EAST LANSING - The sun shone, the fans yelled, the families tailgated outside Spartan Stadium for the first time since November.

It didn't matter to 48,000 faithful that there was no opponent, no record, no reason to rush their plays.

For a record crowd at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, it meant just one thing; for two hours their heroes were back, and it was a beautiful day for football.

Was it flashy? Absolutely not. The lone touchdown was scored by lineman Jack Allen, who rumbled from three yards away to give his White team the 9-3 victory. Kevin Cronin tacked on three for both the green and the white in a sloppy, silly game used more to appease to achieve.

The Spartans looked exactly like a team that hadn't played in four months. False start penalties, dropped passes, and sloppy runs highlighted the game that most fans expected. Standouts were Gerald Holmes with 11 rushes for 48 yards. Shilique Calhoun, with 2.5 "sacks". The defense couldn't take the quarterbacks to the turf, but that didn't stop the Lombardi Award semifinalist from getting there.

"I thought our guys played hard. I thought the hitting was very very good. I thought Gerald Holmes got some tough yards," said coach Mark Dantonio. "We just keep trying to climb the ladder as we move forward."

It's another grueling five months until Michigan State returns to the field. Their highly anticipated home opener comes against Oregon on Sep. 12.