2010 Michigan State Spartans FOOTBALL Schedule

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2010 Michigan State Spartans Schedule
___DATE___	______OPPONENT______	_____RESULT/TIME_____	RECORD/TICKETS
Sat, Sept 4	vs Western Michigan	W 38-14	1-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 11	vs Florida Atlantic*	W 30-17	2-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 18	vs Notre Dame	W 34-31 OT	3-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 25	vs Northern Colorado	W 45-7	4-0 (0-0)
Sat, Oct 2	vs #11 Wisconsin	W 34-24	5-0 (1-0)
Sat, Oct 9	@ #18 Michigan	W 34-17	6-0 (2-0)
Sat, Oct 16	vs Illinois	W 26-6	7-0 (3-0)
Sat, Oct 23	@ Northwestern	W 35-27	8-0 (4-0)
Sat, Oct 30	@ #15 Iowa	L 37-6	8-1 (4-1)
Sat, Nov 6	vs Minnesota	W 31-8	9-1 (5-1)
Sat, Nov 20	vs Purdue	W 35-31	10-1 (6-1)
Sat, Nov 27	@ Penn State	W 28-22	11-1 (7-1)

CAPITAL ONE BOWL
Sat, Jan 1____	vs #16 Alabama*___________	L 49-7	________________11-2 (7-1)

* Game played at neutral location.

Post-Game Notes: Western Michigan

Le'Veon Bell rushes for 141 yards, the most ever by a Spartan true freshman in his first career game.

Sept. 4, 2010

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

• In his collegiate debut, true freshman running back Le'Veon Bell rushed for 141 yards, the most ever by a Spartan freshman in his first career game...it marks the most yards by a Spartan freshman running back since Javon Ringer rushed for 194 at Illinois in 2005...Bell averaged 14.1 yards per carry (141 yards on 10 carries), including a game-long 75-yard rush in the second quarter...he also scored two touchdowns (2-yard run in the second quarter; 18-yard run in the third quarter).

• Bell (141 yards) and Edwin Baker (117 yards) teamed up to rush for 258 yards...it's the first time MSU has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game since Javon Ringer (156 yards) and Drew Stanton (105 yards) accomplished the feat at Pittsburgh in 2006...it's also the first time two Spartan running backs have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game since Jehuu Caulcrick (146 yards) and Jason Teague (112 yards) teamed up for 258 yards against No. 4 Wisconsin in 2004.

• Edwin Baker's 117 rushing yards marked a career high. His previous best was 97 yards against Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl.

• MSU's 297 rushing yards are the most since the Spartans totaled 386 yards against Indiana in 2007.

• Mark Dell had six catches for 81 yards...the six catches are the most for Dell since he caught six passes for 121 yards at Notre Dame in week 3 of the 2009 season.

• Junior quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 13-of-21 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown...he completed 11 of his last 14 throws for 161 yards...in two games against Western Michigan, Cousins has completed 35-of-46 (76.1 percent) passes for 539 yards, three TDs and no interceptions...Cousins also became the 13th Spartan quarterback to reach the 3,000-yard passing milestone, as he now 3,176 career passing yards.

• Greg Jones recorded nine tackles, moving him into a tie for sixth all-time at Michigan State with 368 career tackles (Ronald Stanley).

• Michigan State improves to 3-1 in season openers and 4-0 in home openers under head coach Mark Dantonio.

• The Spartans extended their winning streak to 12 in home openers...MSU has now won 14 of their last 15 home openers, with the only setback coming to Colorado State in 1999.

• Coach Dantonio is now 9-1 in non-conference games in Spartan Stadium.

• MSU now leads the all-time series against Western Michigan, 10-2...MSU is 7-0 against WMU in Spartan Stadium and has won the last eight meetings.

• The Spartans forced three turnovers (two fumbles and one interception by Marcus Hyde)...it marked Hyde's second career interception (2008 vs. Michigan)...Greg Jones forced a fumble in the first quarter and it was recovered by Tyler Hoover.

• Keith Nichol recorded his first career TD reception with an acrobatic 20-yard grab in the second quarter...he finished with two catches for 32 yards...he was named one of the four captains prior to the game.

• Chris Norman recorded a career-high eight tackles.

Michigan State Defeats Florida Atlantic, 30-17

The Spartans improve to 2-0.

Sept. 11, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Listen to Spartan Sports Podcasts:
Coach Dantonio | Greg Jones | Kirk Cousins | Dan Conroy | Edwin Baker

DETROIT (AP) - Edwin Baker ran for an 80-yard touchdown and had 183 yards rushing to lead Michigan State to a 30-17 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

The Spartans (2-0) wore their road whites in the Motor City matchup that was originally scheduled to be at the Owls' new stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.

Florida Atlantic (1-1) chose to play at the Detroit Lions' home because its 30,000-seat venue won't be open until next year.

