EAST LANSING, Mich. — Arjen Colquhoun thought he had sealed a win for Michigan State after defending a fourth-down pass late in the final quarter. Then his brief celebration was halted by a penalty flag: holding on him.
Moments later, it was fourth down again, and Purdue threw another pass Colquhoun’s way. He was in good position to close in on the intended receiver, the ball fell incomplete, and this time Colquhoun paused to check for a flag.
“I was like, ‘Before I celebrate, let me just see,’ ” he said. “It was good, it was clean.”
The second-ranked Spartans could finally relax after Purdue’s final drive fell short, and No. 2 Michigan State beat the Boilermakers 24-21 on Saturday despite a lackluster second half. LJ Scott ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans.
The Spartans (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) led 21-0 at halftime, but Purdue had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
The penalty on Colquhoun gave the Boilermakers first down at their 47, but they turned the ball over on downs with about a minute remaining.
