Then freshman running back Andre Anderson remembered something his mentor recently told him.

“Andre, just hit it inside, hit it inside, inside play — when we’re down there close to the goal line, you never want to move left and right, you always want to go downhill,” he remembered hearing from senior running back Javon Ringer.

The next snap, Anderson snagged the handoff, found a seam, bolted through it, shook off early enrollment freshman cornerback Johnny Adams and crossed the threshold for the score — completing a 97-yard touchdown run.

The offensive players and coaches on the sideline ran down the field with Anderson, hooting and hollering, giving life to the Spartans sporting the white jerseys. The run increased their chances to regain the green, the color the winning side wears between weekly scrimmages.

Ringer, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, is Anderson’s weight room partner and mentor, and never strays from giving advice to the potential No. 2 tailback.

Anderson is competing against junior A.J. Jimmerson and freshman Ashton Leggett to become Ringer’s backup.

“Our defensive line pinches down so far that you get the tendency to want to take it outside,” Anderson said. “So I took my lateral step, kept it down and stayed inside like he told me to — the hole was there and it opened up.”

But the defensive prowess proved to be too much for the offense for the second straight week.

They keep their green jerseys until the upcoming Green-White intrasquad game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Spartan Stadium, after defeating the offensive 46-40 Saturday. Scoring is based on a special system set up by the MSU coaching staff.

Junior linebacker Brandon Denson saved the day with his game-ending tackle on the first-team offense deep in the red zone on fourth down. Helping the cause were senior safety Otis Wiley and his interception, along with senior defensive end Brandon Long and a handful of tackles.

“I want to see our defense grow and I can already see it from the beginning of camp until now,” Long said. “We just mesh so much more and I think we have one more week to go until the big spring game. I only see us going up from here.”

Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer, the Spartans’ starter, completed 10-of-18 passes for 63 yards with one interception while the two freshmen backups combined for 16-of-26 and 110 yards.

“I think (Hoyer) shows great leadership out there,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “I don’t even know who the quarterback is in there half the time, sometimes. I’m watching the whole scrimmage, but Brian’s got a great arm.”

Puttin’ the “D” in “Detail”

At one point in Saturday’s scrimmage, Long made an impressive open-field tackle that turned some heads.

But it turned defensive line coach Ted Gill’s head in a different direction — he pointed out that the tackle was made but the technique wasn’t correct.

“You can make the best play in the world and they’re gonna pick out one thing that’s wrong with it,” Long said. “That’s a good thing — it’s making you better every day.”

The Ohio native said he isn’t fond of coaches who sit back without taking control of certain situations.

“Coach Gill is a technician to the fullest,” Long said. “He’s a great coach, he’s a great man. It’s been an honor to work underneath him; there’s a lot of things I’ve been able to learn from him.”

Even Anderson, who always has played on the offensive side of the ball, has perfect vision when it comes to noticing the defense’s improvement.

“For the whole offense and defense, we’ve been clicking — every day, something’s been getting better,” he said. “The guys are getting more comfortable out there, more comfortable with each other. You’re not doing so much thinking out there, you’re just out there knowing your plays and being an athlete … at the end of the day it’s just football.”