Mark Dantonio wasn't oblivious to the chatter.
The Michigan State coach's team had dropped two of its last three games to fall to 4-3 and was hosting Purdue, one of the hottest teams in the nation and coming off an upset win against Ohio State.
The Spartans responded to a loss against rival Michigan the week before with a 23-13 victory against the Boilermakers on Saturday.
"I just thought we took a step forward, made people notice," Dantonio said on a Sunday night teleconference. "Because I think most people thought Purdue was going to come in here and play us out.