East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) – Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker each scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground, as the Michigan State Spartans ran over the Western Michigan Broncos, 38-14, in an intrastate affair at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Bell gained 141 yards on 10 carries and Baker added 117 rushing yards on 17 attempts for MSU (1-0), which improved to 10-2 all-time against WMU. Kirk Cousins hit on 13-of-21 tosses for 186 yards and a touchdown, while Mark Dell hauled in six balls for 81 yards in the victory.
Alex Carder was 27-of-49 for 220 yards with two scores and a pick for the Broncos (0-1), who are coming off a disappointing 5-7 showing in 2009. Jordan White posted eight receptions for 82 yards, while Blake Hammond and Juan Nunez each caught a touchdown pass.
The Spartans wasted little time getting started, as Baker scooted 28 yards for a touchdown on the team’s second play from scrimmage.
After MSU muffed a punt deep in its own end, WMU capitalized with a one-yard touchdown pass from Carder to Nunez on a fourth-and-goal situation.
A response from the Spartans came early in the second quarter, when Cousins hit Keith Nichol on a 20-yard scoring strike. Late in the half, Baker added a seven-yard touchdown run, which was followed by a Bell two-yard scoring burst for a 28-7 halftime time advantage.
MSU continued its surge with an 18-yard touchdown run by Bell early in the second half.
The Broncos finally responded midway through the third quarter, as Carder tossed a two-yard touchdown pass to Hammond.
A 33-yard field goal by MSU’s Dan Conroy midway through the final quarter completed the game’s scoring.
The Spartans amassed 297 yards on the ground, averaging 8.0 yards per carry. The Broncos, meanwhile, managed just 85 rushing yards behind only a 2.7 yard per carry average.