Through the first 25 minutes of the opening half, it seemed like this matchup between Northwestern and Michigan St. was going to be a low-scoring affair. However, the Spartans used two late TD's to turn a close game into a 17-3 advantage heading into the second half.
Northwestern will be very disappointed with the scoreline, as it was just a couple of yards away from having full momentum of this game. With the ball inside the five yard line, Treyvon Green fumbled as he was trying to fight his way into the end zone, and the ball was recovered by Michigan St. The Spartans then drove the ball down the field, with Le'Veon Bell scoring from seven yards out to finish off the drive.
After the Spartans TD, Northwestern had a chance to respond, but the offense couldn't get anything going and was ultimately forced to punt. With just 34 seconds remaining in the half, Keshawn Martin returned the punt 57 yards for a TD that extended the lead to 17-3.
The Wildcats offense has struggled to move the ball, with QB Dan Persa completing 8/12 for only 50 yards. Jacob Schmidt led Northwestern on the ground in the opening half, rushing for 36 yards on 10 carries.
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Northwestern blog Sippin' On Purple and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Here’s the complete Week 13 college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.