Spartan Football Notebook From Silicon Valley Football Classic
12/31/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
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MICHIGAN STATE vs. No. 20 FRESNO STATE
2001 SILICON VALLEY FOOTBALL CLASSIC
SPARTAN STADIUM - SAN JOSE, CALIF.
December 30, 2001
ATTENDANCE - 30,456 - setting a new Silicon Valley Football Classic attendance record.
SERIES - Today's game marked the first-ever meeting between Michigan State and Fresno State. MSU now holds a 1-0 lead following a 44-35 win.
MSU ALL-TIME IN BOWL GAMES - Today's game marked Michigan State's 16th postseason appearance, including its fourth New Year's Eve game. The Spartans are 7-9 in bowl games and have won two straight bowl games.
MSU head coach Bobby Williams is 2-0 all-time in bowl games. Williams led MSU to a 37-34 victory over Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl in his coaching debut.
BOWL MVP's - Michigan State's sophomore split end Charles Rogers was named the Silicon Valley Football Classic Most Valuable Player on Offense
SMOKER TO ROGERS - Sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker and sophomore split end Charles Rogers hooked up for a 72-yard scoring pass in the first quarter. The 72-yard pass play was the second-longest pass play in MSU bowl history. The longest pass play in bowl history was a 79-yard TD toss from Tony Banks to Muhsin Muhammad against Louisiana State in the 1995 Independence Bowl.
Roger's first TD catch was his 13th of the season, breaking MSU's single-season TD receptions mark. Rogers entered today's game tied with Plaxico Burress (1999) with 12 TD catches.
Rogers and Smoker also hooked up for a 69-yard TD toss late in the second quarter. It was Rogers' 14th TD reception of the season.
Rogers finished with 10 catches for 270 yards. The 270 yards were a career best and set a new Spartan single-game record, breaking the previous mark of 255 set by Plaxico Burress against Michigan in 1999. The 270 yards receiving is the best mark in Michigan State bowl history by an individual. Andre Rison previously held the record with 252 yards (nine catches) vs. Georgia in the 1989 Gator Bowl.
Rogers continued his record-breaking season, setting the MSU single-season record for 100-yard reception games with his sixth of the season. He breaks the mark of five, which he previously shared with Derrick Mason (1996).
Rogers finished the year with 1,470 yards receiving, which ranks first all-time in the MSU annuals. Rogers's total yardage was the second-best single-season mark in Big Ten history, trailing only Wisconsin's Lee Evans (2001) with 1,545 yards.
SMOKER CONTINUES TO SHINE - With three touchdown tosses vs. Fresno State, Jeff Smoker set a new MSU single-season record for touchdown passes in a season with 21. The previous mark was 20 set by Bill Burke (1999) and Ed Smith (1978). Smoker finished the day 22-of-32 for 376 yards and three touchdowns.
The 376 passing yards marked a new career best for Smoker. It was his fourth 300-yard passing day of the season. The 376 passing yards ranks second all-time on MSU's single-game chart.
Smoker finished the season with 2,579 yards passing, which ranks third all-time on the MSU single-season chart. Bill Burke (1998) holds the single-season passing record with 2,595 yards, while Dave Yarema (1986) ranks second with 2,581 yards. Smoker finished the season with 262 pass attempts (good for seventh on MSU's single-season pass attempts chart) and 166 completions (good for seventh on MSU's single-season pass completions list).
MORE SPARTAN BOWL RECORDS - Junior tailback T.J. Duckett's 54-yard run late in the first quarter was Michigan State's longest run from scrimmage in Spartan bowl history. The previous mark was a 38-yard run by Bob Apisa vs. UCLA in the 1966 Rose Bowl.
MSU's 21-second quarter points set a new Michigan State bowl record for most points scored in a quarter.
MSU's 37 first-half points set a new Silicon Valley Football Classic record for the most points in one half, breaking the previous mark of 34 (first), set by Air Force in 2000.
MSU's 44 points also set a SVFC record for most points by a winning team, eclipsing the previous mark of 37 set by Air Force in 2000.
Other SVFC records set by MSU include: most total offense (586) and most interception yardage (23).
Individual SVFC records set by MSU include: most rushing attempts (27) by T.J. Duckett, most rushing yardage (184) by T.J. Duckett, longest run from scrimmage (54) by T.J. Duckett, most rushing touchdowns (2 tied) by T.J. Duckett, most touchdown receptions (2 tied) by Charles Rogers, most punts (5 tied) by Craig Jarrett, best punting average (46.4) by Craig Jarrett, most punt returns (2 tied) by Ziehl Kavanaght, most kickoff returns (5 tied) by Herb Haygood, most kickoff return yardage (108) by Herb Haygood, most interceptions (1 tied) by both Roderick Maples and Duron Bryan, most interception return yardage (17) by Roderick Maples, most fumbles recovered (1 tied) by Monquiz Wedlow and most solo tackles (9) by Lorenzo Guess.
DUCKETT EQUALS TOUCHDOWN - T.J. Duckett scored his 11th rushing TD of the season and the 28th of his career on a five-yard run in the second quarter.
Duckett's scored his second rushing touchdown of the game - the 12th rushing TD of the season and the 29th of his career - in the second quarter. The 39-yard run ties for the second longest run from scrimmage in Spartan bowl history. The 12 rushing touchdowns moves Duckett into ninth place on MSU's single-season rushing TD chart. It also moves Duckett into a tie for fourth place with Lynn Chandnois (1946-69) with 29 career rushing TDs.
Duckett finished the day with 27 carries for 184 yards and two touchdowns. It marked his seventh 100-yard rushing day of the season and the 14th of his career.
Duckett finished the season with 1,410 rushing yards, ranking fifth on MSU's single-season rushing chart. He also finished with 263 rushing attempts - a mark which places him eighth on MSU's single-season rushing attempts list.
BAKER CLOSES CAREER - Senior tight end Chris Baker, who started his 47th consecutive game today, closed his career catching at least one pass in 24 straight games - the longest active streak by a tight end in the country. Baker finished the game with four catches for 44 yards.
Baker closed his career with 133 career receptions, the most-ever by a Spartan tight end. His 133 catches ranks fourth all-time in MSU history.
UPSET SPECIALS - Michigan State is now 13-8 (.619) in its last 21 games against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a 10-5 record (.667) over the last three seasons. The Spartans are 3-1 vs. Top 25 teams in 2001, including victories over No. 6 Michigan (26-24), No. 23 Notre Dame (17-10) and No. 20 Fresno State (44-35) and a last-second loss at No. 16 Northwestern (27-26).
SPARTAN QUICK HITS - Sophomore split end Charles Rogers has caught at least one pass in 12 straight games.
MSU scored its first defensive touchdown of the season when Monquiz Wedlow recovered a Fresno State fumble in the endzone in the first quarter.
Freshman kicker Dave Rayner kicked a season-long 41-yard field goal with five seconds left in the first quarter.
Senior cornerback Duron Bryan picked off his fourth pass late in the third quarter.
Senior tight end Ivory McCoy caught his first touchdown pass of the season, a six-yard toss from Jeff Smoker, with 1:59 to go in the fourth quarter.
MSU finished with 586 net yards (210 rushing, 376 passing) on offense. It marked MSU's fourth 500-yard game of the season.
Senior wide receiver Herb Haygood closed his career with 115 career catches, good for ninth place on MSU's career receptions list.
Haygood, who returned five kickoffs for 108 yards, finished the season with 632 kickoff return yards. The 632 yards place third on MSU's season kickoff return yardage chart. In addition, Haygood closed his career with 1,770 kickoff return yards, good for second all-time at MSU.