MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

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AP PhotoMichigan State's Javon Ringer, right, scores a touchdown past Northwestern's Brad Phillips during the first quarter.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Revenge wouldn't be enough. The Michigan State defense played Saturday's game determined to punish Northwestern for what happened last year.

The No. 23-ranked Spartans delivered enough hard hits to fill a season in a 37-20 victory over the Wildcats at Ryan Field.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Michigan State improves to 3-0 in the Big Ten as Javon Ringer runs for 124 yards and two touchdowns to lead the No. 23 Spartans to a 37-20 win over previously unbeaten Northwestern on Saturday.

Mike Itchue | MLive.comThe Spartans celebrate their 16-13 win over Iowa with the student section.

STORIES

• Spartans motivated by '07 loss to Northwestern

• MSU aims to stop the spread of the spread offense

• Keeping offense on field key for Michigan State

• Spartans' Swenson can't kick superstitions

MULTIMEDIA & MORE

• Live Blog: Michigan State at Northwestern

• Dantonio: Controlling tempo crucial against Wildcats

EVANSTON, Ill. -- It remains Mark Dantonio's worst defensive nightmare since he came to Michigan State.

A year ago, Northwestern passed for 520 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-41 overtime victory in Spartan Stadium. The Wildcats' 611 total yards in that game ranks fifth all-time against the Spartans.

Only Fresno State, with 531 in the 2001 Silicon Valley Football Classic Bowl, passed for more yards against MSU. But the Spartans won that game, 44-35.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- When it comes to the spread offense, count me as only a small fan.

It's kind of like the two-hand-touch, three-completions-for-a-first-down variety we used to play as kids on the sand lots of Grand Rapids' lower West Side -- such as Ninth Street Field, Richmond Park and Valley Field -- when our mothers finally got fed up with having to use a scrubbing board and Fels Naptha to get the mud out of our sweatshirts and sewing the pockets back on our Wranglers after one-too-many games of "all-out tackle."

Press Photo/Delbridge Langdon Jr.Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer has just four touchdown passes through six games.

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State's two most effective defensive players Saturday's against Northwestern could be Javon Ringer and Brian Hoyer.

No, Ringer won't pull double-duty at running back and strong safety. And Hoyer won't play nickelback in addition to quarterback against the Wildcats' potent spread offense.

But if the pair can contribute to MSU with a big advantage in time of possession, it will limit the number of cracks Northwestern will get on offense.

Brett Swenson

EAST LANSING -- The story of Brett Swenson's successful half-season begins with shoes and idiosyncrasies.

The Michigan State junior kicker was issued a pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor soccer shoes at the start of preseason camp. However, members of the locker-room judiciary ruled the shoes were blue.

Since blue is an unacceptable color for a Spartan to wear while in uniform (or most any other time, especially when paired with any shade of yellow), Swenson was subjected to much razzing and grief.

EAST LANSING -- The shot came from the same spot on the floor as the one Michigan State's Morris Peterson launched against Indiana in the run-up to the 2000 national champion.

Well, except Peterson's came from the right side of the 3-point arc and mine came from the left side.

And my toes were about 3 feet closer to the Breslin Center court when I let it go than Peterson's were. And I didn't have A.J. Guyton's hand in my face.