EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Scratch one more goal off No. 17 Michigan State's list.

The Spartans (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) got the shutout they've wanted all year in their next-to-last game, and they have T.J. Turner and Plaxico Burress to thank. Turner returned a fumble for a touchdown and intercepted a pass to set up another score, and Burress caught three TD passes Saturday as the Spartans routed Northwestern 34-0.

	Michigan State's Plaxico Burress burns Northwestern's Harold Blackmon for one of his two 35-yard TD receptions Saturday.

"We came into this game saying we needed a goose egg and the whole defense was committed to getting it," safety Aric Morris said. "It feels real good. It's a goal we wanted to accomplish."

The victory gives Michigan State eight wins in the regular season for the first time since 1987, and plenty of Spartans fans were on hand to celebrate. More than half of Northwestern's stadium was green-and-white on an unseasonably warm day.

It also was Michigan State's first victory at Northwestern (3-7, 1-6) since 1992; they won in Evanston in 1994, but the victory was later forfeited as part of self-imposed sanctions.

Northwestern was shut out for the first time since 1993, when it lost 24-0 to Indiana.

"I'm the only coach in the history of Michigan State to not have a winning record against Northwestern," said Michigan State coach Nick Saban, who came into the game 1-1 against the Wildcats. "I asked the players if they could please do something for yours truly."

After a sluggish start, the Spartans obliged. They scored 10 points in a 1:36 span in the second quarter and the rout was on. Burress caught 35-yard TD passes from both Bill Burke and Ryan Van Dyke, and also had an 84-yard scoring reception.

His three TD catches give him nine for the year, a Michigan State record. He finished with five catches for 164 yards.

Burke's scoring pass to Burress in the second quarter was the 43rd of his career, tying him with Dave Yarema and Ed Smith for the career record at Michigan State. He left the game after that series with a bruised pectoral muscle and did not return. He was 3-of-7 for 39 yards with one interception.

"It's just a strain," said Burke, who was initially injured last week. "It's causing me some pain and it affected the way I threw the football. Next week is my last home game, and I'm just going to try and do everything to make myself ready to play."

Michigan State's defense wasn't as dominant as last week, when it held Ohio State to zero yards rushing, but it was tough enough to stop the Wildcats. The defense played a role in the first three touchdowns, with Turner a one-man terror.

On the Wildcats' first series, he came flying across the line to knock back Damien Anderson for a 1-yard loss. Later in the first quarter, he sacked Zak Kustok for a 6-yard loss on third down, grabbing him by the shirt and twisting him around until he fell.

With less than two minutes left in the first half, Josh Thornhill forced Kustok to fumble at the Northwestern 26, and Turner scooped up the ball and rumbled to the end zone for a 17-0 lead.

"T.J. had an excellent game," linebacker Julian Peterson said. "He did everything he was supposed to and he capitalized on their mistakes."

And he wasn't done yet.

Five minutes into the third quarter, Turner picked off a pass from Nick Kreinbrink at his own 39. An extra 15 yards was tacked on because of a personal foul by Northwestern, and Van Dyke found Burress in the end zone three plays later.

Neither Turner nor Burress was available for comment after the game. Only seniors were allowed to talk to the media.

"It would be almost unfair, even though T.J. picked up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown and intercepted another pass, to single out anybody," Saban said. "We played good team defense today. That was the key to us being successful."

Michigan State's first touchdown was set up by cornerback Amp Campbell's interception at the Northwestern 35. It was the second interception of the season for Campbell, who thought his career was done after a cervical-spine injury last year.

"Coach Saban emphasized what we had at stake," Campbell said. "Everyone talks about how inconsistent we are after a big game. We did not want to play a mediocre game. We wanted to come out and get a big win."

Northwestern, which has been depleted by injuries, had two chances to score early, but Tim Long missed field goals of 51 and 48 yards on the Wildcats' first two series.

The only bright spot for the Wildcats was Damien Anderson, whose 78 yards rushing gives him 1,005 for the season. He's the fourth Northwestern running back to reach that milestone in the last five seasons.