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Ringer, Michigan State keep Big Ten title hopes alive

Nov 8, 2008 - 11:07 PM EAST LANSING, Michigan (Ticker) -- Javon Ringer made sure Michigan State stayed alive in the Big Ten championship hunt.

Ringer rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, leading 17th-ranked Spartans to a 21-7 Big Ten victory over Purdue on Senior Day.

Following a bye next week, the Spartans (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) head to second-ranked Penn State on November 22 with a chance to at least gain a share of the conference championship in the regular-season finale.

"We've been blessed to have overcome a lot of the adversity that we've gone through and just to be in the position that we're in," Ringer said. "Two years ago, there's no way anybody would have thought we'd be right here but it's amazing what you can do when you have the faith and just keep pushing and keep trying."

Both of Ringer's TD runs came from a yard out. The first came on a fourth-down play on Michigan State's opening drive and the other gave the Spartans a 21-0 lead with 10:23 remaining in the third quarter.

Playing in his final game at Spartan Stadium, Ringer bounced back from last week's sub-par effort in the Spartans' 25-24 win over Wisconsin when he rushed for a season-low 54 yards.

Ringer entered the game ranked second in the nation at 142.7 yards per game. He is the second-leading career rusher in Michigan State history, trailing only Lorenzo White.

"Javon Ringer is a leader," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "I've always said that he's a warrior. He's a Spartan warrior."

Michigan State opened a 14-0 lead just before halftime when Purdue's Justin Siller was intercepted by freshman cornerback Johnny Adams, who returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with six seconds left before the break.

"In that coverage, my responsibility was the flat," Adams said. "Before the snap, my teammates were shouting, 'Watch the flat.' I read the play almost immediately and broke on the ball.

"Once I caught it, I was pretty confident that I could score. Justin Kershaw threw a nice block, so I cut back inside and found the end zone."

Purdue (3-7, 1-5) scored its lone touchdown with 42 seconds remaining on a 1-yard run by Siller, who was starting his second consecutive game in place of injured senior Curtis Painter.

Painter hurt his throwing shoulder October 25 in a 17-6 loss at Minnesota.

Siller was 13-of-30 for 83 yards and an interception. Kory Sheets paced Purdue's offense with 93 yards on 22 carries.

"We had trouble early on getting our running game and our passing game started," Siller said. "We started out real slow and that hurt us throughout the game."

Siller was sidelined in the middle of the third quarter and replaced by Chris Bennett, but returned to the lineup later in the quarter despite suffering a hyperextended knee and a bruised sternum.

"I made a comment to our coaches at halftime that this is a day you want to have two quarterbacks," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "We wish we would have had a choice today, but we didn't."

Purdue mustered just 191 yards of total offense, most of which came on its final drive that covered 98 yards on 16 plays.

"We wanted that shutout," said Michigan State linebacker Ryan Allison, who along with linebacker Greg Jones led the team with 12 tackles.

The loss means the Boilermakers will not make a bowl game in their last season under coach Tiller, who is retiring at season's end.

Injuries have plagued Purdue this season, particularly along the offensive line, dating back to spring practice.

"We got off to a flying stop last spring and we never recovered on the offensive line," Tiller said.

On the other hand, the Spartans can still win a share of the Big Ten crown for the first time since 1990.

"When you shoot for something, talk about something for so long, and all of a sudden it's done, it's a numbing feeling a little bit," Dantonio said. "The opportunity to play for a Big Ten championship is real."