With Spartan Stadium lit for the season’s only home night game Saturday, the Spartans lit up the field with their play in MSU’s 52-27 Homecoming victory over Indiana, snapping a two-game losing streak. The win comes after close losses to then No. 9-ranked Wisconsin and Northwestern. As MSU headed into Saturday’s game winless in the Big Ten after starting the season 4-0, players and coaches knew they needed to make a statement.
“Every time in your life when things start going around you a little bit, you step back,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said after the game. “You have to step back and take a little look where you’re at and re-evaluate and move forward.”
The Spartans dominated play with their third straight game with at least 500 yards of offense, as they racked up 558 yards. In the two prior games — both losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern — the Spartans’ opponents also had productive offensive days, with the Badgers and Wildcats registering 461 and 611 yards, respectively.
This time, though, MSU controlled the game by holding Indiana to 36 offensive plays for 193 yards — 22 of which came on the ground. The Spartans also possessed the ball for more than two-thirds of the game at around 41 minutes.
Much of those numbers were created by the running game, which was led by junior running back Javon Ringer’s 203 yards and two touchdowns. MSU ran the ball 67 times for 368 yards, which kept the clock running and the Hoosier defense reeling.
“In the first quarter we knew that if we kept pounding it to them, taking it to them, they started backing down a little bit,” said senior running back Jehuu Caulcrick, who had three touchdowns and 94 rushing yards. “We just kept going at it. We knew we couldn’t get complacent out there.”
It was a refreshing win for a fan base that began recalling memories of previous Spartans teams that started hot and then hit a slide. The players view Saturday’s performance as a reminder of MSU’s potential.
“When we’re hitting on all cylinders, we only can stop ourselves,” said junior wide receiver Devin Thomas, who caught 13 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. “We’re over 500 (yards of offense) each game for the last three weeks. That pretty much speaks for itself.”
Although the Spartans ended their two-game skid, their schedule doesn’t get any easier once they head to Columbus, Ohio to play No. 1-ranked Ohio State on Oct. 20.
Still, MSU views the Indiana game as a step. And although the next step is steeper, it’s not insurmountable.
“Getting back on this roll, getting off that slide, is really going to help” said junior quarterback Brian Hoyer, who completed 20 of 23 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. “Like I’ve been saying, we feel like we can compete with anybody in this conference.
“That’s the difference between this year and years past. We’re not there just to play. We’re there to win.”
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