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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 7 • 9 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com B uoyed by a dominant running game and the spark first-time starting quarterback Austin Ap- pleby provided, Purdue just rolled over Illinois offensively on Saturday for its first Big Ten win since 2012. But when the Boilermakers take the field at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium against eighth- ranked Michigan State, they'll see a defense unlike anything they en- countered in Champaign. The Spartans lost half their starters from last year's soul-crush- ing Rose Bowl champion defense. It's hardly mattered. Even with the Oregon Effect — playing the Ducks, to whom the Spartans lost 46-27 in Eugene — Michigan State's defensive num- bers tell the story. Michigan State boasts the fourth-ranked rushing defense in college football, allowing a paltry 72 yards per game on the ground. It was showcased this past weekend when the Spartans total- ly controlled Nebraska's previously prolific running game, holding Cornhusker star Ameer Abdullah to 45 yards on 24 carries. "Against Nebraska, you could tell that they were getting some of that defensive prowess back with the way they attacked the run," said Paul Konyndyk, who covers Michigan State for Rivals.com's Spartan- Mag.com. "MSU's defense always starts with stopping the run and trying to make teams one-dimensional." That will again be the Spartans' goal Saturday, where they'll put nine men around the line of scrim- mage and dare Purdue's receivers to beat physical man-to-man coverage at the line of scrimmage. "Their whole plan is to take those (outside receiv- ers) out of the game, like they're not even on the field, and play with their safeties down in the box," Purdue coach Darrell Ha- zell said. "We're going to have to do some things to help our wideouts get free." Running the ball productively, for one thing. The Boilermakers have to be able to run effectively to be potent offensively against anyone they play this season, Michigan State certainly included. But you can probably ex- pect running room to be scarce for Akeem Hunt, Raheem Mo- stert or whoever else carries the ball against a Spartan front that both outmuscles and outnum- bers opponents. "They have nine guys whose eyes are glued on the running back when that ball is being handed off and they're running to the football," Game 7 Opponent Preview: Michigan State 3:30 p.m. ET • Ross-Ade Stadium • TV: ABC/ESPN2 SPARTANS BRING STRONG DEFENSE, EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE TO WEST LAFAYETTE Michigan State Quarterback Connor Cook is enjoying an excellent season for Michigan State. Michigan State Spartan receiver Tony Lippett has already caught seven touchdown passes this season.