For three quarters, Nate Sudfeld and Indiana matched Michigan State touchdown for touchdown and, aside from a couple missed extra points by the Hoosiers, the game was even.
"That word 'close' is really driving me nuts nowadays," Sudfeld said.
The final score actually wasn't all that close. Indiana lost to the seventh-ranked Spartans 52-26 on Saturday, allowing 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. But the Hoosiers certainly didn't look overmatched.
"We're going toe to toe with some pretty good teams," Indiana coach Kevin Wilson said. "We're looking at them in the eyes and going toe to toe. I'm not into moral victories. I'm not trying to justify anything. We just need to win and that's what we talked about after the game."
Connor Cook threw for 398 yards and four touchdowns for Michigan State. The Spartans (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) never trailed in the second half, but it was touch and go until Cook found R.J. Shelton for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:57 remaining to give Michigan State a 12-point lead.
The Spartans tacked on two more TDs after that.
Griffin Oakes missed two extra points and a field goal for the Hoosiers (4-4, 0-4), and they allowed over 50 points for the second consecutive week after losing 55-52 to Rutgers.
Sudfeld threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns.
The Spartans won by double digits for the first time in Big Ten play. Their victory last weekend — when Michigan's punter fumbled a snap on the final play and the Spartans scored a touchdown — was the talk of college football, but Michigan State didn't need any last-second dramatics this time.
"One of the things we try and point towards is — how will we play after a big moment?" Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "We make a big deal about that."
Michigan State trailed 7-0 in the first quarter when Cook threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Shelton right as it began to rain hard at Spartan Stadium. The sheets of rain prevented Indiana from doing much of anything on its next possession, and then the downpour eased when Michigan State got the ball back.
"I've never experienced anything like that. It was like I was showering out there," Sudfeld said. "We kind of managed that OK. I've never seen anything like that. It was like trying to catch a bar of soap."
The Spartans took a 14-7 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Delton Williams. Sudfeld answered with an 11-yard scoring pass to Ricky Jones, but Oakes missed the extra point.
Cook and Sudfeld traded touchdown passes in the final two minutes of the half, and with Michigan State up 21-20 early in the third, Cook slipped a pass to tight end Josiah Price for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.
"He throws to covered receivers that have reasonably tight coverage. He puts the ball where his guy has a chance," Wilson said. "If you were to talk to a pro scout or pro coach, they would talk about challenge throws, and when the guy's really getting challenged, the ability to not throw at the guy but put it where his player can make a play."
The Hoosiers breezed back down the field, scoring on Sudfeld's 3-yard pass to Andre Booker, but another missed extra point by Oakes left the score at 28-26.
"Griffin's a really good kicker. He missed a couple," Wilson said. "He's human. I think he let it get to him a little bit."
Indiana wouldn't score again. Cook's second touchdown pass to Shelton made it 38-26, and after that Michigan State finally began asserting itself on the ground. LJ Scott scored on a 26-yard run, and Gerald Holmes scored on a 22-yarder as the Spartans turned the game into a rout in the final minutes.
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