Michigan State Spartans vs Purdue Boilermakers Match Player Stats On Oct 11, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 11, 2014

No. 8 Michigan State 45, Purdue 31: Connor Cook threw for 238 yards and tied his season high with three touchdown passes as the visiting Spartans held off a fourth-quarter comeback for their fourth consecutive victory.

Tony Lippett had seven receptions for 138 yards and a score and Nick Hill ran for 72 yards and a pair of short touchdowns as Michigan State (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) won its 12th straight conference game. Jeremy Langford rushed for 104 yards and Darien Harris clinched it with a 15-yard interception return with 1:22 to play as the Spartans beat the Boilermakers (3-4, 1-2) for the sixth time in a row.

Austin Appleby, in his second career start, finished 24-of-37 for 211 yards with a touchdown and an interception and Akeem Hunt rushed for 96 yards and three TDs for Purdue, which didn't force Michigan State to punt until the final 70 seconds of the third quarter. Danny Anthrop had nine receptions for 133 yards and B.J. Knauf added seven catches and a TD for the Boilermakers.

Leading 24-17 at halftime, the Spartans scoried a pair of TDs in a span of 2:27 in the third quarter as Cook found Aaron Burbridge on a 13-yard slant before Hill burst through a gaping hole on a 4-yard run for a 38-17 lead with 4:49 left in the third. An interception by Frankie Williams stemmed the momentum and Purdue capitalized when Hunt broke loose for a 52-yard scoring run to draw the Boilermakers with 38-24 with 8:49 to play.

The Spartans inexplicably attempted a fake punt midway through the fourth and were stuffed by Purdue, leading to Hunt's third TD to cut the deficit to seven points with 6:19 remaining. Michigan State built on 21-3 lead on a pair of Connor scoring passes sandwiched around Hill's first TD run, but Appleby led a pair of long touchdown drives that culminated in a 3-yard run by Hunt and 9-yard pass to Knauf.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Langford rushed for more than 100 yards in his 10th straight conference game to help coach Mark Dantonio earn his 69th victory at Michigan State and move past George Perles into sole possession of third place on the school's career list. ... Anthrop and Knauf were hurt on back-to-back plays in the final three minutes for Purdue, which rushed for 129 yards against a defense ranked No. 4 nationally at 72 yards per contest. ... Spartans K Michael Geiger was wide left on a 44-yard field goal in the final minute of the opening half, his third miss of the season after converting on 14-of-15 attempts a year ago.