Disproving doubters isn’t a new concept for the Spartans this year, either.

“It was great to get back in (the locker room) and sing the fight song and be with the guys because a lot of people have doubted us,” said junior quarterback Brian Hoyer, who threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns. “People were going to doubt us, and that’s fine. The only people that matter are the people who come in that locker room.

“We know what we can do. We know what we’re capable of and what we should have been capable of.”

With a sixth win and bowl eligibility in sight against Purdue, the Spartans overcame a last-minute loss to rival Michigan last week to burn the Boilermakers 48-31. MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said he wanted his players to channel their emotions after the U-M loss into an anger reservoir to use for the rest of the season. The Spartans tapped into that reservoir, making it a game to forget for the Purdue seniors who played at Ross-Ade Stadium for the last time.

But MSU could have told them to expect that.

“If you look at the way we played this year, we never quit, we never gave up,” Hoyer said. “It was just a matter of time for us to come out and make that kind of statement for you guys, for the people on the outside.”

MSU got the breaks it had been seeking for weeks. Two interceptions that led to scores, a fumble return for a touchdown and penalties to give sophomore kicker Brett Swenson two extra chances made it seem like luck had just as much to do with the Spartans winning as the players themselves.

Either way, MSU won.

MSU is bowl eligible.

“I felt we had to do whatever we needed to to win this football game,” said Dantonio, referring to a fake field goal and punt that led to scores. “We had to take some chances. Purdue has great coaching, but we had good execution when we took chances today.”

Bowl eligibility this year means a lot to the players, but even graduating seniors are excited by what a bowl game can do for the program’s future.

Dantonio has stressed tradition all season long — Spartans said that tradition will be one of winning.

“This is a foundation (Dantonio) is building,” senior linebacker Kaleb Thornhill said.

“I hope that everybody sees he’s building something great here.

“It’s going to be sad watching them win a lot in the future, but at the same time you can look back and say, ‘Hey, we started something special.’”

With bowl eligibility on the line, the Spartans weren’t thwarted by the Boilermakers run-heavy defense. With running backs senior Jehuu Caulcrick — who had two touchdowns — and junior Javon Ringer held to 3.2 and 3.7 yards per carry, respectively, Hoyer stepped up.

And again, those outsiders held their words as Hoyer held control of the game.

“It was very good for him to go out and prove the critics wrong and go out there and show he’s a very good quarterback,” Caulcrick said. “Today, all the stuff he did doesn’t surprise me.”