Baker's 80-yard TD put Michigan State ahead 27-7 early in the third quarter.

The Owls had a chance to pull within a TD and 2-point conversion with 2:50 left, but coach Howard Schnellenberger settled for a field goal instead of going for it from the Michigan State 6.

Kirk Cousins had 142 yards passing, a TD and an interception for the Spartans.

Florida Atlantic's Jeff Van Camp was 23-of-35 for 215 yards and a score.

Spartans Sit Down Notre Dame in Overtime, Win 34-31

Aaron Bates threw a 29-yard touchdown pass after a fake field goal attempt for the victory

Sept. 19, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery

Listen to Spartan Sports Podcasts:
Coach Dantonio | Edwin Baker | Charlie Gantt & Aaron Bates | Le'Veon Bell | Kirk Cousins | Josh Rouse

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The play was called "Little Giants" - and Michigan State used it to steal a victory from Notre Dame in the most audacious way imaginable.

With Dan Conroy lining up for a 46-yard field goal to tie the game in overtime and the play clock running low, holder Aaron Bates took the snap, stood up and waited for Charlie Gantt to come open downfield. The stunning fake worked to perfection, and Gantt's 29-yard touchdown catch gave the Spartans a 34-31 win Saturday night.

"We knew Notre Dame wasn't going to be expecting that," said Bates, who is also Michigan State's punter. "That's the last thing anybody was expecting."

The win gave Michigan State (3-0) a measure of revenge for a heartbreaking 33-30 loss at Notre Dame last season and spoiled Brian Kelly's first road game as Irish coach. Although Kelly's offense looked sharp in the second half, it was Spartans coach Mark Dantonio who stole the show at the end after David Ruffer had given Notre Dame (1-2) the lead with a 33-yard field goal earlier in overtime.

Conroy was facing a significantly longer kick, and Dantonio didn't want to put him under that kind of pressure.

"We always name our trick plays after movies. We keep it fun. ... We actually put it in on Wednesday. It worked every time," Dantonio said. "I made the call, 'Little Giants,' and I said a little prayer."

The play was actually intended to go to Le'Veon Bell, who was covered.

"All throughout the week in practice, I never got the ball once," Gantt said.

And Michigan State barely got the play off in time to avoid being hit with a delay of game flag.

Dayne Crist threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns for the Irish, who must now recover from yet another gut-wrenching defeat. Notre Dame is 1-6 dating to the start of last November, with every one of the losses coming by a touchdown or less.

The Irish lost to Michigan in the last minute last weekend.

Notre Dame took a 28-21 lead with 13:20 to play in the fourth quarter when Michael Floyd caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Crist behind two defenders in the back of the end zone. Kirk Cousins tied it by scrambling to his right and finding B.J. Cunningham along the right sideline for a 24-yard touchdown with 7:43 remaining.

Until the final trick play, Michigan State was the more methodical team, content to push Notre Dame off the line of scrimmage and gain yards on the ground. Bell rushed for 114 yards, and Edwin Baker ran for 90.

After a 7-7 tie at halftime, Michigan State began finding more running room. Baker cut to the left through a big hole, then back to the right through the Notre Dame secondary for a 56-yard touchdown run just 40 seconds into the third quarter.

The Irish needed less than two minutes to equalize with their spread offense, going 74 yards in six plays and tying it at 14 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Crist to Kyle Rudolph.

The teams then traded 11-play touchdown drives. Bell scored on a 16-yard run for Michigan State, and the Irish tied the game again on Crist's 15-yard touchdown pass to Theo Riddick.

The first half was a bit less eventful. Notre Dame opened the scoring in the first quarter on Crist's 7-yard touchdown pass to Floyd. The Irish appeared poised to take control in the second quarter after intercepting Cousins in the end zone, but Floyd fumbled after a catch, giving the Spartans the ball at their own 11. The Irish forced a punt and got the ball back in great field position at the Michigan State 27, but Crist threw an interception on the first play.

After that, the Spartans finally started moving the ball, going 94 yards in seven plays and tying the game on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Keshawn Martin with 2:22 left in the half.

Spartans Cruise Past Northern Colorado, 45-7

Kirk Cousins threw two touchdowns.

Sept. 25, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Podcasts:
Coach Treadwell | Coach Narduzzi | Greg Jones | Kirk Cousins | Le'Veon Bell

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Kirk Cousins threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 25 Michigan State had no trouble winning without coach Mark Dantonio on Saturday, 45-7 over Northern Colorado.

Dantonio had a mild heart attack shortly after last weekend's win over Notre Dame. He was released from the hospital Tuesday and even visited practice Friday, but offensive coordinator Don Treadwell took over his coaching duties for this game.

