Post-Game Notes
10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 11, 2008
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• In the 49th meeting between Michigan State and Northwestern, the Spartans defeated the Wildcats, 37-20, before a crowd of 32,527 at Ryan Field...it marks MSU's second straight win in Evanston...the Spartans have also won three of the last four meetings at Ryan Field...MSU now leads the all-time series, 33-16, with a 16-10 advantage in games in Evanston...it marks MSU's first win over a team ranked in the USA TODAY Top 25 since a 35-31 victory over No. 22 Penn State in the last regular-season game in 2007...Northwestern was ranked No. 22 in the poll entering today's game.
• MSU has now won six games in a row, the longest winningest streak for the program since 1999-2000, when the Spartans closed the 1999 season with four wins and opened the 2000 season with three wins...it's the longest winning streak in a single season since 1999, when the Spartans opened the season 6-0...it marks MSU's first 3-0 start in the Big Ten since 2003, when the Spartans opened 4-0 in conference play.
• The six-game winning streak extends Coach Dantonio's longest winning streak of his career (previous: four last season with MSU and with Cincinnati in 2004).
• Javon Ringer rushed for 124 yards on 35 carries, marking his 17th career 100-yard rushing game, which ranks second in MSU history (record: Lorenzo White with 23)...it marked Ringer's fifth 100-yard effort of the season...Ringer also moved into third place on the MSU career rushing list - he now has 3,873 career yards...Ringer surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the game, becoming the first Spartan back since T.J. Duckett in 2000-01 to record back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons...through seven games, Ringer has 1,112 yards (158.9 ypg.)...he scored two TDs, marking his eighth career multi-TD game and fifth of the season...his 14 rushing TDs in 2008 already rank tied for ninth best in MSU single-season history.
• With his 169 passing yards this afternoon, Brian Hoyer became just the seventh quarterback in MSU history to reach the 5,000-yard career milestone...Hoyer now has 5,069 career passing yards...he finished the game 14-for-20 passing...his record is now 13-8 in 21 career starts.
• Junior placekicker Brett Swenson made three field goals (26, 42, 34 yards), extending his streak to 15 straight, which establishes an MSU record...Paul Edinger previously held the school record with 13 straight made in 1998...Swenson improved to 15-for-16 on the season - his only miss was a 39-yarder in his first attempt of season at California...Swenson now has 244 career points, which ranks seventh in school history...Swenson's 45 career field goals are tied for fifth in MSU history.
• The Spartans forced three turnovers for the second straight game...MSU, which didn't commit a turnover in the game, owns a +10 turnover margin for the season...MSU has now forced 16 turnovers this season...the Spartans are 10-for-16 on scoring opportunities after forcing a turnover...Adam Rolf forced a fumble on a kickoff and recovered the ball on the NU 25-yard line at the 9:23 mark in the first quarter, leading to an MSU field goal...Danny Fortener recorded his second career interception and returned it 21 yards to the NU 34-yard line at the mark in the first quarter, leading to a 13-yard Ringer TD run to make it 17-0 in favor of the Spartans...Johnny Adams intercepted his first career pass in the end zone to halt a Northwestern drive with 3:47 left in the second quarter and MSU responded with an 80-yard drive capped by a TD pass to Andrew Hawken.
• Garrett Celek caught his first career touchdown pass with a 3-yard reception at the 9:23 mark in the first quarter...Andrew Hawken recorded his second career TD with a 7-yard catch in the second quarter...Hawken's first TD came last season vs. UAB.
• Blair White (wide receiver) and Jeremy Ware (cornerback) made their first career starts...White had three catches for 28 yards while Ware tied a school record with five pass break-ups...Ware also had a career-high eight tackles...MSU recorded 12 pass break-ups as a team.
• Greg Jones, Ryan Allison and Eric Gordon led MSU with 11 tackles apiece...the 11 tackles represent a career high for Gordon and Allison.
• Glenn Winston had 106 kickoff return yards, including a 50-yarder on the first play of the game.
• Fred Smith caught his first career pass, a 7-yard reception in the third quarter.
• Aaron Bates had three of his four punts downed inside the 20...he kicked a season-long 57-yard punt in the second quarter that was downed at the MSU 2-yard line.
