Swenson one of MSU's best

EAST LANSING - The numbers are astonishing.

Over the course of his four-year career at Michigan State, kicker Brett Swenson has performed an overhaul of the school record book and cemented his place among the all-time Spartan greats.

There's the extra points - 158 in all - 10 more than Dave Rayner had between 2001-04.

Then there's total points - Swenson is the all-time leader with 368.

And, of course, there's the field goals. Swenson's 70 career 3-pointers make him the school's all-time leader and rank fourth in the history of the Big Ten.

Swenson still has an outside shot at the all-time conference record, needing eight more to surpass Kevin Kelly, who made 78 field goals for Penn State from 2005-08.

Swenson, who will kick in Spartan Stadium for the final time at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against the Nittany Lions, said out of all of his kicks, one stands out the most during his career.

"I'll never forget my first field goal I had in Spartan Satdium," Swenson said "There's been a lot of big kicks I've had here."

That first field goal was a routine 35-yarder on Sept. 2, 2006, in the Spartans' home opener that season against Idaho.

Swenson said the time has zoomed by since that first game.

"It's crazy how quick it goes. I remember sitting there as a freshman for the last game of the year at Penn State," he said about former coach John L. Smith's final game - a 17-13 loss.

"I know the ups and downs between winning that day and not winning that day, and how much of a difference it makes on team morale."

Swenson came to MSU from St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was ranked the No. 4 kicker in the nation by Rivals.com before coming to East Lansing, where he immediately became the starting kicker.

And his career has turned out better than the Spartans could have ever hoped. He's had a reliable leg, making several clutch kicks - the most memorable being a 42-yarder with seven seconds left against Wisconsin last season, as the Spartans pulled off a 25-24 victory.

Swenson was 4-for-4 on that day, just as he was Saturday when his 21-yard field goal at Purdue gave MSU a 40-37 win and made them bowl eligible.

"He's had a spectacular year really," MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. "When you look at what he's done for this program, any time your field goal kicker is getting around 90 points ... at least in my time as a head football coach, that benchmark - 80, 90, 100, right there - it's spelled success in terms of a bowl game for us."

Swenson has 92 points this season, third best in the nation, and he has converted 18-of-20 field goal attempts. He received Big Ten special teams player of the week honors for his effort at Purdue.

Swenson was named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award earlier this season, awarded to the nation's top kicker, and has built a strong resume for consideration as one of three finalists.

"It's exciting and humbling and all that at the same time," Swenson said. "Coming in, I was a freshman hoping for the best to get on the field. That happened, I started playing a few games just trying to do well, then in the long run it kind of all added up and I'm in the situation I am now.

"Hopefully I can finish strong and look back on it and be happy about it, all the accomplishments."