The Spartans (4-0) wore the letter D on their helmets and gave their recovering coach little to worry about against the Bears (2-2) of the Football Championship Subdivision.

Dantonio's return is still uncertain, but his program is entering Big Ten play with high hopes. Michigan State hosts Wisconsin next Saturday and plays at Michigan the following weekend. The Spartans haven't started 5-0 since 1999 under Nick Saban.

Cousins was nearly flawless, going 16 of 20 before coming out before his team's first possession of the fourth quarter. His touchdown passes to Brian Linthicum and Larry Caper helped Michigan State take a 35-0 halftime lead.


Linebacker Greg Jones made the first two interceptions of his career. The All-American's first interception gave the Spartans the ball on the Northern Colorado 5-yard line, and Edwin Baker ran it in on the next play to make it 7-0.

Northern Colorado's Dylan Orms had a miserable time trying to keep his team in the game. He finished 6 of 22 for 93 yards with three interceptions before coming out late in the third quarter.

Le'Veon Bell ran for 92 yards and three touchdowns for the Spartans. His 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter made it 28-0, and Cousins then found Caper over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the half. Caper did well to hold onto the ball while absorbing a hit in the end zone.

The Spartans beat Notre Dame 34-31 in overtime last weekend, scoring a touchdown on a fake field goal on the final play. They needed no tricks Saturday, and backup quarterback Andrew Maxwell played extensively. He entered the game briefly toward the end of the first quarter and played the entire fourth.

Northern Colorado spoiled the shutout when Seth Lobato rolled out to his left and found Chris Morris for a 32-yard touchdown early in the fourth to make it 42-7.

The Spartans rushed for 201 yards--they've surpassed 200 every game this season. Their biggest problem was probably penalties. They were called for 11 for 121 yards.

No. 24 Michigan State Takes Down No. 11 Wisconsin, 34-24

1-yard touchdown pass gives the Spartans the win

Oct. 2, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Podcasts:
Coach Treadwell | Greg Jones | Kirk Cousins | Eric Gordon

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Kirk Cousins lofted a 1-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham on fourth down with 2:43 remaining, icing No. 24 Michigan State's second straight win without coach Mark Dantonio, 34-24 over No. 11 Wisconsin on Saturday.

Dantonio, who had a mild heart attack Sept. 19, planned to return for this game, but the Spartans (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) announced hours before kickoff that he had been hospitalized again Thursday because of a blood clot in his leg. School officials said his prognosis was excellent.

Michigan State overcame three first-half turnovers to remain unbeaten heading into next week's showdown at Michigan.

With the Spartans leading 27-24 late in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin (4-1, 0-1) couldn't stop them when they decided to go for the touchdown on fourth down near the goal line. Cunningham's touchdown catch capped a 15-play, 84-yard drive that used up 7:57. Michigan State kept the drive alive with a 35-yard screen pass to Larry Caper on third-and-11 from its own 28.

Despite its early turnover problems, Michigan State led 20-10 at the half. Keshawn Martin made it 13-10 at about the midway point of the second quarter, catching a punt at his own 26, running straight up the middle and then veering to his right after crossing midfield. Nobody on Wisconsin was in a position to catch him.

Dantonio's heart attack came immediately after Michigan State's overtime win over Notre Dame in which the Spartans scored the winning touchdown on a fake field goal in overtime. Even without their coach, the Spartans stayed aggressive, going for it three times on fourth down against Wisconsin and converting twice.

On fourth-and-1 from the Wisconsin 48 with about a minute remaining in the first half, Le'Veon Bell took a pitch to the left and raced past the surprised Badgers for a 23-yard gain. The play helped set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Mark Dell with 23 seconds left in the half.

Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 269 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.

Wisconsin's John Clay was held to 80 yards on 17 carries, snapping his streak of 10 straight games rushing for at least 100 yards. James White picked up the slack, running for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

White's 34-yard scoring run early in the third quarter made it 20-17, and Wisconsin stopped Michigan State near the goal line on fourth down. But the Spartans' defense got the ball back quickly, and Cousins threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Gantt with 2 seconds left in the third quarter.

Scott Tolzien threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Pedersen for Wisconsin to make it 27-24 with 10:53 to play.

Spartans Down Rival Michigan, 34-17

Edwin Baker rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Oct. 9, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - With coach Mark Dantonio back in the stadium, No. 17 Michigan State took advantage of three interceptions by Denard Robinson and scored 24 unanswered points to break open a close game and beat No. 18 Michigan 34-17 on Saturday.

The Spartans (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) trailed midway through the second quarter before their scoring binge, which allowed them to beat their rivals for the third straight time. It's their longest winning streak over the Wolverines since 1965-67.

As expected, Michigan (5-1, 1-1) struggled to stop Michigan State, but both teams had to be stunned by Robinson's inability to make many plays with his arm or his feet.

