Consider the score even.

In the first spring football scrimmage of 2007, MSU's defense beat the offense, 71-70, on March 31.

The offense struck back on Saturday, and junior running back Javon Ringer was a big reason why.

After failing to break off any long runs in the first scrimmage, Ringer exploded for a 65-yard jaunt to the end zone and finished with 130 yards on 15 carries. The offense won, 120-94.

"For the majority of it, all I did was run straight ahead," Ringer said after the scrimmage. "I give all the credit to my offensive line."

With the victory, the offense annexed the green practice jerseys back from the defense and will wear MSU's dominant color through the end of spring practices and into fall camp. The defense had worn green jerseys during practice, while the offense wore white, since the defense won the initial scrimmage.

"These are our colors," Ringer said. "Every practice, every scrimmage, we're fighting to get these colors back."

Senior tight end Kellen Davis also had a productive afternoon. He hauled in passes of 38 and 39 yards, and he looked much more of a weapon in MSU's new offense than he was under the last coaching regime.

"Kellen Davis is playing very well," head coach Mark Dantonio said.

"He made some nice catches out there."

The scrimmage consisted of 18 separate periods that simulated different game situations, such as goal-line offense, clock-killing and the two-minute drill.

"We tried to hit every situation, tried to make it as game-like as possible," Dantonio said. "All the quarterbacks were live except for (junior quarterback Brian Hoyer)."

In fact, the quarterbacks may have been a little too live.

Early in the scrimmage, redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Dixon took off down the right sideline and, after a long gain, stepped out of bounds just as sophomore safety Roderick Jenrette laid him out with a vicious hit.

A scuffle ensued on the sideline between the offensive and defensive players, but nothing got out of hand.

"It wasn't intentional, he was just trying to get a big hit," Ringer said. "The offensive line came to protect their quarterback. It's football — Those things happen. We know we're all still a family out there."

Though the defense lost the scrimmage — and the green — it wasn't lacking in the playmaking department.

Junior cornerback Kendell Davis-Clark stepped in front of a Hoyer pass and raced to the goal line for a 41-yard touchdown. Junior defensive end Justin Kershaw put plenty of pressure on the quarterback throughout the scrimmage, and safeties senior Nehemiah Warrick and junior Otis Wiley seemed to be near the ball after every whistle.

Davis-Clark said the defense is rejuvenated by the recent coaching changes at MSU.

"Everything is so much more fun," Davis-Clark said. "It's high-tempo everything."

But so is the offense, and the score reflected it.

"We finally have an NFL, Big Ten (caliber) offense," Ringer said.

Spring practice wraps up at 1:30 p.m. Saturday with the Green-White intrasquad scrimmage at Spartan Stadium. Admission is free.