Post-Game Notes
11/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 8, 2008
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 1 
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• In the 61st meeting between Michigan State and Purdue, the Spartans defeated the Boilermakers, 21-7, before a crowd of 75,522 at Spartan Stadium...the Spartans lead the overall series, 30-28-3, and have won the past two meetings...MSU finished the 2008 home campaign averaging 74,858 fans a game (524,005 total)...MSU finished 6-1 at home this season, the best home record since 1999 (6-0).
• MSU held Purdue to 191 yards of total offense, the fewest allowed by the Spartans in the Coach Dantonio era and the fewest by Purdue in the Joe Tiller era (previous 211 against Ohio State in 2001).
• Purdue only passed for 83 yards, a low in the Tiller era...the previous low during the Tiller era was 124 yards against Indiana in 2005.
• The seven points scored by Purdue are the fewest by a Boilermaker team against Michigan State since 1988, when the Spartans won 48-3 in Spartan Stadium.
• MSU's 6-1 start in Big Ten play is the best seven-game league start for the program since 1987 (6-0-1).
• Senior running back Javon Ringer had his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 121 yards on 32 carries...Ringer passed Tico Duckett to move into second place on MSU's all-time rushing list...Ringer now has 4,309 career rushing yards...he now has 1,548 yards through 11 games this season (140.7 avg.), which is third most in an MSU season (record: Lorenzo White with 2,066 in 1985)...Ringer's 353 carries this season are third most in an MSU season and his 806 career carries are third all-time at MSU...Ringer now has 19 career 100-yard rushing games (second most in MSU history)...Ringer had 30-plus carries for the seventh time this season.
• Ringer scored two touchdowns, upping his season total to 20, which is second most in an MSU single-season (record: Jehuu Caulcrick with 21 in 2007)...it marked Ringer's eighth multi-TD game of the season and 11th of his career...Ringer entered the game leading the nation in touchdowns...Ringer has 120 points scored for the season, which is second most in an MSU single-season (record: Jehuu Caulcrick with 126 in 2007).
• MSU now has nine wins, marking the 10th time in program history the team has won at least nine games in a season and the first time since 1999...it's also just the third time MSU has won nine games since 1966.
• Brian Hoyer passed Ed Smith into fourth place all-time at MSU in passing yards...Hoyer threw for 154 yards and now has 5,784 for his career.
• B.J. Cunningham matched his season high with five catches for 63 yards.
• Ross Weaver recorded his first career sack with a 14-yard loss on a Purdue fourth down in the third quarter...Weaver also recorded two pass break-ups and four tackles, including 1.5 for losses (15 yards).
• Johnny Adams recorded his second career interception and his first for a touchdown with a 40-yard return with just nine seconds left in the first half...the TD gave MSU a 14-0 lead at the break...Adams' first interception arrived at Northwestern.
• Purdue was 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversions and 3-for-16 on third-down conversions...the Boilermakers started the game 0-for-12 in third downs.
• Greg Jones became the first Spartan since Thomas Wright in 2002 to record double-digit tackles for five straight games...Wright went seven straight games with double-digit tackles...Jones recorded 12 tackles and now has 100 for the season.
• Ryan Allison recorded a career-high 12 tackles...he had 11 against Northwestern earlier this season.
• Eric Gordon produced 10 tackles, marking his third career game with double-digit tackles.
• MSU's 16 seniors were honored in a ceremony before the game: Ryan Allison, Mike Bacon, Mike Bell, Todd Boleski, Deon Curry, Matt Haughey, Dwayne Holmes, Brian Hoyer, Justin Kershaw, Brandon Long, Roland Martin, Jesse Miller, Jeff McPherson, Javon Ringer, Kyle Smith and Otis Wiley.