Michigan State's Kirk Cousins threw for a touchdown and handed off to Edwin Baker, Le'Veon Bell and Larry Caper for three scores, giving Dantonio a reason to smile. He was back coaching from the pressbox nearly three weeks after a mild heart attack.

The Spartans seemed to rattle Robinson, intercepting a pass in the end zone on the opening drive of the game and picking off a third pass after he scored to pull Michigan within two TDs on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Robinson accounted for nearly 2,000 yards of total offense in his first five games, against only one interception, but wilted in his first true test against a good defense.

He was 17 of 29 for 215 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, but made the three costly turnovers and ran for a season-low 86 yards--with a long of 16-- on 21 carries.

Cousins, meanwhile, avoided turning the ball over and threw for 284 yards and a score.

Baker ran for 147 yards, Bell had 78 yards rushing and Caper chipped in enough to help the Spartans roll up 249 on the ground, striking a balance that gave Michigan's lackluster defense plenty of problems.

Michigan State, which was five-point underdog, earned its most-lopsided victory in the series since beating the Wolverines 34-0 in 1967.

As the Spartans ran out the clock on the final drive, green- and white-clad fans seemed to outnumber those in maize and blue and began jeering the Wolverines by chanting "lit-tle sis-ter!" along with "Go green! Go white!" in the emptying Big House.

College football's winningest program has not beaten Michigan State in football or men's basketball since former Wolverines running back Mike Hart referred to the Spartans as Michigan's little brother.

No. 13 Michigan State Defeats Illinois, 26-6

The Spartans improve to 7-0; 3-0 in the Big Ten.

Oct. 16, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery

Listen to Spartan Sports Podcasts:
Coach Dantonio | Greg Jones | Kirk Cousins | Coach Narduzzi | Coach Treadwell

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Kirk Cousins threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham in the third quarter, helping No. 13 Michigan State to its best start in more than four decades with a 26-6 win over Illinois on Saturday. The Spartans started slowly a week after beating Michigan, but they outscored the Illini 23-0 in the second half.

The Spartans are 7-0 for the first time since 1966, when they won their first nine games before famously tying Notre Dame 10-10.

"I think it means we're getting there," coach Mark Dantonio said. "When you can do that, you're building a program."

Michigan State's last 6-0 start was in 1999 under Nick Saban, but the Spartans lost their next two games that season by a combined 92-38. Dantonio talked this week about the need to show maturity--to prepare well for Illinois after last weekend's emotional 34-17 win over Michigan.

The Spartans had trouble running the ball the first two quarters against Illinois, but Cousins came out sharp in the third and they took control of the game. Cousins' touchdown pass over the middle made it 13-6, and the defense kept Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) at bay.

It was an impressive response by Michigan State (7-0, 3-0) after what linebacker Greg Jones described as an intense scene at halftime.

"There was a lot of noise," Jones said. "There was a few words being said."

Dantonio, who had a mild heart attack last month, coached his second straight game from a box, but he went down to the sideline during the final minutes and received a big ovation from the Homecoming crowd.

"It was humbling," Dantonio said. "I sit at the top of this program, but there are so many people in this program that make it work."

Cousins finished 13 of 24 for 201 yards and shook off a difficult first half. On fourth-and-1 from the Illinois 35 in the second quarter, Cousins fell over after taking the snap, giving the Illini the ball.

Both teams appeared disorganized at the end of the second quarter. Illinois ran on third-and-10 from near midfield and didn't come close to a first down, but Michigan State decided not to call timeout before getting the ball back. That worked in the Spartans' favor because Keshawn Martin muffed the punt, giving the Illini possession at the 15 with 37 seconds left.

Amazingly, Illinois ran only one play from scrimmage, a 1-yard loss by quarterback Nathan Scheelhaasse. Instead of calling time out, the Illini tried to set up their next play, and the clock didn't stop until Michigan State called time out with 8 seconds left, apparently concerned about its defensive plan.

At that point, the Illini sent out Derek Dimke to kick a 33-yard field goal and went into halftime ahead 6-3.

"We took too long getting the play called. Once again that's something that Nathan's going to get better at," Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "They called time out and we thought it was at 12 seconds which would have given us an opportunity to throw in the end zone."

Michigan State wasted no time tying the game in the third quarter. After an interception gave the Spartans the ball at the Illinois 16, Dan Conroy kicked his second of four field goals.

Cousins put Michigan State ahead to stay with his long touchdown pass. Illinois answered with a 39-yard pass to A.J. Jenkins, but Darqueze Dennard forced a fumble at the end of the play and recovered the ball.

"I thought they were probably playing the best in the Big Ten and maybe in the country, and that rang true today," Scheelhaasse said. "We put ourselves in a position where we were able to compete with them and able to do some things. We just didn't capitalize at the right time."

