EAST LANSING—Michigan State’s latest letdown lasted only a half — and that’s one sign these Spartans could be headed for a memorable season.Kirk Cousins threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham in the third quarter, helping No. 13 Michigan State to its best start in more than four decades with a 26-6 win over Illinois on Saturday. The Spartans started slowly a week after beating Michigan, but they outscored the Illini 23-0 in the second half.The Spartans are 7-0 for the first time since 1966, when they won their first nine games before famously tying Notre Dame 10-10.Michigan State’s last 6-0 start was in 1999 under Nick Saban, but the Spartans lost their next two games that season by a combined 92-38. Dantonio talked this week about the need to show maturity — to prepare well for Illinois after last weekend’s emotional 34-17 win over Michigan.The Spartans had trouble running the ball the first two quarters against Illinois, but Cousins came out sharp in the third and they took control of the game. Cousins’ touchdown pass over the middle made it 13-6, and the defense kept Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) at bay.It was an impressive response by Michigan State (7-0, 3-0) after what linebacker Greg Jones described as an intense scene at halftime.Dantonio, who had a mild heart attack last month, coached his second straight game from a box, but he went down to the sideline during the final minutes and received a big ovation from the homecoming crowd.Cousins finished 13 of 24 for 201 yards and shook off a difficult first half. On fourth-and-1 from the Illinois 35 in the second quarter, Cousins fell over after taking the snap, giving the Illini the ball.Both teams appeared disorganized at the end of the second quarter. Illinois ran on third-and-10 from near midfield and didn’t come close to a first down, but Michigan State decided not to call timeout before getting the ball back. That worked in the Spartans’ favor because Keshawn Martin muffed the punt, giving the Illini possession at the 15 with 37 seconds left. mazingly, Illinois ran only one play from scrimmage, a 1-yard loss by quarterback Nathan Scheelhaasse. Instead of calling time out, the Illini tried to set up their next play, and the clock didn’t stop until Michigan State called time out with 8 seconds left, apparently concerned about its defensive plan.At that point, the Illini sent out Derek Dimke to kick a 33-yard field goal and went into halftime ahead 6-3.MSUwasted no time tying the game in the third quarter. After an interception gave the Spartans the ball at the Illinois 16, Dan Conroy kicked his second of four field goals.Cousins put Michigan State ahead to stay with his long touchdown pass. Illinois answered with a 39-yard pass to A.J. Jenkins, but Darqueze Dennard forced a fumble at the end of the play and recovered the ball.Michigan State was playing without suspended defensive back Chris L. Rucker, who was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated last Sunday. arry Caper’s 15-yard touchdown run made it 26-6 with 2:35 remaining in the fourth, putting the finishing touches on an emphatic victory over an Illinois team that played Ohio State tough and routed Penn State.