Wisconsin running backs Montee Ball and James White led the Badgers against MSU with 18 attempts for 115 yards and one touchdown and 11 attempts for 42 yards, respectively.

Ball’s presence on the field was immediately noticeable — particularly on Wisconsin’s first drive, which resulted in a touchdown. Of the Badgers’ 80 yards on the first drive, Ball accounted for 43 of them.

“They had some success early,” junior defensive tackle Jerel Worthy said. “Montee Ball got into a roll early, but at the same time, we just (had) to make some corrections on the sidelines.”

Although Worthy said the Spartans began to attack the offensive line and close off the gaps, Wisconsin still managed to do some damage down the field.

In addition to Ball and White, wide receiver Jared Abbrederis and quarterback Russell Wilson showed they have speed as well. Wilson — who rushed eight times for 30 yards — had a team-high with his longest run at 22 yards, and Abbrederis followed up with his longest of 21 yards. Ball also had a 21-yard long run.

“I thought they did a great job; I thought that both tailbacks ran very well,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “They were difficult to stop. I thought they were very … powerful runners, and you can see why they’ve been so successful.”

*Penalty-free *
After racking up 13 penalties for 124 yards against Michigan last weekend, MSU cleaned up and came away without a single penalty against the Badgers.

By comparison, Wisconsin had six penalties for 40 yards, but Dantonio said his team was composed and in control.

“We took care of business,” he said. “We said we’re going to have a perfect storm; in other words, we’re going to have zero penalties. I said, ‘No penalties,’ and it’s amazing we had zero penalties today.”

After taking so many unnecessary penalties last week, the Spartans were called “the dirty boys of football,” Worthy said. Without giving up their aggressiveness, he said MSU embraced the negative talk but maintained control.

“We went out there and showed that we can be the bad boys of football, but at the same time, we can have some control, and we just wanted to prove that tonight.

“Against a good team like Wisconsin, you can’t afford penalties, so that’s what we went out and we did.”

Unsung heroes
Sometimes getting overlooked, MSU’s tight ends — particularly senior Brian Linthicum and sophomore Dion Sims — played a valuable role in moving the Spartans up the field.

Linthicum finished with three receptions for 58 yards — with his longest being 25 yards in the second quarter during MSU’s first touchdown drive. Sims — who has three touchdowns this season — also had two receptions for 12 yards.

“We have one of the best tight end groups in the nation I think,” senior offensive guard Joel Foreman said. “Sometimes your tight end group isn’t very physical, and we have a very physical tight end group, which I think is a great asset to us and gives us the option to run the ball more effectively.”