Larry Caper's 15-yard touchdown run made it 26-6 with 2:35 remaining in the fourth, putting the finishing touches on an emphatic victory over an Illinois team that played Ohio State tough and routed Penn State.

"Without looking at the tape, to me it's the best team we've played to date," Zook said. "They're solid. We told you it was going to be a physical football game, which it was."

Spartans Rally Past Northwestern, 35-27

Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns.

Oct. 23, 2010


Final Stats | Notes

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Kirk Cousins threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 8 Michigan State rallied to beat Northwestern 35-27 and remain unbeaten on Saturday.

B.J. Cunningham made an acrobatic grab for the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes left. Edwin Baker added a 25-yard scoring run and Eric Gordon intercepted Dan Persa in the closing seconds to seal a wild win.

Playing out of state for the first time this season, the Spartans scored 28 points in the second half. They trailed the entire way until Cunningham's grab with two minutes left on a ball that he and Northwestern's Brian Peters tipped in the end zone.

Cunningham corralled the ball as he crashed to the ground, giving Michigan State its first lead at 28-27. That catch on a first down at the 9 capped an 88-yard drive in which Cousins was 7 of 8 passing.

After a drive by the Wildcats went nowhere, Michigan State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) took over at the Northwestern 31, and Baker broke through from the 25 to make it 35-27 with 1:07 left.

Northwestern (5-2, 1-2) had one more chance, but Gordon's interception preserved the win, and the Spartans cleared one big hurdle. They'll face another next week when they visit Iowa in a game that could go a long way toward determining the Big Ten champion.

If they beat the Hawkeyes, the Spartans will be in good position to claim their first conference title since they shared it in 1990. Then again, they might be aiming a little higher, considering they're off to their best start since the 1966 team won its first nine on the way to a 9-0-1 record and a national championship.

Coach Mark Dantonio was back on the sidelines for this one after working the previous two games from the pressbox following his mild heart attack last month, and he probably didn't like what he saw for much of the game, particularly in the first half.

Northwestern scored the first 17 points and led 17-7 at the break.

The Spartans had trouble containing the Wildcats' Dan Persa, who ran for 89 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 18 of 29 passes for 187 yards but got sacked eight times and threw the late interception that sealed the outcome.

Persa's 6-yard run late in the third quarter made it 24-14, but Michigan State responded with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard pass from Cousins to Mark Dell with 13:12 left.

That came right after a fake punt on fourth-and-11 at the Northwestern 36, when Aaron Bates hit Bennie Fowler with a 21-yarder and the Wildcats' Jordan Mabin blew the coverage.

Stefan Demos kicked a 41-yard field goal with 9:47 remaining to boost the lead to 27-21, but the Wildcats couldn't hold it.

Scoring Summary (Final)
2010 Michigan State Football
#8 Michigan State vs Northwestern (Oct 23, 2010 at Evanston, Ill.) Michigan State (8-0,4-0) vs. Northwestern (5-2,1-2)Date: Oct 23, 2010 • Site: Evanston, Ill. • Stadium: Ryan Field • Attendance: 41115

Score by Quarters	1	2	3	4	Score
Michigan State	0	7	7	21	35
Northwestern	7	10	7	3	27

SCORING SUMMARY				MSU -NU
1st	05:11	NU	Persa, Dan 3 yd run (Demos, Stefan kick)
			10 plays, 72 yards, TOP 3:35	0 - 7
2nd	12:42	NU	Demos, Stefan 37 yd field goal
			10 plays, 19 yards, TOP 3:31	0 - 10
	06:07	NU	Persa, Dan 1 yd run (Demos, Stefan kick)
			7 plays, 79 yards, TOP 2:35	0 - 17
	02:49	MSU	Dell, Mark 7 yd pass from Cousins, Kirk (Conroy, Dan kick)
			8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 3:18	7 - 17
3rd	11:56	MSU	Fowler, Bennie 22 yd run (Conroy, Dan kick)
			3 plays, 48 yards, TOP 1:20	14 - 17
	02:50	NU	Persa, Dan 6 yd run (Demos, Stefan kick)
			15 plays, 80 yards, TOP 5:22	14 - 24
4th	13:12	MSU	Dell, Mark 15 yd pass from Cousins, Kirk (Conroy, Dan kick)
			11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:38	21 - 24
	09:47	NU	Demos, Stefan 41 yd field goal
			8 plays, 33 yards, TOP 3:25	21 - 27
	02:00	MSU	Cunningham, B.J. 9 yd pass from Cousins, Kirk (Conroy, Dan kick)
			11 plays, 88 yards, TOP 5:18	28 - 27
	01:07	MSU	Baker, Edwin 25 yd run (Conroy, Dan kick)
			3 plays, 31 yards, TOP 0:19	35 - 27

Kickoff time: 11:00 am • End of Game: 2:20 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:20
Referee: Alex Kemp • Umpire: Brad O'Hara • Linesman: Bob Bassett • Line judge: Paul Engelberts • Back judge: Jack Lyman • Field judge: Mike Cannon • Side judge: Bobby Sagers • Scorer: Marc Grossman • Temperature: 54 • Wind: SW-5mph • Weather: Light Rain

No. 5 Michigan State Falls to No. 18 Iowa, 37-6

The Spartans now stand at 8-1; 4-1 in the Big Ten.

