The Spartans (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) are a win away from being eligible for a bowl with first-year coach Jonathan Smith and they play Rutgers at home in the final regular-season game. “It means a lot,” Chiles said. “We should’ve been in this place a long time ago.”

Michigan State (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 24-17 win at home against Purdue (1-10, 0-8) on Friday night. Here are quick takeaways and observations from the game: * First-year coach Jonathan Smith will obviously take the win that keeps Michigan State in contention for a bowl bid,