Michigan State vs. Illinois: Game Notes
9/25/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 1999
SERIES RECORD: Michigan State holds a 19-16-2 series lead over Illinois.
NOTES: , Michigan State improves to 4-0 for just the second time since 1966. The Spartans started the 1997 season 5-0, and won their first nine games in 1966 before tying Notre Dame in the finale.
, Michigan State improves to 6-1-1 in its last eight Big Ten openers, including 3-1-1 under head coach Nick Saban.
, TB Lloyd Clemons had his third 100-yard rushing game in four career starts. He ran 20 times for a career-high 141 yards. His previous career best was 126 yards rushing last week at Notre Dame.
, PK Paul Edinger made a career-long 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Edinger is perfect on kicks this season (10-for-10 on field goals, 12-for-12 on PATs). He is four-for-four from 40+ yards this year and 13-for-15 from 40+ yards in his career.
, MSU has still not allowed a rushing touchdown in 1999. Through four games last year, the Spartans had given up eight rushing TDs, and never went more than two games in ?98 without allowing a TD on the ground. The Spartans, who entered the day No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing defense and tied for seventh in the NCAA, have allowed fewer than 100 yards rushing in three of their first four games (Notre Dame had 108 yards on the ground).
, Six of WR Gari Scott?s 12 receptions this season have come on third down. He extended his streak of games with at least one catch to 28.
, Three different players have led Michigan State in receptions in a game this season (Scott vs. Oregon, Baker vs. EMU and Notre Dame, Burress vs. Illinois).
, Four of QB Bill Burke?s seven TD passes have gone to tight ends (two each to Chris Baker and Ivory McCoy). He threw three TD passes to tight ends all of last season (MSU tight ends combined for five TD catches in 1998, counting two from Ryan Van Dyke).
, Burke has thrown at least one TD pass in each of his last eight games and now has 33 for his career. He is 11 TD passes shy of setting the MSU career TD pass record, currently shared by Dave Yarema and Ed Smith at 43.
, Seven of TE Ivory McCoy?s eight catches have been good for first downs, including two TD catches.
, TB/LB T.J. Duckett had his second and third rushing TDs of the season, the first multiple-TD game of his career.
, P Craig Jarrett?s 65-yard punt in the fourth quarter was his longest punt of the season. Six of his punts this year have gone for 50+ yards, while five have been downed inside the 20-yard line.
, WR Gari Scott surpassed the 800-yard mark in career punt returns. Scott, the MSU career record holder in that category, now has 825 career punt return yards. No other MSU player all-time has more than 620 career punt return yards (Derrick Mason).
, DE Robaire Smith had his second career interception in the third quarter. His first, against Penn State in 1997, was returned for a TD but got called back for a penalty. It marked Illinois QB Kurt Kittner?s first interception of 1999. Smith also had a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.
, LB Julian Peterson forced a fumble in the fourth quarter. It marked Peterson?s third forced fumble through four games.
