Ryan Walters cleared his throat and took a long pause before answering a question after Purdue’s 24-17 loss to Michigan State on Friday night. The second-year coach was clearly emotional after the Boilermakers fell to 1-10, letting another opportunity slip through their fingers.

Following another disappointing outcome at Spartan Stadium, Walters was asked why it was more difficult to keep his emotions in check on Friday night.

After taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts, Walters answered the question.

“I don’t know a locker room in the country that would be 1-9, going down like we went down in the first half and continue to fight,” he said. “There’s no finger-pointing. They’ve still been practicing their tails off. They’ve still been showing up and going to work every day.

“If you have kids — I don’t know if you have any kids — when your kids work hard, you want them to have success. They’re working hard, man. It hurts.”

Purdue dug itself into a hole early, trailing Michigan State 24-3 at halftime. It looked like the Spartans were going to cruise to a victory and that the Boilermakers were going to roll over and play dead.

Instead, Purdue came out of halftime showing serious fight. They scratched and clawed their way back into the game, cutting the lead to 24-17 with 13:54 remaining in the game.

“Going into halftime, it felt like the game was getting away from us and the guys in the locker room, it just didn’t seem like they flinched,” Walters said.

Purdue had three more opportunities to tie the game, but failed to take advantage. Numerous dropped passes, a struggling rushing attack and an interception proved too costly in the last three possessions.

It marked the third time this season Purdue had found itself with a chance to get its first Big Ten win but came up short. The Boilermakers also dropped overtime contests to Northwestern and Illinois.

Now, there’s just one game remaining on the schedule: at No. 5 Indiana. Purdue is 1-10 and remains winless in Big Ten play. As much as the blowout losses have stung, night’s like Friday have been even more difficult to handle for Walters and the Boilers.

They’ve come close multiple times this year, but haven’t been able to clear the hurdle.

PURDUE ATTENDANCE AT 20-YEAR HIGH: Despite Purdue’s struggles on the field this season, fans still flocked to Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturdays to watch Boilermaker football. CLICK HERE

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State finally picked up a win, its first one since Week 8 when it defeated Iowa at home.

While it may seem like the Spartans’ season has been on a decline, even with this win, Michigan State is still just a win away from earning a trip to a bowl game.

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith discussed Friday’s win when he addressed the media after the game.

You can watch below:

Below is a transcript from Smith’s opening statement:

Smith: “OK, well, obviously pleased to find a way to win a game. Kind of a tale of two halves; all of you that watched it offensively, defensively, first half, really pleased. I think we had four possessions in the first half. Had points on all four of them. Ended the ended the half with some points; we were feeling good there, but then it totally flipped in the second half. Credit to Purdue, whether it’s adjustments, things like that, but those guys battled for four quarters. And credit some to our defense, too. Early second half, we had gave up a couple of scores there but found a way [in the] fourth quarter to tighten things down, and to give up 17 points and have two turnovers defensively, that’s a solid effort. Offensively, again we got to play for four quarters. And we want to do that better. But found a way to win a game, got another open game with a lot to play for next week.”

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The Michigan Wolverines locked up the highest recruit in Michigan football history on Thursday evening with the commitment of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood. He carries a ton of accolades to Ann Arbor, including the highest rated recruit in the state of Michigan’s football history on 247Sports.

From Benny Friedman, to Anthony Carter, to Brandon Graham and Aidan Hutchinson, there is a long list of Michigan football legends that came from the state of Michigan. As Underwood gets settled into Ann Arbor in the near future, we take a look at some of the top Michigan in-state recruits of all time and how their careers went.

1. Charles Rogers – WR – Class of 2000

Before Underwood, the top-rated high school player to come out of the state of Michigan was wide receiver Charles Rogers. Rogers went to Saginaw High School and had a 0.9988 rating.

Rogers went to Michigan State and cemented himself as one of the best college wide receivers of all time. From 2000-02, Rogers broke the school record for most touchdowns in a career with 27, breaking the record held by former Spartans wide receiver and baseball legend Kirk Gibson, as well as the school record for most receiving yards in a single game with 270. He also broke Randy Moss’ NCAA record of 13 consecutive games with a touchdown catch

During Rogers’ junior season, he put up 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, winning the Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy as the season’s outstanding college football receiver. He was a unanimous All-American.

The Detroit Lions drafted Rogers No. 2 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. While his NFL career was known by many as an extreme let-down, Rogers will forever be remembered as an all-time great Spartan.

2. Dante Moore – QB – Class of 2023

Dante Moore is still waiting for his career to blossom. Moore attended Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, where he earned a 0.9980 rating as the No. 4 player in the 2023 class. He went to UCLA, but had a rough first season with 1,610 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Moore entered the transfer portal and is now with the Oregon Ducks, sitting behind Dillon Gabriel this season. He is expected to take the reins next year for Dan Lanning’s offense. Moore’s career is still young, but he was another example of the growing pains that come with starting a true freshman quarterback.

3. LaMarr Woodley – LB – Class of 2003

LaMarr Woodley was the highest in-state recruit to commit to Michigan before Underwood, earning a 0.9972 rating out of Saginaw High School in 2003. Woodley was named a captain in 2006 and he broke out for the Wolverines. Woodley collected 12 sacks as a senior and won the Lombardi Award as the best lineman, offensive or defensive, in the country. His 12 sacks led the Big Ten and was eighth in the nation. After his senior season, Woodley was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and a unanimous All-American.

After his Michigan career, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Woodley with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Woodley played in 110 NFL games, making 58 sacks, 229 solo tackles and nine forced fumbles. WooHeley played for the Steelers from 2007-2013, the Oakland Raiders in 2014, and finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015.

4. Kelly Baraka – RB – Class of 2001

There were many success stories on this list, but running back Kelly Baraka was the one outlier. Baraka was a consensus five-star from Portage Northern High School. With a 0.9940 rating, he was supposed to be the next great running back to play at Michigan…but that never happened.

The former high school All-American was arrested twice for marijuana possession before his freshman year and was suspended for the season by then-head coach Lloyd Carr. Still, he was set to return for the 2002 season and bring a style of speed Michigan hadn’t seen in the backfield since Tyrone Wheatley. That never happened, though, and Carr eventually kicked him off the team because of his off-field issues.

5. Brandon Graham – ILB – Class of 2006

Brandon Graham had all the accolades in the world coming into his freshman year at Michigan. At Crockett Vocation Tech in Detroit, Graham was named to the USA Today All-America first team, and was the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year. He had a 0.9930 rating as a five-star. Graham became the first player from the state of Michigan to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Graham had a dominant career at Michigan. Graham became the first defensive player in school history to be voted Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player twice (2008, 2009), he shared the 2009 Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten’s MVP, and he was named to the 2008 All-Big Ten second team and 2009 All-Big Ten first team.

In four seasons in Ann Arbor, Graham posted 138 tackles, 56 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and three pass breakups. His 56 TFLs and 29.5 sacks rank second in Michigan history, and he is tied for second at Michigan in career forced fumbles.

After an outstanding career with the Wolverines, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Graham 13th overall in the 2010 draft. Graham is still playing at a high level for the Eagles 14 years later, and he has 2.5 sacks in 2024 at 36 years old.