Oct. 30, 2010


Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery | Dantonio Podcast | Highlights

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Ricky Stanzi threw three touchdown passes and No. 18 Iowa knocked fifth-ranked Michigan State from the ranks of the unbeaten in decisive fashion, stomping the Spartans 37-6 on Saturday.

Adam Robinson added a pair of touchdowns for the charged-up Hawkeyes, who rolled out to a 30-0 halftime lead and dealt a crushing blow to the Spartans' national title hopes.

Iowa (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) needed just 15 minutes to jump ahead 17-0, as Hyde dashed 66 yards after taking a pitch from Sash, who had picked off a pass.

Stanzi then found Robinson for a 32-yard TD pass, and Robinson's 2-yard touchdown run put the Hawkeyes ahead by 30 with 1:01 left in the first half.

Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions for the Spartans (8-1, 4-1), who were trying to move to 9-0 for the first time since winning a share of the national title in 1966.

Iowa opened with an impressive 80-yard drive capped by a 3-yard TD pass from Stanzi to Colin Sandeman. Mike Meyer added a 37-yard field goal that put the Hawkeyes ahead 10-0 before the Spartans had a first down.

Sash and Hyde then teamed up for the play of the season for Iowa.

Sash jumped a route and picked off Cousins' pass at the Iowa 28. Sash immediately chucked the ball back to Hyde, who cut across the length of the field and stretched for the pylon at the end.

That put Michigan State behind 17-0 for the second week in a row.

The Spartans kept their unbeaten season alive by rallying to beat Northwestern 35-27 -- but this time it only got worse.

Stanzi's third TD pass of the day, a 22-yarder to Marvin McNutt midway through the third quarter, made it 37-0. Cousins finally got the Spartans on the board with a 6-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham to start the fourth quarter.

Stanzi finished with 190 yards passing as Iowa shook off a heartbreaking 31-30 loss to Wisconsin with by far its best performance of the season.

Michigan State's performance was stunning, given both its ranking and the fact that the last three games between these teams were decided by a total of 12 points.

Michigan State never established the run, gaining 31 yards on 20 carries, and the Hawkeyes were able to sit back and wait for Cousins to force the ball.

Cousins was 21 for 29 for 198 yards, but he nearly doubled his interception total for the season.

No. 16 Michigan State Defeats Minnesota, 31-8
The Spartans improve to 9-1; 5-1 in the Big Ten.

Nov. 6, 2010

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery

Podcasts:
Coach Dantonio | Edwin Baker | Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi | Offensive Coordinator Don Treadwell | Kirk Cousins | Marcus Hyde | Bennie Fowler | Eric Gordon | Jon Misch

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - This was exactly what Michigan State needed after last weekend's blowout loss: an early lead, a revitalized running game and an easy victory against an overmatched opponent.

Edwin Baker ran for 179 yards and four touchdowns, and the 16th-ranked Spartans bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a 31-8 win over Minnesota on Saturday.

"We needed someone to give us a push to get this one, and I wasn't the only one," Baker said. "We just went back to basics. We haven't run the ball well in four games, and we worked hard on running it in practice."

Baker scored twice on fourth down near the goal line to help the Spartans (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) take a 21-0 halftime lead. Minnesota (1-9, 0-6) never threatened after that en route to its ninth straight loss.

Michigan State won its first eight games before being blown out 37-6 by Iowa last weekend. Baker turned things around this week with scoring runs of 30, 1 and 1 yard in the first half, and another 1-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions in the Iowa loss, but didn't have to do much against the Golden Gophers. He went 9 of 20 for 131 yards with an interception, and his record-tying streak of 16 games with a touchdown pass came to an end. He shares that school record with Drew Stanton.

Cousins' deep pass over the middle was nearly intercepted early in the first quarter, but immediately after that, Baker scored his 30-yard touchdown.

"We got back to what we like to do best," Cousins said. "I think that first drive, we were able to just run it down the field. ... We hadn't been starting fast."

Michigan State had been outscored 30-0 in the first quarter in its previous four games, and the Spartans hadn't enjoyed a comfortable early lead in a while. Two weeks ago, they trailed Northwestern 17-0 before rallying to win, then they allowed the first 37 points to Iowa.

