Thorson leads Northwestern past No. 20 Michigan State 29-19

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Clayton Thorson threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and Northwestern recovered from another second-half slip to beat No. 20 Michigan State 29-19 on Saturday. The Spartans (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) entered with the nation's top-ranked run defense and held Northwestern (2-3, 2-1) to 8 yards on the ground, but it didn't matter. The Wildcats moved the ball consistently well through the air, and Michigan State's offense was mostly inept except for a brief stretch in the third quarter. Thorson threw a 21-yard scoring pass to Cameron Green with 15 seconds left in the third, and a 2-point conversion gave Northwestern a 22-19 lead. The Wildcats missed a field goal with 6:41 to play, but Michigan State went 15 yards backward on the ensuing possession and had to punt. The Spartans held again defensively, and on the next possession, they had second-and-1 from their own 11.