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

No. 8 Michigan State 35, Northwestern 27: Spartans Preserve Unbeaten Record With 17-Point Comeback

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.

Kirk Cousins certainly deserves the game ball; the quarterback threw for three touchdowns and 331 yards in the comeback effort.

For more on these teams, check out our Michigan State blog, The Only Colors, and our Northwestern blog, Sippin' On Purple.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern, Live: Kirk Cousins Drives No. 8 Spartans To Late 28-27 Lead

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.

Northwestern is working in the final two minutes to put together a score. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern, Live: Spartans' Fake Punt Sets Up Touchdown

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.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern, Live: Dan Persa Rushes For Third Touchdown; Wildcats Lead No. 8 Spartans 24-14

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.

Michigan State has the ball as the clock runs out on the third quarter. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern, Live: Wildcats Carry 17-7 Lead Over No. 8 Spartans Into Halftime

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.

Conditions are damp at Ryan Field, as both teams have fumbled away possession and ball carriers have been slipping on the grass.

If Northwestern is able to complete the upset, it could hold major implications for the Big Ten picture. The Wildcats are set to receive the ball to open the second half. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern, First Quarter: Sparty In Trouble, Trailing 7-0

The Spartans are off to an inauspicious start in rainy Evanston, committing a 10-yard penalty on the very first play and following that up with a three-and-out to open the game. Michigan State and Northwestern trade short, futile drives for the first six minutes or so of the first quarter, until a 20-yard Dan Persa pass breaks things open for the first conversion of the game. Persa gets off a 44-yard pass two plays later to put the 'Cats deep in Spartan territory, and settles things himself with 5:30 remaining, on a 3-yard rushing TD.

This is about where the weather really starts to become a hilarious factor. Michigan State's responding drive ends in a fumble on 2nd-and-5 at their own 44. Northwestern returns the favor, fumbling on the goal line with three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Spartans go three-and-out, and Northwestern is driving as the clock runs down.

At the end of the first quarter, Northwestern leads Michigan State, 7-0.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern: Anatomy Of A Rivalry

SB Nation's Sippin' On Purple examines the sordid history between Northwestern and Michigan State:

Us and them: Northwestern is 15-35 all-time against Michigan State, which, when you think about it, is disturbingly awful. Just estimating, it's basically not plausible for NU to become .500 against the Spartans any time in the next 50-75 years.Damn. That's harsh. Highlights include a 48-41 victory three years ago in overtime, and the year before that, when Northwestern went up 38-3 and then lost 41-38. I am eternally grateful that this happened two years before I started going to Northwestern, because I cannot imagine how overwhelmingly furious and violent I would become if I actually witnessed anything resembling that.

Michigan State Vs. Northwestern: The Only Podcast

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.

No. 8 Michigan State Vs. Northwestern: It's Getting Real For Sparty

The eighth-ranked Michigan State Spartans put their unblemished record on the line this Saturday, as they head to Evanston, Illinois for a Big Ten Conference clash with the Northwestern Wildcats.

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.

As for Northwestern, it was idle last weekend after suffering its first regular-season loss in nearly a year at home to Purdue the previous week. The Wildcats had won their first five games, including a 29-28 verdict over Minnesota in their initial conference clash of the season.

Following this contest, NU hits the road for back-to-back games against Indiana and Penn State. The 'Cats have won five straight away from home and a Big Ten-best 10 road games dating back to the start of the 2008 season.

Michigan State owns a 34-16 edge in the all-time series with Northwestern, and the Spartans have won the last two meetings.

Michigan State came into last week's game against Illinois averaging 225 rushing ypg, but produced just 93 yards on 31 carries against the Illini. The Spartans, who had been averaging a whopping 473.2 total ypg entering the clash, were limited to 294 yards -- the first time they had been held below 350 yards this season. QB Kirk Cousins threw for 201 yards and one TD, a 48- yard strike to WR B.J. Cunningham that gave the Spartans a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

The Spartans feature a pair of talented RBs, as Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell have combined for 1,268 yards and 14 TDs. Cousins has 11 TD passes against only four INTs, and five different receivers have logged double-digit catches to this point in the season.

Greg Jones, who is the Spartans' season leader in total tackles with 60, paced the MSU defense with 14 tackles last week, helping hold the Illini to 255 yards of total offense. PK Dan Conroy booted a career-best four FGs and is a perfect 13-of-13 on the year.

Through seven games, the Spartans are giving up just 16.6 ppg with opponents rushing for 111.7 ypg and passing for 213.3 ypg. Foes have scored just four TDs on the ground, and Michigan State has come up with 18 turnovers, 12 of which have been INTs.

MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who has battled through a ton of personal adversity this year, liked the way his team responded last week after such a slow start, "Good tough football game today. I thought Illinois came to play. Our football team came out the second half and played extremely well, I felt. Turnovers were the difference, really, and special teams today - opportunistic offense."

As mentioned, Northwestern suffered its first loss of the season two weeks ago against Purdue, and coach Pat Fitzgerald spoke recently about what the bye week meant to his team following such a disappointment, "Anybody can win on any given Saturday. From a players' perspective, it gives them a good sense of where the league is at. And then, most importantly, they talked about how hungry they are to get back out and practice and play."

The Wildcats, who average 27.7 ppg and 425.7 total ypg this season, are led by QB Dan Persa, who leads the nation in completion percentage (.780), and is among the Big Ten leaders in nearly every QB statistical category. He has thrown 10 TD passes against only two INTs, and he averages 277.2 passing ypg. Persa is also NU's leading rusher with 295 yards, and he has three of the team's 10 rushing TDs.

Jeremy Ebert is one of the league's top pass catchers, having hauled in 35 balls for 560 yards and five TDs through the first six games, while a total of six players have double-digits receptions on the year.

Northwestern actually outgained Purdue, 389-279 two weeks ago, and gained 23 first downs to the Boilermakers' 13. Persa threw for 305 yards, but did not have a TD pass, and Ebert was clearly his favorite target once again, catching 11 balls for 124 yards.

Coach Fitzgerald, while certainly not pleased with the outcome, liked the way Persa performed, "He's been very efficient and runs our offense well. I thought at times today, that collectively as an offense, that we could have executed a little bit better. The quarterback gets all the credit with a win, but obviously gets analyzed when things don't go their way. I thought Danny played pretty well today."

Defensively, the Wildcats are giving up 18.3 ppg this season, with foes running the ball for 140.5 ypg and eight TDs, while throwing it for 216.3 ypg with six scores. Brian Peters is the team's leading tackler with 44 stops, while Vince Browne has five of the team's 10 sacks and Quentin Davie has three of its 10 INTs.

The 'Cats held Purdue to just 47 net passing yards two weeks ago, but the Boilermakers churned out 232 yards on the ground. Nate Williams logged a team- high 11 tackles, but only one turnover and no sacks proved detrimental to the overall cause.

The Wildcats will need to find some semblance of a run game to beat the better teams in the Big Ten, and it can't be Persa alone doing the job. Expect the home team to play hard from start to finish, but for the Spartans to prevail on the strength of another solid effort on both sides of the ball.