Eric Lacy

It's bowl or bust for MSU

East Lansing -- Michigan State didn't get any better or any worse in blasting Western Michigan, 49-14, for its fifth victory of the season.

With two games left, Saturday's game only got the program a step closer to a possible third straight bowl game appearance under coach Mark Dantonio.

It shouldn't convince anyone the defense's problems are fixed or Ashton Leggett is the answer for the Spartans' problems in the red zone.

Next Saturday's meeting at Purdue should tell a lot more about a team that, in this crazy conference, could very well finish the season with two more losses.

"There's a lot of good football teams, a lot of parity," Dantonio said of the Big Ten. "There's a lot of people that can rise up and play with anybody on their schedule."

Few conference teams were safe from wild results this weekend.

Purdue came from behind to beat Michigan for its first win in Ann Arbor since 1966. No. 8 Iowa lost to Northwestern, 17-10, and Illinois beat Minnesota, 35-32.

No. 15 Ohio State beat No. 11 Penn State, 24-7. The Nittany Lions have dominated the series with the Spartans lately, and they visit Spartan Stadium in two weeks for a regular-season finale.

Circling the wagon

MSU can enjoy Saturday's rout, but had better prepare for the unexpected during this critical two-game stretch that will determine whether 2009 was a success or failure.

Dantonio made it a point to limit media access last week so he could protect his players from criticism, and that move appeared to pay off based on some postgame comments.

"Nobody is going to turn this ship back around other than the people on this football team," quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "Those are the people that really know what's going on."

For the Spartans to finish strong, they need improvement on the defensive side of the ball.

WMU didn't appear to be a true test for a secondary that was torched in 42-34 loss at Minnesota, a team that in the previous two weeks had only one touchdown.

Broncos quarterback Tim Hiller led a pro-style attack that punted seven times in the first half and went 0-of-13 on third-down conversions.

Hiller's accuracy issues, some drops from his receivers and the absence of top receiver Juan Nunez because of an injury didn't help the Broncos' cause.

Postseason positives

There were, however, some positives for MSU's secondary. Free safety Trenton Robinson played well in place of regular starter Danny Fortener (head injury). Fortener did play some on special teams.

Robinson's signs of improved fundamentals and speed could play a critical role against the pass-happy Boilermakers, especially if Fortener doesn't play.

"This win hopefully boosted our confidence so we can go into Purdue and take care of business," said Robinson, finally healthy after an ankle injury. "Play with good technique and get your jobs done, that's what we focus on."

Bowl eligibility is now the main measurement for success.

It not only means an extra game, but also more practices for a relatively young team that continues to strive for top-tier conference status.

Dantonio was asked Saturday if his program would take a significant step back if it failed to make a bowl. He appeared to cringe slightly with his response.

"I don't like the word significant, one way or the other, but certainly ours hopes and our goals now are to go to a football bowl game," Dantonio said. "This is November."

elacy@detnews.com