Sorry, Jason Teague, you weren't missed. At least not by head coach John L. Smith.
The senior running back was suspended indefinitely and did not dress Saturday in the Spartans' 42-14 win at Spartan Stadium.
"He'll have some work to do," Smith said after the game.
"Teague and I are having a father-son spat right now and usually the father wins."
Teague worked his way back on the team - and into the starting lineup - for the season opener following an off-field incident. Smith said the current suspension was unrelated to that incident and did not comment further.
In the win against Kent State two weeks ago, Teague rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown.
For the game Saturday, sophomore Jehuu Caulcrick moved to the No. 1 spot and freshman Javon Ringer saw plenty more playing time.
And the two, more specifically Ringer, didn't miss a beat. Ringer scored on an 8-yard run on the opening drive. He rushed for two more touchdowns on runs of 41 and 15 yards, respectively.
"We've kind of been bragging on him for a little bit, saying he's going to be special," Smith said.
"That run in the end was all him and he won't admit it. He'll say it was the offensive front, which is great to have him like that - gives credit to his team."
On 10 carries, Ringer rushed for a season-high 80 yards. He now has four touchdowns on the young season.
"He's explosive - a strong guy that can carry between the tackles and if you give him an inch, he's going to take it the whole way," MSU junior quarterback Drew Stanton said.
"A couple of those times, he was able to maneuver his way to the end zone for some long runs."
Caulcrick, meanwhile, rushed for 89 yards on 20 carries. The two shared the load most of the game, proving to be valuable backups for the Spartans.
Wide (open) receivers
Junior wide receiver Jerramy Scott was in a trick play when he took a snap in the first quarter to rush for 8 yards and the first down.
Scott had six catches for 85 yards and one touchdown, a 20-yard pass in the third quarter.
"I had that drought early in the game, but I bounced back," Scott said.
Sophomore Terry Love also caught a touchdown pass late in the first quarter to make the score 14-0. Love had four catches for 64 yards.
"I liked the touchdown. I didn't know if I had gotten in bounds but when I saw the referee signal it, I was pretty happy," Love said.
"I think I got two feet in, but I didn't know if I was in the end zone or the sideline."
