It's safe to say Saturday's game against Minnesota didn't play out the way Drew Stanton would have hoped. The senior quarterback probably would have written a script that involved a win for MSU and a solid individual performance in his last game at home. But after attempting just two passes in the first quarter, Stanton was forced out of the game with a head injury.

And without their senior leader, the Spartans couldn't muster enough offense to come back from a 19-point deficit, falling 31-18 at Spartan Stadium. The loss — MSU's seventh in its last eight games — officially eliminated the Spartans from bowl contention.

Stanton didn't speak after the game because of the injury, but he did issue a statement.

"It's really hard to have my last game in Spartan Stadium go this way," Stanton said. "I just thought that I would be hurting my team more than helping them if I was out there."

Stanton's injury forced sophomore Brian Hoyer to play the rest of the game.

"When (Hoyer) went in, we told him to go out there and have fun," senior left guard Kyle Cook said. "We know he's got a really good arm and he can get it done, so we had a lot of confidence in him."

That confidence was tested early, though, as Hoyer struggled after entering with a 9-0 lead. On his first drive, he forced a pass that was intercepted in the end zone, then fumbled on MSU's next drive, which the Gophers returned 48 yards for a touchdown and a 14-9 lead.

But with the help of his injured teammate, Hoyer was able to turn it around.

"(Stanton) just said when I threw those interceptions, you've got to put it behind you," Hoyer said. "It helped me out because I was kind of getting down on myself."

Using Stanton's advice, Hoyer was able to complete 26-of-50 passes for an MSU season-high 330 yards and one touchdown. His 50 attempts were the fourth most in school history.

Hoyer wasn't able to turn those numbers into points until the third quarter, though. With MSU down 17-9, he led a 13-play, 64-yard drive that ended with true freshman Brett Swenson's 33-yard field goal.

But the success was short-lived, as the Golden Gophers scored 14 straight points to take a 31-12 lead. Hoyer's only touchdown pass — a 26-yard strike to senior wide receiver Matt Trannon — came with less than three minutes left and brought the score to 31-18. The Spartans got the ball back one more time but couldn't muster any points.

Despite the loss, Hoyer was able to gain some experience he'll need when he takes over for Stanton next season. He just wished it would have come under different circumstances.

"You never want anything to happen to Drew — he's a great kid, a great leader and a great player," Hoyer said. "But, I got thrown in there, and I got to play almost a whole game, so it was good for me to get that opportunity."

While Hoyer was able to look to the future, the 16 MSU seniors playing their final game at Spartan Stadium didn't have that opportunity.

"It's kind of surreal to think this is your last one — it's the last time you'll walk off this field after playing," Cook said. "It was tough."

Before heading off the field, senior defensive tackle Clifton Ryan spent a little extra time in the end zone hugging some of his teammates.

"I just wanted to let it soak in one last time and know I was part of something special," Ryan said. "Even though things didn't work out the way we'd like these past five seasons, we were presented with an opportunity that millions would die for."