Northwestern scored 21 unanswered first-half points en route to a 49-14 blowout win over the Spartans on Saturday's Homecoming.
"They played much harder and much better than we did," MSU head coach John L. Smith said.
MSU (4-3 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) went on a game-opening 75-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead after junior quarterback Drew Stanton found junior receiver Kerry Reed in the end zone for an 18-yard score.
After forcing the Wildcats (5-2, 3-1) to go three-and-out on the next possession, MSU was in a position to make it a two-score game, but failed to do so after junior kicker John Goss missed a field goal.
It was all Northwestern from there on out.
Wildcat quarterback Brett Basanez ran the ball in from four yards out to even the score. Northwestern then took the lead after running back Tyrell Sutton muscled in the end zone from a yard out.
A Stanton fumble was returned for Northwestern's third score of the game and another missed field goal from Goss gave the Wildcats a 21-7 advantage at the halftime break.
The Spartans turned the ball over three times in the first half and missed two field goals.
Things didn't get any better for MSU after the half.
"It just seemed like we were out of sync offensively, defensively," senior defensive end Michael Bazemore said. "It was just uncharacteristic of us."
Basanez continued to consistently dominate the Spartans defense in the second half, scoring touchdown after touchdown as the Spartan home crowd gradually receded.
Basanez finished the game 24-of-30 passing for 331 yards and two touchdowns, while Stanton struggled with 234 yards and three interceptions.
"We got on top of some balls that got away from Drew and we made some plays on them," Northwestern head coach Randy Walker said. "We didn't do anything different, we just played our game."
Stanton and the offense was only able to convert twice on six opportunities from the red zone.
"It wasn't Drew's best day," Smith said. "He's had a lot of good days — Give him a break."
The Spartans lost senior wide receiver Kyle Brown on the first play of the game to an ankle injury, and senior receiver Matt Trannon played sparingly, recording two catches for 12 yards.
The loss puts the Spartans at the bottom of the Big Ten standings and takes them out of Big Ten contention for good. The Spartans have lost their past three games.
"We've got to hit the (practice) field and work on getting better," Smith said.
The Spartans return to action next Saturday when Indiana comes to Spartan Stadium for a noon kickoff.
