Post-Game Notes: Texas Tech
1/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 3, 2010
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• Michigan State fell to Texas Tech, 41-31, in the 17th annual Valero Alamo Bowl...the Spartans are now 7-13 all-time in bowl games...MSU has lost its last four bowl games, with the last victory arriving in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic.
• The attendance of 64,757 in the Alamodome marked the sixth-largest crowd in the 17-year history of the Alamo Bowl.
• Keshawn Martin compiled 238 all-purpose yards, the third-highest single-game total in Spartan bowl history (record: 270 yards by Charles Rogers in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic)...Martin's 149 kickoff return yards rank second in the MSU bowl record books (record: 178 yards by Devin Thomas in the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl) and ninth overall in MSU single-game history...Martin's 665 kickoff return yards rank as the seventh-highest total in an MSU season...it marked the third time of the season Martin collected more than 200 all-purpose yards...in the last five games of the season, Martin averaged 208.6 all-purpose yards a game...Martin also had four catches for 86 yards, his second-best receiving effort of his career...he had a 48-yard TD reception in the second quarter to cut the Texas Tech lead to 17-14...six of Martin's seven touchdowns this season were 48 yards or longer...Martin had eight plays of 40 yards or more this season...he threw his second TD pass of the season with an 8-yard throw to Blair White to put MSU ahead, 28-27, at the end of the third quarter.
• Greg Jones was one tackle shy of an Alamo Bowl record with 13 against Texas Tech...Jones closes his All-America season with 154 tackles, the seventh-highest total in MSU single-season history...Jones moved past Aric Morris into eighth-place all-time at Michigan State with 359 tackles...Jones' also ranks fifth at MSU with 36.5 career tackles for loss...Jones finishes the season averaging 11.8 tackles per game...it marked the ninth time this season he has reached double-figure tackles and the 18th time in his career.
• Blair White caught his ninth TD pass of the season with an 8-yard catch from Keshawn Martin...White finished ranked among the Top 10 Spartan single-season leaders in receptions (second with 70), touchdown receptions (fourth with 9) and receiving yards (seventh with 990 yards)...he led the Spartans in receptions for the second straight season, a first since Jerramy Scott (2004-05)...White closes his career with 116 receptions for 1,674 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
• Edwin Baker rushed for a career-high 97 yards on 12 carries (8.1 avg.), including a 46-yard touchdown - the first of his career - at the 3:47 mark in the first quarter...it marked the longest rushing touchdown in Spartan bowl history (previous long: 39 yards by T.J. Duckett in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic).
• Kirk Cousins was 13-of-27 passing for 220 yards and a touchdown in the game...it marks Cousins' eighth 200-yard passing effort of the season and ties for the fifth-highest single-game figure by a Spartan quarterback in a bowl game...Cousins closes out his first year as a starting quarterback ranked among the Top 10 Spartan single-season leaders in: total offense (third with 2,740 yards), passing yards (fourth with 2,680 yards), pass completions (sixth with 198), pass attempts (seventh with 328), touchdown passes (tied for seventh with 19) and passing efficiency (eighth with a 142.6 rating)...Cousins' 21 career passing TDs already rank tied for eighth most in MSU history.
• Brett Swenson kicked a 44-yard field goal at the 8:05 mark in the fourth quarter to give MSU a 31-27 lead...Swenson closes out his illustrious Spartan career as the program's all-time leader in field goals (71), total points (377) and extra points (164)...the 71 field goals are tied for third most in Big Ten history...he's also second at MSU in career field-goal percentage at 78.9 percent....Swenson finished his senior year with 19 field goals (19-for-22), good for sixth in the MSU single-season record books.
• On a fourth-and-5 play from the Texas Tech 26-yard line late in the third quarter, MSU lined up for a field goal; however, the normal holder, Aaron Bates, lined up as the kicker and tossed the ball to Charlie Gantt for an 18-yard gain, setting up Keshawn Martin's TD pass to Blair White...Bates also averaged 45.2 yards per punt (181 yards on four punts), including a 51-yarder and two inside the 20.
• In his first career start at wide receiver, Keith Nichol caught two passes for 11 yards...he scored his first career rushing touchdown on a 7-yard score that gave MSU a 21-20 lead at the 12:15 mark in the third quarter...Nichol also made a tackle.
• Ross Weaver recorded his second career interception with a pick in the fourth quarter...he also forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half...he finished with a career-high nine tackles.
• Jeremy Ware tallied a career-high two tackles for loss (9 yards), including an 8-yard sack...he had six tackles overall.
• Trenton Robinson tied for the team lead with 13 tackles along with Greg Jones...Robinson's career high is 14 at Purdue.
• Red-shirt freshman defensive end Tyler Hoover made his first career start...he tied his career high with three tackles and a pass break-up.
• Michigan State set a team single-season record in 2009 with 28 touchdown passes (Cousins: 19; Nichol: 7; Martin: 2)...MSU's 3,502 passing yards are third in the school record books .
• Michigan State accumulated 396 yards of total offense against the Red Raiders, marking its fifth-highest total in bowl games.
• MSU's 31 points scored were the fourth most by the program in a bowl game (record: 44 in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl).
• Michigan State allowed 31 first downs, 38 pass completions and 579 yards of total offense, all of which were opponent bowl game records.
