No. 8 Michigan State Comes Back From 17-Point Deficit To Down Northwestern, 35-27

Late in the fourth quarter, with the ball deep in Northwestern territory and a 28-27 lead, Michigan State running back Edwin Baker romped for a spectacular 25-yard touchdown, extending the No. 8 Spartans’ lead to 35-27.

There was an argument to be made that Baker should have put his knee down intentionally before crossing the line, as the touchdown effectively gave the Wildcats the ball with a one-possession deficit. Ultimately it was rendered irrelevant, as Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa threw an interception in the final minute to seal the game’s result.

Northwestern entered the fourth quarter with a 24-14 lead, but No. 8 Michigan State has battled back to re-capture the lead and keep its hopes of an undefeated season alive.

Kirk Cousins led his Spartans on an 11-play, 88-yard drive, passing for nearly every gain and successfully converting on a fourth-and-1 play. Michigan State now leads, 28-27. Cousins has now passed for over 300 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Mark Dantonio’s No. 8 Michigan State squad, down by 10 to Northwestern early in the fourth quarter, had a trick up its sleeve. Facing a fourth-and-11 in Northwestern territory, Aaron Bates set up to punt, then pulled the ball back and flung it 21 yards down the field for a completion.

Michigan State capitalized on the fake to score a touchdown, and with about 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, they trail the Wildcats, 24-21. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates.

Northwestern struggled during their first two drives of the third quarter, but the Wildcats managed to answer a touchdown by the No. 8 Spartans with one of their own.

Quarterback Dan Persa recorded his third rushing touchdown of the game to put Northwestern up, 24-14. Persa has had quite a day, rushing for 46 yards and completing 15 of 20 passes. To boot, Mike Trumpy has averaged 6.1 yards per carry on the ground.

On Saturday, No. 8 Michigan State entered Evanston with a perfect 7-0 record. Unranked Big Ten rival Northwestern, however, is placing the Spartans’ winning streak in serious jeopardy.

At the half, Northwestern leads 17-7, thanks in large part to quarterback Dan Persa’s two rushing touchdowns to complement his 115 passing yards. The Wildcats have managed to limit the effectiveness of the Spartans’ ground game -- while Edwin Baker has five rushes for 29 yards, Le’Veon Bell has taken the ball six times for only nine yards.

SB Nation’s The Only Colors and Sippin’ On Purple gather ‘round to discuss Saturday’s Michigan State-Northwestern tilt:

Pete and I discuss the highs and lows of the Illinois game, and then talk Northwestern with Rodger Sherman, proprietor (yes, proprietor) of Sippin’ on Purple. Rodger delivers the most depressing prognosis for a 5-1 football team in the history of, like, ever. So, members of the Schadenfreude Appreciation Society, this one’s for you. We then talk to TOC commenter and contributor extraordinaire SpartanDan, who goes over the current BCS standings and then explains the finer points of his own Bradley-Terry Rankings. We finish things up by picking this week’s Big Ten games.

The Spartans started slow, but turned it on in the second half of their Homecoming clash with Illinois last week, winning in a 26-6 final. As a result, Michigan State is 7-0 for the first time since 1966 and currently sits atop the Big Ten with a 3-0 conference mark.

This is the first of two straight road games for MSU, and the team will close out the regular season with three of its final five bouts away from home.