Nichol, Defense hold on to Beat Struggling Illini on the Road
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Sat, 10/10/2009 - 18:30
Keith Nichol did just enough in his first college start to lead the Spartans (3-3) to a much needed road victory against a wavering Illinois team in front of a sellout homecoming crowd in Champaign. Nichol threw for 179 yards in his starting debut, throwing one interception in the process.
The running game was stellar early for the Spartans, finishing with 193 yards and two touchdowns. Caper and Winston led the ground attack for MSU, but Winston left the game early in the second half with appeared to be a pretty serious knee injury.
The defense showed up in full force for the second week in a row, led by Danny Fortner and his 45-yard pick six to help seal the victory. The defensive line put constant pressure on Illinois’s first-time starting QB, Eddie McGee, and McGee struggled mightily before Illinois head coach, Ron Zook, pulled him in place of four-year starter Juice Williams. Williams led his team to one late touchdown drive, but the Illini failed to recover an onside kick in the final moments of the game.
MSU sophomore QB Kirk Cousins made an appearance late in the game to take a knee after Nichol went down with an apparent shoulder injury. There was no word yet on how severe the injuries sustained by Nichol and Winston are.
