The race is on

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Michigan State Spartans punched first, second and third, kept Northwestern at arm's length the rest of the day, rolled to their sixth straight win, earned bowl eligibility, then walked off the field as thousands of their fans drowned out the strains of "Sweet Home Chicago" on the Ryan Field loudspeakers.

It was quite a scene after quite a 37-20 victory. But there are bigger things directly ahead, so MSU's enjoyment was short-lived. The Spartans were thinking Ohio State - next week's visitor - before they'd washed off all of Saturday's blood and grime.

"Honestly, I don't think anybody is waiting," MSU sophomore linebacker Greg Jones said.

"I was thinking about it in the shower, actually," said senior tackle Jesse Miller. "This is great for our program. Last year we set the foundation, and this year we have the mindset of, 'Why not us?'

"Why does it always have to be the Michigans, Ohio States and Penn States at the top of the Big Ten? What's coming up is, 'Why not us?' "

No. 23 MSU (6-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) made its case as a contender by handing Northwestern (5-1, 1-1) its first defeat and avenging last season's 48-41 home loss to the Wildcats.

The humiliation of that day clearly aided the Spartans' preparations, and their fast start signaled that this day would be different. MSU got two of its three turnovers early and raced to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

"We needed that coming in," Jones said of the first MSU team since 1999 to win six straight. "You've got to bring your own momentum, and that was the biggest thing."

The Wildcats woke up and eventually made plenty of plays, but they never chopped the lead to single digits.

"It was very frustrating," said Northwestern senior running back Tyrell Sutton, who rushed for 139 yards. "In the Big Ten, you can't spot a team 17 points and expect to win. ... You can't sleepwalk through the first quarter, first half, and expect to play one half of football and win."

Senior offensive leaders Javon Ringer and Brian Hoyer shared duties on a balanced day for an offense that produced when needed.

Ringer ran 35 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Hoyer completed 14 of 20 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. And kicker Brett Swenson drilled three more field goals - setting the MSU record with 15 straight conversions.

"Basically, every time we needed to respond, they responded," MSU coach Mark Dantonio said of his offense.

And the defense was good enough, even though the Wildcats outgained MSU 459 to 297. Other than a Sutton 66-yard run early in the second half, the Spartans did not allow any big plays on busted assignments.

"It was a lot better than last year, that's for sure," quipped defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, whose defense gave up 611 yards to Northwestern a year ago.

This defense tackled well and broke up 12 passes - including five from emerging junior Jeremy Ware, who started for Chris L. Rucker (arm) at cornerback. That ties MSU's school record.

Junior safety Dan Fortener broke up two passes and had a pick leading to MSU's second touchdown. Freshman corner Johnny Adams intercepted a second-quarter pass in the MSU end zone with the Wildcats threatening to slice into a 17-7 lead.

Moments later, Hoyer delivered a slick, improvised touchdown pass to Andrew Hawken to send MSU into halftime with a 24-7 edge. The rest of the day amounted to a glorified game of keep away.

It was not a breeze. Northwestern ran 93 plays to MSU's 63, with Bacher completing 34 of 61 passes for 283 yards.

The Wildcats converted a whopping 15 of 24 third-down conversions, but they had just two plays of more than 20 yards. A year ago, Bacher threw for 520 yards and five touchdowns against MSU, with countless big plays.

"I feel like it is redemption," Jones said. "C.J. Bacher really put it on us last year and we wanted to limit him."

MSU kept rolling in players on defense to keep fresh. Dantonio said it was the most players he's used in a single game, and he cited the contributions of a dozen by name - making special mention of "outstanding" play from Hoyer.

"It says a lot about the way our seniors are leading," Dantonio said of the victory, "and about the mindset of our football team."

Some of those minds were in Ohio State mode before the buses back to East Lansing departed.

Dantonio, though, claimed he'd enjoy this victory for the mandated 24 hours, rather than get right to the matchup with his friend and mentor, OSU coach Jim Tressel.

"You didn't see me," he said, "singing 'Sweet Home Chicago?' "