Sparty watch

Sparty was splattered with blue paint in the middle of the day on Sunday.

"It happened during broad daylight, with people all around," MSU police Sgt. Randy Holton said.

There was blue on the statue's abdomen and wrist, with the letters "PS U" on the base of the statue located at the intersection of Kalamazoo Street, Red Cedar and Chestnut roads. Holton said officers were unsure what the letters referred to.

"I don't know if it stands for another school or somebody's initials," Holton said. "We probably won't know until we can solve it."

The oil-based paint was cleaned off the statue by the MSU Grounds Maintenance Department on Sunday, Holton said.

Police are investigating the case. Anyone with information should call (517) 355-2221.

Margaret Harding

Did you know?

The longest winning streak that MSU has had against Michigan was a span of four games. The Spartans accomplished this feat three separate times, from 1934-1937, 1950-1953, and from 1959-1962.

DeAndra Cobb carried the ball 22 times for 205 yards in last year's 45-37 triple overtime loss to Michigan. The career best performance from Cobb made him only the second Spartan to rush for more than 200 yards against Michigan.

Quotable

"We have to go out there and get better on the practice field and be more consistent and hopefully we'll show up on Saturday."

MSU junior quarterback Drew Stanton