EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Connor Cook wore a headset during the second half of No. 13 Michigan State's 24-7 victory over Maryland on Saturday

afternoon.

His head coach is confident that the Spartans' star senior quarterback will be back in action for their crucial showdown at Ohio State next weekend.

Cook, who holds the school record with 32 victories as its starting quarterback, sat out the second half after suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder late in the first quarter. But coach Mark Dantonio indicated that on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being supremely confident, he feels Cook's chances of playing against the undefeated Buckeyes are "9.5."

"I think if we had chosen to run the football, he could have hung in there," Dantonio said. "I just don't think he had the velocity on his ball that he usually has and that was bothering him. That's my personal opinion. I think he was frustrated with that, so we went in the other direction."

Cook briefly left the game late in the first quarter after getting hit by Maryland sophomore defensive end Jesse Aniebonam on a pass attempt. He returned at the start of the second quarter but was clearly limited by the injury. Cook, who insisted his shoulder didn't pop out, completed just six of 20 pass attempts for 77 yards and was intercepted once.

"Coach D wanted to play it safe," he said.

His primary backup quarterback, junior Tyler O'Connor, completed six of 11 passes for 44 yards with a touchdown and interception. Ironically, O'Connor played during the second series prior to Cook's injury and engineered a scoring drive as Dantonio decided the backup needed some game reps.

"I was as caught off guard as you were," O'Connor said of getting the call in the early going.

Junior linebacker Riley Bullough returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown late in the first half, one of five turnovers forced by the Spartans (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) as they bounced back from the previous week's 39-38, last-minute loss at Nebraska. Sophomore running back Gerald Holmes gained 83 yards on 18 carries and scored a second-half touchdown.

"We needed to have a (defensive) game like that, to sort of set the stage for this next week," Dantonio said.

Junior quarterback Perry Hills completed 14 of 30 passes for 140 yards for the Terrapins (2-8, 0-6), who have lost seven straight and remain winless under interim coach Mike Locksley.

"Defensively, we played well enough to win the game," Locksley said. "Offensively, we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers. We had a promising drive but then we were putting the ball on the ground and we turned it over again in the passing game."

The Terrapins, who lost to Wisconsin by seven points the previous game, have committed 35 turnovers this season.

"The last four or five games, with the adjustments we've made and being very aggressive defensively, we've given ourselves opportunities to be in games against some really good teams," Locksley said. "The offensive side of the ball has been inconsistent and it starts with turnovers. Once we can find a way to minimize those things, we can turn the corner."

The Spartans' offense managed just 149 total yards and committed two turnovers during the first half but three Maryland giveaways allowed them to take a 17-7 lead.

Michigan State struck first after senior defensive tackle Damon Knox recovered a fumble at midfield. O'Connor tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to senior wide receiver Macgarrett Kings.

The Terrapins answered with a 10-play, 91-yard drive, capped by senior running back Brandon Ross' 1-yard run.

Bullough's interception with 2:07 remaining in the half put Michigan State on top. He stepped in front of junior wide receiver Malcolm Culmer and returned Hills' errant pass 44 yards down the right sideline.

Senior cornerback Arjen Colquhoun picked off junior backup quarterback Caleb Rowe on the Terrapins' next possession, setting up Michael Geiger's 35-yard field goal.

Holmes scored on a 3-yard run midway through the third quarter to make it 24-7.

NOTES: Michigan State WR Aaron Burbridge, the Big Ten's leading receiver, reached the 1,000-yard mark this season with a second-quarter catch. ... Maryland junior DE Yannick Ngakoue was credited with 1 1/2 sacks, giving him 12 1/2 on the season. He needs one more to break the school record of 13 sacks set by Mark Duda (1982) and Bruce Palmer (1978). ... The Spartans have won seven consecutive home games and 22 of their last 24 Big Ten contests. ... The teams hadn't played in East Lansing since 1950.