This time, Michigan State opened up a big lead thanks to a couple aggressive decisions in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Baker scored on a run over the right side of the offensive line. Then, facing fourth down from the 1 again near the end of the half, Michigan State let the clock run before calling a timeout with 4 seconds left. Baker found a hole for an easy touchdown.

"That wasn't an easy 21-0," coach Mark Dantonio said. "I thought that was a critical play, getting that touchdown and sort of putting it on the line a little bit for our football team in doing that. It shows that we have faith in our offensive line and in our running backs."

Minnesota, which fired coach Tim Brewster last month, struggled to move the ball against the Spartans. Senior Adam Weber went 15 of 22 for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his 48th consecutive start, but the Golden Gophers also let MarQueis Gray take some snaps at quarterback.

"That was a pretty good surprise this week, wasn't it?" Minnesota interim coach Jeff Horton said. "We talked about doing it this week. We worked on it, put a package in at practice. We thought we'd give him an opportunity to work in this game. I thought he did some good things there."

Weber holds the Big Ten record for consecutive starts by a quarterback.

Gray, who also plays wide receiver, caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Weber in the fourth quarter after an interception gave Minnesota the ball at the Michigan State 20.

Baker's final touchdown made it 31-8 with 5:24 left in the game. He nearly scored on a longer run on the previous play, but the ball was spotted at the 1 after an official review.

Baker and Le'Veon Bell have both been threats for Michigan State out of the backfield this season, but Bell carried only six times Saturday, and half of those runs were on the final possession as Michigan State was running out the clock. The Spartans snapped a three-game losing streak against Minnesota, beating the Gophers for the first time since 2004.

"The explosive runs that Edwin had were exceptional," Dantonio said. "So we stick with the guy and gave him the carries."

Spartans Rally Past Purdue, 35-31

Kirk Cousins scored the game-winning touchdown.

Nov. 20, 2010
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EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Kirk Cousins lunged into the end zone from 3 yards out with 4:32 remaining, and No. 11 Michigan State kept its Rose Bowl hopes alive with a dramatic 35-31 victory over Purdue on Saturday.

The Spartans trailed 28-13 after three quarters and 31-20 midway through the fourth, but Cousins threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mark Dell with 6:54 remaining, and a 2-point conversion made it 31-28.

Denicos Allen then blocked a punt, giving Michigan State (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) the ball inside the 5 and setting up Cousins' touchdown.

Purdue (4-7, 2-5) then drove to the Michigan State 20, but Rob Henry was intercepted on fourth down with less than a minute to play.

Michigan State trailed 28-13 when Henry's deep pass was intercepted by Chris L. Rucker at the Purdue 40. Rucker returned it to the 20, and Cousins threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham to bring the Spartans within eight.

After a long kickoff return, Purdue's Carson Wiggs made it 31-20 with a 52-yard field goal, but the Boilermakers couldn't hold off Michigan State.

Cousins missed a series in the first half with an apparent injury to his non-throwing arm, and he appeared hobbled throughout the second half. He still went 28 of 37 for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

His winning touchdown run was upheld by replay after the ball came free, but Michigan State appeared to recover it in the end zone anyway.

Purdue didn't quit. Henry found Kyle Adams for 14 yards on fourth-and-6, and a personal foul call on the Spartans eventually put the ball on the Michigan State 22. That was about as far as the Boilermakers could go, though. All-American linebacker Greg Jones pressured Henry on fourth down, and Chris Norman intercepted his pass to seal the win.

Michigan State took a 7-0 lead on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Dell, but nothing came easy after that. Purdue needed less than a minute to answer. Keith Carlos ran up the middle, eluded safety Trenton Robinson and then had nothing but open field in front of him for an 80-yard touchdown.

Ricardo Allen then gave the Boilermakers the lead, stepping in front of one of Cousins' passes and returning the interception 35 yards for a touchdown. Cousins would finish the first half 12 of 13 for 105 yards, but his only miss was a costly one.

The Spartans scored early in the second quarter on a 19-yard run by Edwin Baker, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season Saturday. However, the normally reliable Dan Conroy kicked the extra point off the upright to leave Michigan State still a point behind.

With the second quarter nearing an end, Purdue went on its first sustained drive of the day, going 85 yards in 14 plays. Henry threw an 8-yard touchdown pass on third down to Antavian Edison with 9 seconds left to make it 21-13.

Purdue made it 28-13 on Henry's 12-yard scoring pass to Cortez Smith in the third quarter.

Spartans Edge Penn State For Share Of Big Ten Title
Kirk Cousins finished with 152 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Nov. 27, 2010

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Michigan State claimed at least a share of its first Big Ten title since 1990 after beating Penn State 28-22 at blustery Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Now, the Spartans have to wait and see whether it's good enough for the Rose Bowl.

Edwin Baker ran for 118 yards and a touchdown, and Keshawn Martin's 35-yard reverse deep in Penn State territory set up another early score for Michigan State (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten).

Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns to B.J. Cunnigham, and the defense held off a fourth-quarter charge by penalty-prone Penn State (7-5, 4-4).

No. 8 Ohio State beat Michigan on Saturday, with No. 5 Wisconsin still to play. If all three teams finish with one loss, the Bowl Championship Series standings would be break the tie, and the Spartans came into the week trailing their Big Ten rivals in those rankings.

Penn State scored 19 fourth-quarter points, and fans had dreams of an unlikely comeback after Matt McGloin found Derek Moye for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 56 seconds left.

Michigan State recovered the ensuing onsides kick to finally seal the win.

Bowl questions aside, coach Mark D'Antonio's crew can relish an 11-win season and the end of an eight-game road losing streak to Penn State after its first win in Happy Valley since 1965--the year before Joe Paterno took over as head coach.

Penn State managed just a 34-yard field in the first half against a Spartans defense that gave up 85 yards and a touchdown to Evan Royster. McGloin finished 23 of 43 for 312 yards with two fourth-quarter touchdowns and an interception.

Penalty flags sapped momentum, too, for the Nittany Lions, especially in a choppy first half that left them playing catch-up the rest of the way.


Trailing 14-3 at halftime, Jerel Worthy's sack of McGloin helped stop one third-quarter drive, and Penn State followed with another three-and-out deep in its own territory and punted back to the Michigan State 48. Cousins followed by deftly directing a six-play, 52-yard drive capped by his second touchdown pass to Cunningham for an 18-point lead.

The left shoulder and left ankle injuries that had Cousins hobbling off the field after last week's win over Purdue weren't bothering him Saturday. He finished 17 of 22 passing.

In 2008, the Spartans watched while Penn State players dance around the Beaver Stadium field with roses in their mouths after a 49-18 rout sent the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl. This time, it was Michigan State savoring a season-ending victory for a title.

Seventeen seniors have now won a school-record 33 games for the Spartans.

The young Nittany Lions, who start eight seniors, were uncharacteristically undisciplined with eight penalties for 67 yards. They had averaged an FBS-best 28 penalty yards per game.

The opening drive set the tone after Baker opened with a 17-yard rush, and a third-and-4 at the Spartans 49 turned into a first down on the Penn State 35 after defensive tackle Devon Still was called for a late hit on Cousins.

Baker carried five of the next six plays, capped by his 7-yard dash into the left front pylon of the end zone for a 7-0 lead in a score upheld by replay review.

Later, a 35-yard double reverse around left end by Martin to the Penn State 14 set up Baker's run up the middle to the 8. That softened the defense just enough to leave Cunningham open in the end zone on the next play for a touchdown pass from Cousins for 14-3 lead.

No. 7 Spartans Fall to No. 15 Alabama in Capital One Bowl, 49-7

Bennie Fowler had a 49-yard TD catch with 5:45 remaining.

Jan. 1, 2011


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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Mark Ingram ran for two scores and 15th-ranked Alabama topped No. 7 Michigan State 49-7 on Saturday in the Capital One Bowl.

The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner had 59 yards rushing against the team he rooted for as a kid, and Greg McElroy threw for 220 yards and one touchdown. Ingram moved past Shaun Alexander's mark (41) with 42 career touchdowns.

The Crimson Tide found the end zone on their first four possessions, held the Spartans (11-2) to 171 total yards and sacked Kirk Cousins four times in their most dominant performance all season.

Cousins had 120 yards passing and one interception, and Edwin Baker was held to 14 yards rushing.

A season that began with the No. 1 ranking and dreams of second straight title for Alabama never lived up to the hype. Losses to rivals Auburn, LSU and South Carolina prevented the Tide from even making the Southeastern Conference title game.

The team everybody expected to see showed up in the finale.

Alabama pushed and pounded the Spartans at the line of scrimmage. Perhaps nobody was more physical than Ingram, who rooted for Michigan State - where his father, Mark, was a star receiver - while growing up in Flint, Mich.

Ingram bowled over Michigan State defenders for a 30-yard reception in the second quarter. A play later, his 6-yard touchdown run put Alabama ahead 21-0.

The Tide flexed its muscle again on the next possession when Julio Junes took a reverse, cut left up the sideline and received a big block from McElroy to go 35 yards for another score. Marquis Maze had a 35-yard TD catch and Eddie Lacy scored two touchdown late to give Alabama a 49-0 lead.

The Spartans mounted one serious threat while the game was close.

They drove down to the Alabama 7 when they were down only two touchdowns. But Courtney Upshaw jarred the ball loose from Cousins and a wild scramble for the ball ended on the 38-yard line. Michigan State had to punt - on fourth-and-goal - and never came close to the end zone again. Bennie Fowler had a 49-yard TD catch with 5:45 remaining.