 7-0 lead with 130 yards of offense and more than 13 minutes of possession.

Michigan, meanwhile, gained a total of 37 yards in its first three possessions before suddenly finding a spark with a no-huddle violation.

Davis Warren orchestrated a 10-play, 64-yard drive that ended with his 10-yard touchdown pass to Loveland.

Two snaps later, Josaiah Stewart forced Chiles into fumbles and Kenneth Grant recovered the football to set up Dominic Zvada’s 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the first half.

Michigan used a trick play to extend its lead, throwing the ball to running back Donovan Edwards and fooling the Spartans with his 23-yard touchdown pass to Loveland and the preseason All-America tight end caught the ensuing 2- point conversion for a 24-10 lead.

“Our coaches had the confidence to make that decision,” Edwards said.

Michigan State linebacker Jordan Turner was ejected in the second half after being called for targeting.

Michigan was without All-America cornerback Will Johnson in the preseason due to injury.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan State: First-year coach Jonathan Smith will likely complain about missed opportunities in his first game against the rival Wolverines. The Spartans could have led 14-0 after the first two drives and Chiles’ fumble was costly, giving Michigan the lead for good late in the first half.

“Looking at both sides of the half, we didn’t finish well at all,” Smith said.

Michigan: The defending national champions improved their chances of earning a bowl bid as they needed to beat Northwestern at home later in the season to earn a sixth win that might be elusive with top-ranked Oregon, No. 13 Indiana and No. 4 Ohio State left to play.

The Wolverines will host top-ranked Oregon and the Spartans will play No. 13 Indiana home on Saturday.

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