EAST LANSING, Mich. — LJ Scott rushed for two second-half touchdowns and Connor Cook tossed two scoring passes to lead Michigan State to a 31-28 victory over Oregon in a matchup of Top 10 teams on Saturday night at Spartan Stadium.
Scott, a true freshman tailback, gained 76 yards on 11 carries for the No. 5 Spartans (2-0). Senior quarterback Cook passed for 192 yards as Michigan State avenged a 46-27 loss at Oregon last season.
The Spartans extended their school record to 10 straight games with 30 or more points.
Senior quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. passed for 309 yards and a touchdown and rushed for one for No. 7 Oregon (1-1). Ducks sophomore running back Royce Freeman gained 92 yards on 24 carries and scored a touchdown.
The Spartans extended their school record to 10 straight games with 30 or more points.
Oregon junior Bralon Addison’s 81-yard punt return just 1:49 into the second half tied it at 14.
Scott scored on a 6-yard run on the Spartans’ next possession to make it 21-14. Junior Michael Geiger’s 36-yard field goal later in the third increased Michigan State’s lead to 10.
Adams’ 2-yard run up the middle with 12:20 left pulled the Ducks within 24-21. Adams fired a 25-yard, fourth-down pass to senior Byron Marshall to get Oregon inside the 10.
The Spartans needed just three plays to re-establish a double-digit lead. Scott finished it off by cutting to his right and scampering 38 yards for the score with 10:51 remaining.
Adams’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Marshall with 3:25 remaining cut the Spartans’ lead to 31-28. That gave the Ducks an NCAA-record 70 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass.
The Spartans then failed to gain a first down, but Adams overthrew Marshall on a potential touchdown pass and the Ducks eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Cook threw two first-half touchdown passes as the Spartans led 14-7 at halftime.
The Ducks struck first, driving 13 plays and 75 yards on their first possession, which was capped by Freeman’s 2-yard run.
Michigan State responded with a 75-yard drive of its own, sparked by freshman tailback Madre London’s 62-yard run. Cook connected with junior tight end Josiah Price two plays later on a 12-yard scoring pass.
Cook hooked up with senior wide receiver Aaron Burbridge on a 16-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. Burbridge caught the ball at the 11-yard line and spun around defenders to reach the end zone.
A Spartans’ goal line stand stopped Oregon at the 1-yard line on the Ducks’ ensuing possession.
NOTES: Michigan State junior RT Kodi Kieler left the game with a right knee injury and did not return. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Kieler was making his 10th career start. … The last matchup of Top 10 teams in East Lansing was a 10-10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966 when those teams were ranked 1-2. … The Spartans won their last 16 home openers, a streak that began against Oregon in 1999. … The home team won the first five meetings … The Ducks were 1-25 in road games against top-five opponents, with their only victory coming against No. 3 Stanford in 2011. … Oregon is 25-0 when scoring at least 30 points in Mark Helfrich’s first two seasons as head coach.