Madison, Wis. - If MSU has learned anything this season, it’s how to rally behind an injured player. The Spartans did it once more Saturday in the 42-28 win over Wisconsin.

After sophomore cornerback Tyrell Dortch broke his right leg, players and coaches gathered in the locker room at halftime and turned the traditional speech into an emotion-charged inspiration builder.

The Spartans, who trailed 14-7 at that point, dedicated the game to Dortch, a player who just two weeks ago moved to cornerback when two starters sustained broken ankles.

And the inspired play of the Spartans (4-2, 2-2 Big Ten) translated into a more balanced offensive attack that produced 28 points in the second half.

“It just seems that every time we get hit with something as devastating as losing a great player, the team always seems to rise up,” head coach Bobby Williams said.

Six minutes after Dortch’s injury, sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker and sophomore receiver Charles Rogers connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 14.

The scoring drive was pivotal for the two, who had their best game on the field together.

Smoker, recovering from a sore ankle, finished with a career-high 326 yards passing and three touchdowns - two that came down in Rogers’ hands.

And Rogers had five catches for a career-high 206 receiving yards.

“The more you get used to throwing to people, the better you become,” Smoker said. “It’s not easy to throw the deep ball, but I think all the practicing Charles and I have done has helped.”

Smoker’s deep passes, especially MSU’s final touchdown - an 87-yard bomb to Rogers early in the fourth quarter - was an example of the duo’s big-play potential.

“I feel like we have a better feel for each other,” Rogers said. “We have that chemistry down, and we showed it out there on the field.”

Junior tailback T.J. Duckett also had his best game this season.

Duckett, who had only 17 yards rushing on seven attempts in the first half, found it easier to break holes in the second.

“The pass really opened a lot of holes for me,” said Duckett, who finished with 186 yards on 23 carries. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a good game, and I’m sure glad it happened today.”

His 43-yard touchdown run, capping off a three-play, 61-yard drive early in the third quarter, gave the Spartans the lead 21-14.

Wisconsin’s offense showed promise as well, especially in the first three quarters.

Wide receiver Lee Evans caught touchdown passes of 42, 30 and 70 yards and wreaked havoc early.

“There’s adjustments that need to be made in preparation to make sure that a receiver doesn’t light up MSU’s defense again,” said sophomore linebacker Mike Labinjo, who had a game-high four tackles for losses.

“I think that we need to get more pressure on the quarterback. We really have to work on that this upcoming week since Michigan has talented receivers as well.”

Evans’ 70-yard score from backup quarterback Matt Schabert cut MSU’s lead to seven with about two minutes left in the third quarter.

Evans tied a Wisconsin school record with three touchdown receptions and became the first Wisconsin player to tally more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season.

Despite the record-breaking performance, with nine receptions for 228 yards, Evans said the loss was still painful. The Badgers (4-5, 2-3) must find a way to stay in games and maintain their aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, he said.

“You just have to look inward,” Evans said. “It’s not about after the season, you’ve got to stand up for yourself now, have a little pride in yourself and go out there and make things happen.”

Saturday’s win was the first Big Ten road win in head coach Bobby Williams’ career.

And even though the Spartans have the monkey off their back for the time being, senior linebacker Josh Thornhill said the team can’t get too complacent - especially with a home matchup against No. 6 Michigan on Saturday.

“It feels great, words can’t describe it,” Thornhill said. “But it’s only going to feel great for a couple of hours because we have the big dogs next week.”

Eric Lacy can be reached at lacyeric@msu.edu.