Final
Bowl-eligible Michigan State tops Purdue 40-37
Nov 14, 2009 - 9:08 PM By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports WriterWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.(AP) -- Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, and Michigan State overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Purdue 40-37 and become bowl eligible on Saturday.
B.J. Cunningham caught three passes for 92 yards and a score for the Spartans (6-5, 4-3 Big Ten).
Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott completed 39 of 55 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns. Keith Smith caught 15 passes for 152 yards and a TD for the Boilermakers (4-7, 3-4), who were eliminated from bowl contention.
The Boilermakers gained 524 yards and kept the ball for 41 minutes, but Michigan State gained 229 yards on kickoff returns, and the Spartans stopped Purdue on its final possession.
Michigan State's Brett Swenson made four field goals, including the game-winning 21-yarder with 1:51 left.
Alamo Bowl representatives attended the game.
Ralph Bolden fumbled on Purdue's first offensive play, and Michigan State's Chris Rucker returned it 11 yards for a touchdown seven seconds into the game.
Purdue came right back and drove 80 yards to tie the score. Elliott found Smith over the middle, and Smith broke a tackle before finishing a 26-yard touchdown reception.
Purdue's Carson Wiggs made two field goals, but Michigan State bounced back quickly. A 55-yard pass from Cousins to Charlie Gantt set the Spartans up inside the Purdue 10, and Cousins completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hawken to give the Spartans a 14-13 lead early in the second quarter.
Purdue scored later in the quarter on a 9-yard run by Bolden, and the Boilermakers took a 20-14 lead. Bolden was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hugging mascot Purdue Pete after the run.
The Boilermakers led 20-17 at halftime. Purdue outgained Michigan State 266-174 before the break.
Swenson made a career-long 52-yard field goal to make it 20-all, but Purdue came back with an 18-play, 80-yard drive. Elliott capped it with a 3-yard TD pass to Cortez Smith to give the Boilermakers a 27-20 lead. It was Purdue's longest scoring drive of the season.
Swenson hit another 52-yarder late in the third quarter to cut Purdue's lead to 27-23.
Purdue's defense held, then the Boilermakers came back with another scoring drive. Bolden scored his second touchdown, a 1-yarder to make it 34-23 early in the fourth quarter.
Michigan State needed just one play to respond. Cousins found Cunningham for a 73-yard touchdown, and the Spartans cut Purdue's lead to 34-30.
A 50-yard field-goal attempt by Wiggs was blocked, and the Spartans gained possession at their 46-yard line. A run by Keshawn Martin on a reverse went for 45 yards and put the Spartans inside the Purdue 10. Cousins found Blair White for a 9-yard score with 6:59 to play, and Michigan State took a 37-34 lead.
Purdue drove into field-goal range again, and this time, Wiggs converted from 49 yards to tie the game at 37 with 2:38 to play.
Martin returned the kickoff 84 yards to the Purdue 11 to set up Swenson's game winner.
- NCAAF FINAL
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MICHIGANST 7 10 6 17 40
PURDUE 10 10 7 10 37 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: MICHIGAN S - TD, CHRIS L. RUCKER 11 YD FUMBLE
RETURN (BRETT SWENSON KICK),
0:07. MICHIGANST 7-0
PURDUE - TD, KEITH SMITH 26 YD PASS FROM
JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS
KICK), 4:02. PURDUE 7
Nov 14 3:27 PM - NCAAF
MICHIGANST 40
PURDUE 37 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Nov 14 3:27 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST BLAIR WHITE 9 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 37, Purdue 34 4th - 6:59Nov 14 3:01 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST BLAIR WHITE 9 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 37, Purdue 34 4th - 6:59Nov 14 3:01 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST BLAIR WHITE 9 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 37, Purdue 34 4th - 6:59Nov 14 3:01 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST B.J. CUNNINGHAM 73 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 30, Purdue 34 4th - 11:34Nov 14 2:47 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST B.J. CUNNINGHAM 73 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 30, Purdue 34 4th - 11:34Nov 14 2:47 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST B.J. CUNNINGHAM 73 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 30, Purdue 34 4th - 11:34Nov 14 2:47 PM- NCAAF
MICHIGANST 30
PURDUE 34 11:34 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Michigan State 30, Purdue 34 4th - 11:34Nov 14 2:47 PM
TD PURDUE RALPH BOLDEN 1 YD RUN (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 23, Purdue 34 4th - 11:52Nov 14 2:44 PM
TD PURDUE RALPH BOLDEN 1 YD RUN (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 23, Purdue 34 4th - 11:52Nov 14 2:44 PM- NCAAF
MICHIGANST 23
PURDUE 34 11:52 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Michigan State 23, Purdue 34 4th - 11:52Nov 14 2:44 PM - NCAAF
MICHIGANST 23
PURDUE 27 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Nov 14 2:35 PM
TD PURDUE CORTEZ SMITH 3 YD PASS FROM JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 20, Purdue 27 3rd - 4:52Nov 14 2:20 PM
TD PURDUE CORTEZ SMITH 3 YD PASS FROM JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 20, Purdue 27 3rd - 4:52Nov 14 2:20 PM
TD PURDUE CORTEZ SMITH 3 YD PASS FROM JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 20, Purdue 27 3rd - 4:52Nov 14 2:20 PM- NCAAF
MICHIGANST 20
PURDUE 20 13:24 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Michigan State 20, Purdue 20 3rd - 13:24Nov 14 2:03 PM - NCAAF
MICHIGANST 17
PURDUE 20 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Nov 14 1:37 PM
TD PURDUE RALPH BOLDEN 9 YD RUN (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 14, Purdue 20 2nd - 5:47Nov 14 1:15 PM
TD PURDUE RALPH BOLDEN 9 YD RUN (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 14, Purdue 20 2nd - 5:47Nov 14 1:15 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST ANDREW HAWKEN 4 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 14, Purdue 13 2nd - 9:59Nov 14 12:56 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST ANDREW HAWKEN 4 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 14, Purdue 13 2nd - 9:59Nov 14 12:56 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST ANDREW HAWKEN 4 YD PASS FROM KIRK COUSINS (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 14, Purdue 13 2nd - 9:59Nov 14 12:56 PM- NCAAF
MICHIGANST 14
PURDUE 13 9:59 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Michigan State 14, Purdue 13 2nd - 9:59Nov 14 12:56 PM - NCAAF
MICHIGANST 7
PURDUE 13 11:18 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Michigan State 7, Purdue 13 2nd - 11:18Nov 14 12:50 PM - NCAAF
MICHIGANST 7
PURDUE 10 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Nov 14 12:40 PM
TD PURDUE KEITH SMITH 26 YD PASS FROM JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 7, Purdue 7 1st - 10:58Nov 14 12:12 PM
TD PURDUE KEITH SMITH 26 YD PASS FROM JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 7, Purdue 7 1st - 10:58Nov 14 12:12 PM
TD PURDUE KEITH SMITH 26 YD PASS FROM JOEY ELLIOTT (CARSON WIGGS KICK)
Michigan State 7, Purdue 7 1st - 10:58Nov 14 12:12 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST CHRIS L. RUCKER 11 YD FUMBLE RETURN (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 7, Purdue 0 1st - 14:53Nov 14 12:06 PM
TD MICHIGAN ST CHRIS L. RUCKER 11 YD FUMBLE RETURN (BRETT SWENSON KICK)
Michigan State 7, Purdue 0 1st - 14:53Nov 14 12:06 PM
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