MSU (2-1 overall) let off some built-up anger to rout EMU, 73-14, on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. MSU reeled off 56 unanswered points before EMU (1-3 overall) recorded anything, coasting to an easy win over the Mid-American Conference foe.

“We came out and played very well,” said head coach Mark Dantonio “We asked our players to come game ready today and that was our theme for this week in terms of what we needed to do ... We needed to make a statement and were able to do that.”

MSU worked in a number of players against EMU, moving past the 46-27 Oregon loss and helping restore the Spartans’ recent dominance along the way.

All-around domination

However it is looked at, there was one common takeaway from Saturday’s win over EMU — straight domination.

MSU opened up the game taking control on both sides of the ball from the first to the last whistle. The Spartans found the endzone on its first five possessions of the game and its 73 points was the highest number of points scored by MSU in the Dantonio era .

On the other side of the ball, MSU posted a stifling defensive performance that gave the Eagles offense fits all afternoon. The Spartan defense held EMU to one total yard and zero first downs in the first half, helping MSU take a 49-0 halftime lead .

MSU ultimately finished with 496 total yards compared to EMU’s 135 , with many of the starters not seeing a lot of action. Junior quarterback Connor Cook finished with only 83 passing yards on six passing attempts , but did record three touchdowns, one of which coming on the ground. Cook said the bye week created a more hungry lion in the cage for MSU, with the group poised to come out firing on Saturday.

“We were all really disappointed with what happened out in Oregon,” Cook said. “And we made it a point with the captains, with the junior leaders on the team, pretty much everyone from within the team, that we were going to put up a lot of points and we were going to take out our anger.”

That same built up anger was even more noticeable on the defensive side of the ball. Last time out, MSU’s normally stellar defense was ripped apart by No. 2 Oregon, giving up 46 points — the most since the 2011 Capital One Bowl.

MSU created six Eagle turnovers and forced nine Eagle three-and-out’s to help regain the “Spartan Dawgs” name. Junior defensive end Shilique Calhoun said the unit was ready to get back on the field and erase the sour taste created from the Oregon loss.

“We had a week off and it was kind of getting to us,” Calhoun said. “We were all ready to just get back on the field so everyone was pretty hyped up and ready to go. Ready to just get that nasty taste out of our mouth.”

New players come up big

At the beginning of the week, Dantonio made a point during his weekly press conference that the goal was to get a number of younger, inexperienced players some game action. That goal was met on Saturday with 63 players seeing playing time in just the first half, something Dantonio considered unusual.

One of the areas MSU instrumented some new-looks was at quarterback. The Spartans worked in five different quarterbacks against EMU , including getting redshirt freshman Damion Terry and sophomore Tyler O’Connor into the game in the first quarter.

Terry was subbed into the game early on for a special shotgun read option package, according to Dantonio. Terry finished the game 5-of-8 for 19 passing yards , but more importantly 17 rushing yards on three carries . Following the game, Terry said he expects the special package centered around his mobility to be worked more into the fold as the season goes on — something that excites him.

“It just feels really good to get back on the field,” Terry said. “With last year redshirting and everything, just sitting out a year of football — that was like the first time (I was not playing) since I was 4 or 5 years old so that definitely gets me ready. (The) more experience the better for me.”

Sophomore running back Delton Williams, Terry’s former high school teammate at Cathedral Prep also had a strong showing for MSU on Saturday. Williams set a career high in yards and touchdowns in a game against EMU, racking up 103 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries . A bulk of Williams’ production came from an 80-yard touchdown run up the middle, showing some speed to go with his bruising size.

Williams appeared in nine games last year as a freshman, and played a role in the running game with 238 rushing yards. However in a loaded backfield, Williams hadn’t seen much action until this week with only five carries for three yards before Saturday .

Williams said Saturday served as a statement game for himself, proving he can help MSU experience more success in the running game.

“I made a statement to show that when I do get in the game, when I get that opportunity, I’m going to do what I got to do to help this team win,” Williams said. “It’s about the team, it’s not about me, it’s bigger than me.”

Running game back on track

MSU’s running game hit a wall last time it was on the field against Oregon, sputtering to only 123 yards on the ground . Saturday was a different story for the Spartans’ rushing attack.

Through a committee effort, MSU ran for 336 yards , passing the 300-yard mark for the first time since 2007. MSU also punched in seven touchdowns on the ground, its highest production of such kind since 1989.

Williams’ 103 yards led the bunch, with senior running backs Jeremy Langford recording 60 yards on 9 carries and Nick Hill earning 59 yards on 14 carries. Both also found their way into the endzone on Saturday against the Eagles.

Ten different Spartans, including wide receivers and quarterbacks, played a role in the running game’s production, an area entering the week that many were concerned about.

“With what happened in the second half of the Oregon game, not being able to run the ball as well as we needed to,” co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Dave Warner said. “Those guys wanted to bear down and re-emphasize the need to run the football. That’s what we came into this game wanting to do.”

Warner added that he still wants to instrument more of a power running game, but working the quarterbacks into the fold more is a good sign.

Hill was pleased with MSU’s running game on Saturday but understands it’s still a work in progress. Hill said the unit needs to take this week’s production with a grain of salt and realize that they need to continue to improve as the season moves forward.

“Coming out of this game and establishing the run, dominating the run like we did today shows that we can do what we need to do,” Hill said. “But we need to build upon this and carry this from week-in week-out — carry this over to Wyoming and also into the Big Ten. It can’t be just one game then take some time off, we got to keep building on top of it and keep going from game to game.”