MADISON, Wis. – Despite a 228-yard, three-touchdown performance by UW junior wide receiver Lee Evans, the Wisconsin football team lost to Michigan State, 42-28, today in the UW’s homecoming game at Camp Randall Stadium.

Evans snagged touchdown passes of 42, 30 and 70 yards as he became the first UW receiver to go over 1,000 yards in a season, ending the day with a total of 1,188 yards on the year. UW tailback Anthony Davis carried the ball 32 times for 101 yards to bring his season total to 1,023 yards, becoming only the seventh freshman in Big Ten history to rush for over 1,000 yards and marking the ninth-consecutive season that the Badgers have produced a 1,000-yard rusher.

After a 14-14 tie at halftime, Michigan State (4-2 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) took its first lead of the game with a 43-yard touchdown run by T.J. Duckett, who rushed 23 times for 186 yards and a pair of scores in the game. The Spartans gave themselves a 28-14 cushion with 3:03 left in the third quarter as Jeff Smoker, who was 13-of-20 for 326 yards, threw one of his three touchdown passes in the game, a 12-yarder to Herb Haygood.

After UW quarterback Jim Sorgi left the game with a concussion late in the third quarter, redshirt freshman Matt Schabert found Evans for a 70-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline for the first pass completion of his collegiate career. Schabert was 10-of-18 for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the contest.

Smoker used an eight-yard run with 20 seconds left in the third quarter to put MSU ahead 35-21 and then connected with Charles Rogers for an 87-yard touchdown reception that put the game out of the Badgers’ reach.

Schabert conducted a 16-play, 91-yard drive for the game’s final score, a 13-yard toss to tight end Mark Anelli, and had the Badgers in scoring position in the game’s final minute, but an interception by Bryan Duron sealed the win for the Spartans.

In the opening half, Sorgi connected with Evans for a pair of touchdown strikes while Ducket and Rogers scored for the Spartans. Prior to leaving the game, Sorgi completed 10-of-19 passes for 191 yards, also surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

Wisconsin falls to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten with the loss and will remain at home for games against Iowa and Michigan on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17, respectively.