(Recap from The Sports Network)
East Lansing, MI – Kirk Cousins threw for 201 yards with a touchdown and Dan Conroy kicked four field goals, as 13th-ranked Michigan State pulled away in the second half and remained unbeaten with a 26-6 victory over Illinois at Spartan Stadium.
B.J. Cunningham broke a tie with a 48-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and Larry Caper added 15-yard scoring run in the fourth for Michigan State, which outscored Illinois 23-0 in the second half and beat the Illini for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings.
Michigan State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten), with head coach Mark Dantonio again in the coaches box, has won its first seven games for the first time since the 1966 squad opened 9-0.
Nate Scheelhaase completed 15-of-27 passes for 141 yards and was intercepted three times for Illinois (3-3, 1-2), which was coming off a 33-13 win at Penn State last Saturday after opening conference play with a hard-fought 24-13 loss to Ohio State.