Defense Lifts Spartans Past Pesky Boilermakers

After two-straight weeks where the offense paced Spartan victories, the best defense in the country once again secured the win.

Michigan State’s offense struggled to get any offense going in the first half, totaling only 97 yards, that included a meager 21 yards from quarterback Connor Cook.

Luckily, the defense bailed them out.

Early in the second quarter, linebacker Max Bullough forced a fumble from Purdue quarterback Danny Etling and it was recovered by linebacker Denicos Allen and returned for a 45-yard touchdown.

That would be the only scoring play until the fourth quarter.

The Spartans’ defense continued to pressure the freshman Etling and stifle the Boilermakers’ offense, but the offense could not put together a drive needed to make it a two-score game.

It ended up being a trick play that finally got the Michigan State offense on the board.  Wide receiver Tony Lippett came in motion to receive an end-around and instead of tucking it and running the ball in, threw a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Andrew Gleichert.

On an otherwise dark day for the Spartans’ offense, running back Jeremy Langford was a bright spot.  The reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week had 24 rushes for 131 yards.

The victory improves Michigan State’s record to 6-1, making them bowl eligible for the seventh consecutive season.

Impact Stat

The Spartans recorded their first shutout of the year, limiting the Boilermakers to 226 total yards.

Dan Tyler is the host of Spartan Redzone for Impact Sports.