SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In the week leading up to the Silicon Valley Football Classic, Michigan State sat and stewed while Fresno State and star quarterback David Carr got all the attention.

Michigan State rolls up 593 yards in a Silicon Valley Bowl victory over Fresno State.(AP)

"I wanted to throw up before the game," linebacker Josh Thornhill grumbled.

Instead, Charles Rogers and Jeff Smoker led the Spartans to a 44-35 victory Monday while putting on an offensive show as impressive as anything Carr and his corps of receivers accomplished this season.

Rogers set a Michigan State record with 270 yards receiving and also caught two of Smoker's three touchdown passes for 72 and 69 yards during the Spartans' phenomenal first half. He and Smoker, both sophomores, showed Michigan State's future is every bit as bright as Fresno State's present.

"When you've got a good quarterback like Jeff Smoker, (numbers) like that just kind of happen," Rogers said. "Me and him became real close this season. We kind of read each other's minds, and next year, it's going to be even better."

While the Bulldogs came into the game with a five-game winning streak and the glory of their breakout season, Michigan State finished eighth in the Big Ten and barely qualified for the postseason.

None of it mattered when the Spartans (7-5) started work on a first half in which they gained 405 yards and scored 37 points, capitalizing on four big plays for the bulk of their production.

"All week, all we heard was David Carr, this and that," defensive end Nick Myers said. "It was like we weren't even down her for the bowl game. ... Our guys showed they can play a little bit, too."

In a matchup of two potent offenses that combined for 1,146 total yards, Smoker and Rogers outdueled seniors Carr and Rodney Wright, who even bested the Spartans' stratospheric numbers. Carr passed for 531 yards to Smoker's 376, while Wright finished with 13 catches for a school-record 299 yards and two TDs.

"It's been a special season, and I'm really going to miss this football team," Wright said. "I just kept telling myself before the game that I wanted to be remembered. I just wanted to go out with a bang."

After Fresno State (11-3) pulled within two points in the final minutes, the Spartans made one last scoring drive to clinch their second postseason victory under coach Bobby Williams, who became the only coach in school history to win his first two bowl games.

"Our success is in our preparation, in how we get our players ready for games," Williams said. "It showed today."

T.J. Duckett rushed for 184 yards and two scores as Michigan State overwhelmed the Bulldogs, who finished with their first loss in four games against teams from BCS conferences.

"I told the guys after the game that it was a small blemish, but it doesn't tarnish the season that we had," coach Pat Hill said. "Michigan State just made big plays. There were some great athletes on the field today."

Fresno State fell to 0-4 in bowl games during Hill's otherwise successful tenure.

After just two seasons, this unassuming lower-tier bowl game is building a reputation for exciting, bizarre football. A year ago, the Bulldogs overcame a 27-point deficit but lost the inaugural game to Air Force when a fake field goal failed in the closing seconds.

Though Spartan Stadium was dominated by thousands of red-clad fans who made the two-hour drive from Fresno, Michigan State also had a large rooting section that roared for the victory. After the teams exchanged handshakes, Myers -- the game's defensive MVP -- planted the school flag at midfield.

Offensive milestones fell faster than snow in East Lansing on a surprisingly warm, dry day after a week of rain in the San Francisco Bay area.

In the first quarter alone, the Spartans had the longest rush in the school's bowl history, the second-longest pass in their bowl history, their longest field goal of the season and their first defensive touchdown of the year when Monquiz Wedlow recovered a fumble in the end zone.

With a 69-yard TD pass to Rogers 3:05 before halftime, Michigan State went ahead 37-21. The teams combined for 752 total yards in the first half.

Trailing 37-28 with 6:52 left, Fresno State's Bryce McGill blocked Craig Jarrett's punt and returned it to the Spartans 16. Two plays later, Paris Gaines caught a screen pass and ran through several blocks for a TD.

But Michigan State came alive once again for a 77-yard drive. After a 43-yard reception by Rogers, Smoker hit Ivory McCoy for a 5-yard TD with 1:59 left.