EVANSTON, Ill. _ Michigan State started out perfect, just like Mark Dantonio demanded.
Only it was his much-maligned offense coming up big.
Another opening-drive touchdown started the game, the Spartans' third in four games, then the defense came up with three critical stops at the 1-yard line on Northwestern's ensuing turnover-aided possession.
That set the tone for Dantonio to become MSU's all-time winningest coach with a 31-10 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field.
Dantonio's 110 wins with the Spartans moved him past Duffy Daugherty into first place atop the coaching chart. That ended a long week for the 13th-year coach.
MSU (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) lost last week to Arizona State, 10-7, to prevent the 63-year-old from reaching his milestone win in East Lansing. Dantonio also had explosive accusations from former MSU staffer Curtis Blackwell made public in a federal civil lawsuit for wrongful termination.
Brian Lewerke threw for 228 yards on 18-of-31 passing with three touchdowns, including a pair of scores to tight end Matt Seybert, and the Spartans' defense took care of the rest against the Wildcats (1-2, 0-1) in the conference opener for both teams.
MSU hosts Indiana next Saturday for homecoming.
Dantonio called his offense out after a lackluster one-TD Week 1 performance against Tulsa. It responded with a six-score blowout of Western Michigan.
But the Spartans regressed against the Sun Devils, and Dantonio instead put the onus on his defense to "be perfect" this week. Captain and DT Raequan Williams used the term "winners on this side of the ball" when asked about Dantonio's expectation of perfection.
That clearly motivated Lewerke and the offense in a different manner. MSU marched 75 yards on the opening possession, with Lewerke hitting WR Cody White for 41 of the 50 passing yards on the drive and RB Elijah Collins running for all 25 on just three carries. The redshirt freshman got stopped at the line of scrimmage on the closing play, churning his legs and slipping outside to the left for a 5-yard score.
The offense would generate four TDs on the day, overcoming penalties and mistakes along the way to keep moving the chains.
After MSU's first score, its defense survived a close call after another special teams gaffe _ a Cody White fumble on a punt return that extended the possession for Northwestern and gave them the ball deep in MSU territory.
Josiah Scott got called for a pass interference penalty, and the Spartans three plays later gave up a long third-down conversion as QB Hunter Johnson escaped for a 10-yard first-down run to bring the Wildcats to the Spartans' 3-yard line.
After Isaiah Bowers was stopped at the 1 on first down, MSU dropped the Northwestern RB on the next two plays for no gain. Senior DT Mike Panasiuk, the game-day captain from nearby Roselle, bust into the backfield on fourth down and tripped up Johnson before he could escape the center box for a 2-yard loss and a critical stop.
Lewerke hit White for an 11-yard TD late in the first half, then connected with senior tight end Seybert from eight and seven yards out. Matt Coghlin, who missed his fourth straight field-goal attempt, ended his drought with a 26-yarder with 3 seconds left in the third quarter after an interception by DE Drew Beesley. That made it 31-3, and the attention started to turn to Dantonio.
After a Joe Bachie interception with about 8 minutes left, with Dantonio turning the game over to QB Rocky Lombardi, the pro MSU contingent began chanting "Go Green! Go White!"
As time winded down, Dantonio kept coaching his backups and young players on late drives. Then with 1:34 left, he put his starters back out on defense for one more drive. One more chance for perfection.
They gave up a first down. Then they nearly got an interception on back to back plays. The chants returned.
On fourth-and-1, finally, they got one more stop. And Dantonio broke into a big grin, getting a pat on the back from Tressel and a handshake from Sheldon White.
Finally, he got that one final victory he needed for MSU immortality.
