Defense stuffs Dawgs early

ORLANDO, Fla. - Yes, Matthew Stafford is that good.

But it took Stafford, the Georgia quarterback who may break a lot of hearts and decide to leave early for the NFL, and who may end up being the No. 1 pick, a while to show why.

Just as Michigan State's defense frustrated eventual first-round pick Matt Ryan of Boston College a year ago, it was in Stafford's helmet for much of the afternoon here Thursday.

Then he woke up the scouts with 179 yards and three touchdowns in the second half of a 24-12 comeback victory over the Spartans.

"Obviously, he can play football," said Trevor Anderson.

And he can take hits. MSU delivered two sacks and many more body shots to Stafford, blitzing and rushing effectively for much of the day.

"Oh man, he took the hits," Anderson said. "He definitely took the hits."

MSU achieved a lot of its defensive objectives, leading 6-3 at the half. It held star running back Knowshon Moreno to 62 yards on 23 carries.

It held Georgia's star receivers, A.J. Green and Mohamed Massaquoi, to a short reception apiece. Both game into the game needing less than 100 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, and both came up short.

And it got after Stafford, leaving the Bulldogs' high-powered offense visibly frustrated.

"I thought we blitzed well, got after the quarterback, played pretty well," MSU coach Mark Dantonio said.

"We began to press," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "We began to make it a bigger deal than it was. I do give credit to Michigan State's defense because they did play well."

Stafford, prevailed, though. Georgia adjusted in the second half with short passing against the attacking Spartans. That seemed to revive his confidence after a first half that saw him complete just 6 of 14 passes for 71 yards, with an interception.

"We played 40 minutes of football," Anderson said. "You've got to play 60 minutes."

Stafford left as the game's MVP thanks to his blistering second half.

HOYER'S FINALE: MSU senior quarterback Brian Hoyer was sacked six times, missed on some throws and threw an interception on his final pass as a Spartan, a late heave with the game essentially decided.

It wasn't the way Hoyer wanted things to end. But after throwing four picks and losing a fumble in last year's 24-21 loss to Boston College, it was ... well, way better than that.

"I didn't throw four interceptions," chuckled Hoyer, who completed 18 of 34 passes for 169 yards. "I think I gave our team a chance to win, and last year I didn't think I did that. ... For me it's a lot different because I didn't have the worst game of my life."

Said Dantonio of Hoyer: "I thought he played pretty well, he was competitive, he had an edge to him."

MSU got a first-half series of work for backup Kirk Cousins, as Dantonio said MSU would do to get him some work. The redshirt freshman was 4 of 5 for 36 yards.

"I had no problem with that," Hoyer said of Cousins playing, "he had to get in there and play under fire."

As for MSU's offensive struggles against Georgia's speedy defense, Hoyer said: "We just couldn't execute. ... Yeah, they're fast, but they're not any faster than Ohio State or Penn State."

RINGER'S FINALE: MSU senior running back also played his final game and once again found little room against a strong defense. Ringer ran 20 times for 47 yards with a touchdown - his 22nd of the season, a new MSU record.

FLU HITS: The flu severely affected two Spartans, starting safety Danny Fortener and starting tight end Charlie Gantt. Gantt played sparingly and Fortener did not play at all on defense.

MSU lost Fortener's replacement, Kendell Davis-Clark, early in the game. Twice his shoulder popped out on tackles and he had to sit. Davis-Clark hurt the shoulder in the opener at Cal and missed five games because of it.

MSU went with Marcus Hyde for most of the game at that position, and when Otis Wiley left briefly with a minor injury in the fourth quarter, senior Mike Bell stepped in for him.

NOT BITING: MSU tried some tricks, including a fake punt on a fourth-and-5 on the first series. Georgia came out with a more bunched-up formation than MSU had seen on film, Dantonio said, but MSU still tried a direct snap to Dwayne Holmes and he gained just two yards.

The Spartans also tried a reverse pass from Keshawn Martin, but he was nailed for a loss of six yards. An end-around to Martin later in the game gained three.

FAN FEST: MSU ended up selling 11,000 of its allotment of 12,000 tickets for the game, associate athletic director John Lewandowski said. MSU estimated that 24,000 of its fans attended the game, with many buying tickets directly from the bowl.

MSU athletic director Mark Hollis said MSU sold more tickets from its allotment than any other Big Ten school but Penn State, which played in Thursday's Rose Bowl. That includes Iowa and Wisconsin, both of which played in Florida games and have a reputation for traveling well.

A year ago, MSU brought more than 20,000 fans to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.

"I think we're gaining a reputation very quickly as being a great travel team," Hollis said.

SPECIAL GUESTS: MSU's honorary captain for the day was Earl Morrall, a starter for Duffy Daugherty at MSU in 1954 and 1955. He was an All-American as a senior and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.