San Jose, Calif. — In the week leading up to the Silicon Valley Football Classic, Michigan State sat and stewed while Fresno State and star quarterback David Carr got all the attention.
"I wanted to throw up before the game," linebacker Josh Thornhill grumbled.
Instead, Charles Rogers and Jeff Smoker led the Spartans to a 44-35 victory on Monday while putting on an offensive show.
Rogers set a Michigan State record with 270 yards receiving and also caught two of Smoker's three touchdown passes for 72 and 69 yards during the Spartans' phenomenal first half. He and Smoker, both sophomores, showed Michigan State's future is every bit as bright as Fresno State's present.
"When you've got a good quarterback like Jeff Smoker, (numbers) like that just kind of happen," Rogers said. "Me and him became real close this season. We kind of read each other's minds, and next year, it's going to be even better."
While the Bulldogs came into the game with a five-game winning streak and the glory of their breakout season, Michigan State finished eighth in the Big Ten and barely qualified for the postseason.
None of it mattered when the Spartans (7-5) started work on a first half in which they gained 405 yards and scored 37 points, capitalizing on four big plays for the bulk of their production.
"All week, all we heard was David Carr, this and that," defensive end Nick Myers said. "It was like we weren't even down her for the bowl game. ... Our guys showed they can play a little bit, too."
In a matchup of two potent offenses that combined for 1,146 total yards, Smoker and Rogers outdueled seniors Carr and Rodney Wright, who even bested the Spartans' stratospheric numbers. Carr passed for 531 yards to Smoker's 376, while Wright finished with 13 catches for a school-record 299 yards and two TDs.
"It's been a special season, and I'm really going to miss this football team," Wright said. "I just kept telling myself before the game that I wanted to be remembered. I just wanted to go out with a bang."
After Fresno State (11-3) pulled within two points in the final minutes, the Spartans made one last scoring drive to clinch their second postseason victory under coach Bobby Williams.
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