During the Michigan State Spartans' 2026 season opener against Toledo, offensive lineman Robert Wright Jr. experienced a health-related incident on the field, vomiting on an opposing player mid-play. The incident occurred Friday night at Spartan Stadium as Michigan State attempted a two-point conversion.
As quarterback Alessio Milivojevic dropped back to pass, Wright, who was blocking a Toledo defensive lineman, became ill. Despite the interruption, Wright maintained his block, allowing Milivojevic to complete a pass for a touchdown that gave the Spartans a 30-20 lead.
MILIVOJEVIC WAS 26 OF 34 FOR 247 YARDS WITH A TOUCHDOWN. CAM EDWARDS, A TRANSFER FROM CONNECTICUT, RAN FOR 98 YARDS AND SCORED A TOUCHDOWN ON MICHIGAN STATE'S FIRST POSSESSION. THE SPARTANS SCORED ON ALL FIVE OF THEIR POSSESSIONS IN THE FIRST HALF, BUT WERE LIMITED TO FOUR FIELD GOALS AND LED 19-7 AT HALFTIME. MICHIGAN STATE SEALED THE VICTORY WITH AN 11-PLAY DRIVE CAPPED BY LIAM BOYD'S 51-YARD FIELD GOAL LATE IN THE GAME.
Wright, a redshirt junior, was making his debut for Michigan State after transferring from Georgia Southern. He previously started 11 games at right tackle for Georgia Southern in the previous year. Wright had his 2023 season cut short by a broken arm, which led to a redshirt year, and he did not play in the following season. He joins a Michigan State roster undergoing changes under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald was hired by Michigan State in December of the previous year. He had not coached since the end of the 2022 season, having been fired from Northwestern amid allegations of hazing and racism within the Wildcats program. Fitzgerald sued Northwestern for wrongful termination, later reaching a settlement with the university and maintaining he was unaware of and did not encourage the alleged hazing.
The victory marked Fitzgerald's first win as a head coach since August 27, 2022, when he led Northwestern to a win over Nebraska.