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MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- There's no telling the records Ron Dayne might have set if Wisconsin played No. 13 Michigan State more often. Dayne ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the first half against the nation's top rushing defense and the 16th-ranked Badgers intercepted Bill Burke three times, cruising to a 40-10 victory in the first meeting between the Big Ten Conference rivals since 1996. The 5-10, 252-pound Dayne finished with 214 yards on 34 carries against a Spartans defense that was allowing only 39.9 yards per game on the ground. The Spartans had yielded just 279 yards on the ground in their first seven games. "We looked at it as a challenge coming into the game knowing that they were the No. 1 defense against the rush, so we had a mind set to go out and rush the ball on them and let them know we're not afraid to rush the ball," said Badgers fullback Chad Kuhns. "They played a lot of the same stuff they showed on film," added Wisconsin offensive lineman Chris McIntosh, who tied a school record by making his 46th straight start. "They came at us with some of the sam looks and we just took advantage of it." Dayne now has 5,797 career rushing yards and needs just 483 yards to pass Texas' Ricky Williams and become Division I-A's all-time leading rusher. As a freshman, Dayne was held to 81 yards by the Spartans but exploded for 541 yards in his next two games, including a career-best 297-yard performance against Minnesota two weeks later. "There have been some other guys who have been a little more flashy sometimes because of their great speed or big-play ability," Michigan State coach Nick Saban said of Dayne. "Dayne's a tough guy to deal with all day long and a tough guy to tackle. You have to play to stop him almost all of the time." The tone was set on the game's fourth play, when Dayne took a draw from quarterback Brooks Bollinger, who is now 4-0 as a starter, and rumbled 51 yards for a historic touchdown just 5:19 into the game. It was the longest run against Michigan State (6-2, 3-2) this season. The 51-yard jaunt moved Dayne passed Southern California's Charles White into third place on Division I-A's all-time rushing list. It was also Dayne's 58th career TD run, snapping a tie with San Diego State's Marshall Faulk for fourth all-time. Three plays after Dayne's TD run, star cornerback Jamar Fletcher picked off Burke, giving the Badgers (6-2, 4-1) control at the Michigan State 28-yard line. Vitaly Pisetsky capatilized with a 42-yard field goal. He also connected from 23 yards in the fourth quarter. Michigan State, playing against the wind in the first quarter, went three-and-out on its next possession and Pisetsky used the breeze to boot a 49-yarder with 1:31 remaining in the opening period that made it 13-0. The second quarter began just as badly for the Spartans and Burke, who was picked off by defensive back Bobby Myers leading to Dayne's 15-yard scoring run around left end 2 1/2 minutes into the period. Fletcher again intercepted Burke on Michigan State's next possession. The Spartans were finally able to stop the Badgers, only to watch as safety Richard Newsome muff Kevin Stemke's punt and linebacker Donnel Thompson recover at the Michigan State 19. Newsome was in the game only because wide receiver Gari Scott, one of the nation's best punt returners, was forced out of the contest early in the first quarter after aggravating a strained right knee. Pisetsky's 32-yard field goal moments later gave the Badgers a 23-0 advantage. "It was a classic Big Ten matchup and we really had something to prove today," Pisetsky said. "We really wanted to send a message and I think we did that." Michigan State's only points of the first half came with just over two minutes to play before halftime on a career-best 55-yard field goal by senior Paul Edinger. Two weeks after setting a school-record with 400 passing yards in a victory over Michigan, Burke completed just 13-of-28 passes for a meager 127 yards. Without Scott to draw some of the attention, Plaxico Burress caught only five passes for 57 yards. "I don't think we executed like we could have out there on defense," added Saban. "But I have to give them (Wisconsin) credit for what they did. I thought we were well-prepared for the game and had a good mental attitude coming out." Bollinger completed 6-of-11 passes for 59 yards and carried seven times for 10 yards and a touchdown. "We took a step today," Badgers tackle Mark Tauscher. "Today was kind of moving day in the Big Ten and I don't know how many people put their faith in us, but we believed in ourselves and we went out and followed the plan we set and executed it. I would say it's a great win."
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