From The Press Box
10/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 9, 2004
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MICHIGAN STATE POST-GAME NOTES
Michigan State vs. Illinois
Spartan Stadium - East Lansing, Mich.
Oct. 9, 2004
MSU Game Notes
· Today's attendance was 72,441. It was the 36th consecutive sellout in Spartan Stadium, and the 44th in the last 49 games.
· Michigan State leads the all-time series 22-16-2, and holds a 12-7-1 edge in games played in East Lansing. Michigan State has won the last eight games in the series and the last five games in Spartan Stadium.
· The 38 points scored by Michigan State are the most this season (30 at Indiana).
· DeAndra Cobb rushed for a career-high 93 yards on nine carries. His previous high was 88 yards vs. Wisconsin last season.
· Michigan State had a season-high 487 total offensive yards, which are the most in a single game by MSU since the Spartans gained 492 yards in a 56-21 win at Indiana, Nov. 9, 2002.
· Michigan State had a season-high 253 yards rushing, surpassing the previous season high of 241 at Indiana, and eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark for the fourth time in the last five games. It was MSU's highest rushing total in the John L. Smith era.
· The 188 yards rushing by Illinois' Pierre Thomas are the most yards allowed by Michigan State to an opponent this year. Jerry Seymour of Central Michigan had 164 yards rushing vs. the Spartans.
· Kyle Brown's 37-yard punt return with 9:53 left in the first quarter was the longest of his career and longest by a Spartan this season
· Drew Stanton's 11-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Scott with 6:19 left in the first quarter was the first touchdown pass of Stanton's career. He had scored on five touchdown runs prior to his first TD toss.
· The touchdown catch by Scott was his first of the season and third of his career.
· Kellen Davis hauled in a 29-yard catch in the first quarter for the first reception of his career.
· Jerramy Scott and Drew Stanton hooked up again with 3:47 left in the first quarter for an 18-yard touchdown, but this time it was Scott throwing his first career pass and Stanton making his first career catch.
· The two-point conversion return by Illinois' Kelvin Hayden following Stanton's touchdown catch was the first time a Michigan State opponent returned a failed PAT attempt for two points.
· Michigan State scored more points in the first quarter (13) vs. Illinois than it had in any first half this season. The most points MSU had scored in the first half was 10 vs. Central Michigan.
· Jason Teague's six-yard touchdown reception from Drew Stanton was the first touchdown catch of Teague's career. He had previously scored five times on the ground.
· Dave Rayner's 21-yard field goal with four seconds left in the first half was the 49th of his career, which is third most in Spartan history. He is just eight shy of the school record of 57 (John Langeloh (1987-90) and three short of second place (52 - Chris Gardner, 1994-97).
· The 27-yard touchdown pass from Drew Stanton to Agim Shabaj was Shabaj's first touchdown reception of the season and sixth of his career.
· The 32-yard blocked punt for a touchdown by Illinois was the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown against Michigan State since Omari Colen of Central Michigan scored on a 36-yard return off a James King block Sept. 8, 2001 in Spartan Stadium.
· DeAndra Cobb's 12-yard touchdown run with 5:47 left in the fourth quarter was his first offensive touchdown of his career. He has had four kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Illinois Post-Game Notes
· Kelvin Hayden returned a botched extra-point attempt 91 yards for a defensive PAT. The last time in Illinois player recorded a defensive extra point was by Quintin Parker vs. Wisconsin on Oct. 28, 1989.
· Mark Kornfeld caught his sixth first-down pass of the season (he has seven total catches this year).
· Pierre Thomas' 69-yard run at the beginning of the second half is the longest run of the season for Illinois and a career long. With 188 yards rushing, Thomas recorded his second career 100-yard game. The 69-yard run is also the longest since Antoineo Harris' 72-yard burst against Purdue in 2002. His 188 yards today tops his previous career high of 143 vs. Florida A&M earlier this season.
· Thomas' 188 yards today are also the most by an Illinois running back since Antoineo Harris had 195 vs. Purdue Oct. 12, 2002.
· Sharriff Abdullah's touchdown off Kevin Mitchell's punt block is the first blocked punt for a TD since 2002 when Kendrick Jones scored on Brian Brosnan's block vs. Arkansas State.
