However, junior wide receiver Felton Davis III said Scott told him he's coming back after the Spartans beat Minnesota on Oct. 14.

"I knew he loved everybody that's here, and he has unfinished business, let alone his individual stats, but team goals," Davis III said. "We have a lot of unfinished business to take care of."

Scott will most likely be joined in the backfield by fellow junior running back Madre Landon and freshman running back Connor Heyward next season.

Dantonio said he knew Scott was coming back before tonight's game, but decided to keep quiet until Scott announced it himself.

"We did have a talk but that was be not for me to say, or for me to say to anybody else," Dantonio said. "So I kept it quiet and let him go forth."

Dantonio said he thinks Scott can be a "tremendous tailback" and someone they can rely on next season, much like when former Spartans Shilique Calhoun and Connor Cook decided to return after their junior campaigns.

"They followed with a ring, a Big Ten championship ring and I think those things become possible," Dantonio said.

Scott ran for 110 yards for two touchdowns and 18 rushes against the Cougars, increasing his total rushing yards of his junior campaign to 895 yards and rushing touchdowns to eight.

Scott currently has 2,591 career rushing yards, which is 12th all-time in Spartan football history. Scott also has 25 career rushing touchdowns on 531 career rushing attempts.