“Quarterback’s a tough position to play,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “You’re going to get pressure; you’ve got to make decisions on what to do with the ball. On every single play, he’s making decisions out there, so I thought he played well again and was very productive.”

Throughout the season, coaches have said they’re going to stick with the hot running back, and Saturday, that was sophomore running back Le’Veon Bell. In addition to Cousins, Bell also accounted for two of MSU’s touchdowns, and he led the Spartans rushing with 15 attempts for 96 yards.

Bell finished with a career-best 165 all-purpose yards with an additional five catches for 38 yards.

When the Spartans have developed their running game, offensive coordinator Dan Roushar said Bell steps up when he’s given the opportunity to run, and overall, he was pleased with the offense’s productivity.

Senior wide receiver B.J. Cunningham — who finished with three receptions for 104 yards — said despite the win, the offense still needs to clean up some aspects before heading to Iowa next weekend, but he knew the Spartans were ready to play.

“(Cousins) had the fire in his eyes from the beginning of the game,” Cunningham said. “I just saw it in him in warm-ups, and before the game, we talked, and he said, ‘We’re about to come out and play hard,’ and offensively, I felt like we did that.”

Banged up
MSU defeated the Golden Gophers without several key players on the field.

Offensively, junior running back Larry Caper did not play because of a concussion, Dantonio said, and Roushar said MSU was unable to use sophomore tight end Dion Sims because of a wrist injury.

Additionally, junior center Ethan Ruhland started at center for redshirt freshman Travis Jackson, making him the Spartans’ third center this season.

“Ruhland fills in for Travis Jackson and plays pretty well in there,” Dantonio said. “It’s our third center we’re playing with, and that’s sort of the hub of everything, but we were able to work through that.”

Defensively, junior linebacker Chris Norman — who didn’t play against Nebraska because of a shoulder injury — remained out Saturday. Defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said Norman could have played against Minnesota, but it was better to rest him.

Junior linebacker Steve Gardiner filled in for Norman, but for the second consecutive week, he left the game with an injury, and sophomore linebacker Kyler Elsworth stepped in.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Tony Lippett also started in place of sophomore cornerback Darqueze Dennard — who Narduzzi said was injured this week. Lippett said he had a feeling he might see some action against Minnesota and came in mentally prepared to step up.

“It’s his first start, and he played the entire game, and we needed to get him that experience,” Narduzzi said. “He probably got more reps in one game than he’s had the entire season.”

Although the second-stringers stepped up, Narduzzi said he expects MSU to be back at full strength by the time the Iowa game rolls around.

First time for everything
Moving to the fullback position this season from the defensive line, senior Todd Anderson caught his first career touchdown in the second quarter Saturday.

He caught a two-yard pass from Cousins to put MSU up, 21-17, before heading into halftime.

“When I heard the play in the huddle, I’m like, ‘Oh I already know he’s going to score,’” Bell said of the first-and-goal play. “They were fighting the run so hard, so I was like, ‘Todd, just catch it first; don’t worry about anything else. Just catch it, and you’re going to score.’

“He caught it, and I was probably the happiest guy on the field.”