EAST LANSING, Mich. – Western Kentucky came into Saturday night’s game at No. 17 ranked Michigan State needing to start fast, capitalize on drives and slow down the Spartans’ offense.

The Hilltoppers weren't as successful as they would've like to have been in achieving those said plans.

While it punted on its first two drives and allowed Michigan State to score on its first two, WKU dug itself into an early 14-0 hole and went on to allow the Spartans to put up 42 first-half points en route to a 48-31 loss at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

"This football team just keeps battling and we're always going to have a chance," WKU head coach Tyson Helton said. "We've been down in pretty much the last three games by two touchdowns and our guys just keep battling. Look at Army, Indiana, Michigan State ... those are all really good football teams, and all will have a really good record at the end of the year.

"We've shown that we can beat those teams if we can put it all together, so now we've gotta go put it all together."

The Hilltoppers – now 1-3 overall on the season with three straight losses to Army, Indiana and Michigan State – were within 21-13 early into the second quarter but were outscored 21-3 the remainder of the first half to be down 42-16 at the break – and that was too large of a deficit to overcome.

"I thought they did a really good job," Helton said of Michigan State. "They made a lot of explosive plays. We did a lot of good things offensively, but we couldn't find the end zone in the first half. Defensively, we couldn't stop them in the first half and we hold them to six (points) in the second half. Two different stories."

WKU is back home at Houchens-Smith Stadium next Saturday to open Conference USA play against UTSA, which is now 5-0 on the year after recording a win over UNLV on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

After WKU went three-and-out on its opening drive and had to punt, Michigan State playmaker Jayden Reed fielded the punt, made a couple of moves up the middle and ultimately zoomed down the right sideline for an 88-yard touchdown to give the Spartans an early 7-0 lead at the 13:32 mark of the first quarter.

Just under five minutes later, Michigan State scored again – this time with a five-yard TD run from Kenneth Walker III. Reed reeled in a 46-yard pass from quarterback Payton Thorne to set up Walker’s score, which doubled the Spartans’ advantage to 14-0 at the 8:26 mark.

"I think we're doing all we can do," Helton said when asked what it's going to take to limit slow starts to games. "I wish I had an answer for you there. I think we had the right calls, we were matched up in coverage and a good, talented receiver is able to run a great route and get open and the quarterback made a nice throw – and that happened several times.

"When you play a good, talented team like they are, you know those things are going to happen. But, obviously, we have to limit those explosive plays. In the first half they were able to do whatever they wanted to do, whether it was running or throwing."

WKU got on the board with 5:04 left in the quarter with a 37-yard field goal by Brayden Narveson to make it 14-3. Bailey Zappe had wide receiver Malachi Corley open in the left corner of the end zone, but waited too long to throw it and then was sacked on the next play to force the field goal.

Michigan State’s third score came on a quick four-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:10 and was capped off with Payton Thorne’s 46-yard TD pass to Reed to push the lead to 21-3. The Hilltoppers answered with their first TD of the game – a four-yard pass from Zappe to tight end Joey Beljan to trail 21-10 after one.

Zappe finished 46 of 64 passing for 488 yards, while WKU recorded 560 total yards as a team. Thorne finished 20-for-30 for 327 yards, Walker tallied 126 yards on 24 carries and the Spartans totaled 519 yards of offense.

"They're the No. 17 team in the nation for a reason," Zappe said when discussing Michigan State's defense. "They've got a heck of a defense. We were able to move the football down the field, but we've just got to score when we get in the red zone. I think that goes into shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and stuff like that.

"I think once we're able to cut those penalties down, I think we'll be able to score a lot of points in the red zone."

Walker’s second score was a five-yard run and put Michigan State up 28-13 at the 9:10 mark of the second quarter before Narveson kicked a 35-yard field goal to cut WKU’s deficit to 28-16.

Once down just 12, the Hilltoppers soon found themselves trailing by 26 after Walker tallied his third TD with a three-yard run to put the Spartans up 35-16 with 2:39 remaining in the half, and Thorne scored on a 12-yard keeper to make it a 42-16 contest at halftime.

Neither side scored in the third quarter until Michigan State got a 21-yard field goal from Matt Coghlin with 43 seconds left to go up 45-16 entering the final period.

The Hilltoppers scored on a 28-yard TD pass from Zappe to Jerreth Sterns – and had a successful two-point conversion with a pass from Zappe to Mitchell Tinsley – to get within 45-24 with 13:13 remaining.

Zappe threw another fourth-quarter TD – a one-yard toss to Beljan – to get within 45-31 with 8:24 left, but that's as close as WKU would get.

"We'll regroup and get ready for conference play," Helton said. "All the guys in the locker room, they had a bright look in their eye. They understand that we're about to get into conference play. We'll get ready to go to work tomorrow."

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