"David Beedle will be out for probably about a month," Dantonio said. 

Beedle is the second offensive lineman to be injured, as starting right guard Kevin Jarvis missed his second straight game Saturday with a right leg injury. Left tackle Cole Chewins has also been eased back into the lineup after being injured in fall camp.

"It's definitely frustrating," Chewins said after practice Oct. 2. "No one wants to sit out, but you know work through it, push through it and work hard to get back out there." 

Redshirt freshman guard Blake Bueter got his first start of his career at right guard Saturday, with guard Matt Carrick and offensive lineman Luke Campbell rotating snaps at left guard after Beedle's injury on MSU's first drive in the first quarter.

Running back LJ Scott has also been listed as a game-time decision for the last three games against Indiana, Central Michigan and Northwestern with an ankle injury, according to Dantonio. 

Dantonio said it's been Scott's decision because Scott know's whether he's able to make cuts and perform at a high level. But, Dantonio said Scott's been "close" to returning.

"It's not for me to sit there and say, 'Hey, you need to play,' " Dantonio said. "I think that's every individual player's decision to make. I think he's close, but I don't he feels like he can cut as successfully as he usually does. So, he made that decision and I'm OK. Whatever he needs to do." 

Running back Connor Heyward, who's split carries with running back La'Darius Jefferson and Weston Bridges in Scott's three-game absence, said this past Saturday that he hopes Scott "can get back as soon as possible."

"LJ is critical to winning, and he's a really dynamic back that we need," Heyward, who's rushed for 83 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown in the last three games, said. "Me kind of playing off him and him playing off me, so often we put teams on their heels."

Dantonio to contact Big Ten about Naquan Jones penalty

With just under four minutes left in the third quarter this past Saturday against the Wildcats, defensive tackle Naquan Jones was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after celebrating a tackle on a Northwestern player.

"I was shocked that there was a penalty on that play," defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said postgame. "I thought Naquan Jones made a great play, and that's on me. I'm not involved any decision beyond that. It's unfortunate, (I) love watching our guys make great plays and we talk about celebrating. But, obviously there's a line that we can't cross, and we don't decide what the line is." 

The penalty gave the Wildcats a first down on their 44-yard line. The drive resulted in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Clayton Thorson to shotback Cameron Green, and a converted 2-point conversion pass from Thorson to running back Solomon Vault to put NU up 22-19 with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.

But, Dantonio said he plans to send a note to the Big Ten questioning why the flag was thrown for Jones' celebration. The Big Ten did not respond to an inquiry by The State News for why Jones' celebration was penalized at the time this article was published.

"Legs were tangled up there — I think he was stepping over the individual," Dantonio said. "There are some things you can't control, so that's the attitude I have to take with things. I can't complain about it because they're not gonna realign things up for us ... So, I always say, 'Everybody is doing the very best job that they can do.' But, you know, it's frustrating. 

"It's a frustration point, but gotta live with it."