Here are five takeaways from the Spartans’ win:

Spartans make championship appearance for third time in five years

MSU will be making a trip to the Big Ten Championship game for the third time in five years. The only Big Ten team to have as many trips to Indianapolis as MSU is Wisconsin. MSU lost the game in 2011 to Wisconsin 42-39 and in 2013 defeated Ohio State 34-24. Iowa will be making its first championship game appearance in program history.

“It was pretty gratifying in 2013 as well, and in 2011 as well,” Dantonio said.

“Those were great football teams and they accomplished a lot. Very close to all of those players. I think the ride to these moments are special. There are a lot of special moments with all of our players. Regardless of the year, as we come into it, there are a lot of big wins, there's big road wins, there's big home wins.”

Cook plays, passes Cousins as the all-time MSU leader in total yards

On MSU’s first drive of the fourth quarter, fifth-year senior quarterback Connor Cook threw a 16-yard pass to junior wide receiver R.J. Shelton and jumped Kirk Cousins as the Spartans’ all-time leader in total yardage. Cook now has 9018 total yards over his career. Cook threw for 248 yards with a 73 percent completion percentage and three touchdowns. After missing the Ohio State game due to a right-shoulder injury, Cook was only relieved in circumstances where the game was out of reach.

“He told me before the game, right before the game, as we were coming off the field, `Let's go, I'm ready to go.' And that's when the decision got made that we would go in that direction,” Dantonio said.

Three unlikely Spartans score touchdowns

In a game where the Spartans put up the most points they have all season, two defensive players and a lineman made it into the end zone.

Junior defensive back Demetrious Cox had a 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown to put the Spartans up 20-3 in the second quarter. Junior linebacker Riley Bullough forced the fumble and Cox did the rest, weaving the length of the field with his teammates picking up key blocks.

Then, on into the fourth quarter, fifth-year senior Shilique Calhoun tipped a pass and sophomore defensive lineman Malik McDowell picked it off and ran 13 yards for the MSU touchdown. The score put MSU up 48-16.

The Spartans final touchdown of the game came one play after a muffed kick return by the Nittany Lions. MSU took over from the PSU 9-yard line and handed it off to All-American fifth-year center Jack Allen, who sprung himself loose with a tough stiff-arm.

“It’s not every day you see a 265-pound tailback back there …” Cook said.

“265? I know I look slim-cut, but …” Allen said in response before being drowned out by a laughing press conference.

“(The play was in our playbook) for about five minutes,” Allen said. “Credit to the offensive coaches and the offensive linemen, they got it done. I got lucky.”

MSU peaking at right time

“I think we've done a lot better in the past few weeks, definitely picking it up,” Calhoun said.

The Spartans’ 55 points on Saturday was only the second time this season they have scored over 40 points in a game and it came after a dominating defensive performance in the team’s win over OSU.

“Right now we are actually playing our best football,” Shelton said. “You have to play your best ball in November and leading into December and then on after that.”

Allen said the Spartans finally being healthy has been a large factor in their recent performance.

“We're starting to gel a little more up front and get used to working next to each other like we're normally with, but I think it's all coming together,” Allen said.

Burbridge having All-American season

Senior wide receiver Aaron burbridge continued his stellar play on Saturday. Burbridge had six receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown came on a highlight reel play, which took two spin moves and a broken tackle to go 29 yards. Burbridge has 1,158 receiving yards, seven touchdowns and 75 receptions on the season.