And after playing through pain to lead the No. 11 Spartans to a come-back win last week, junior receiver B.J. Cunningham said another word should be added to the list.

“It just shows his toughness,” Cunningham said. “He’s a tough guy, he just plays really hard.”

Cunningham said having his “general” battle through injuries did more than simply win the game against Purdue. It also inspired everyone around him to fight through what they were going through for the betterment of the team.

“When he plays tough, that instills that on everybody else on the team,” Cunningham said. “Everybody sees him limping out there, playing hard, playing through stuff, then a lot of other people do that and it makes us play better.”

Cousins said after practice Tuesday that his sprained left shoulder and right ankle injuries date all the way back to the Illinois game Oct. 16. Since that time, Cousins has had a problem with throwing off of his back foot and not stepping into his throws, and it wasn’t until after the game Saturday that he revealed the injuries might have something to do with that.

“It had a major part,” Cousins said of the injuries. “It was probably the No. 1 reason. At the same time, toughness is the ability to block out that pain and still not lose you’re mechanics.”

Toughness also is fighting through poor mechanics to throw for 276 yards and three touchdowns before planting that injured right foot and running for the game-winning touchdown against the Boilermakers.

As a scrawny freshman coming out of Holland, Mich., four years ago, Cousins said he didn’t know if he would have been able to do what he did Saturday. But now, he said it just came natural for him to fight for his team.

“It’s definitely something you learn,” Cousins said. “I think experiences you get put through in your time here … you go through those and you get tougher, and they harden you and they prepare you for moments like we had against Purdue.”

Cousins said after a couple days of rest, he felt “good” and the more time he had to rest, the better he would feel.

Tomorrow, MSU has a chance to win its first Big Ten championship in 20 years when the team travels to State College, Pa. to take on Penn State.

Sophomore running back Edwin Baker, who leads the Spartans in rushing with 1,069 yards said he and the other backs are prepared to do more to protect Cousins and help him out if he isn’t 100 percent Saturday.

“He always helps us, and he showed in that last game what he will do for us,” Baker said. “So if we have to block a little more or do whatever for him, we’re going to do it.”

But Cunningham, who played on the scout team with Cousins when they were redshirt freshman, said he’s not worried about the injury status of MSU’s general.

“We expect Kirk out there,” Cunningham said. “Ready to go.”