Spartans slip past Hawkeyes

After nearly 58 minutes of grind-it-out, pound-it-home football Saturday, Iowa turned the game against MSU into a game of inches.

Trailing the Spartans 16-13 with 2:13 remaining, the Hawkeyes faced a fourth-and-inches situation at MSU’s 20-yard line. Instead of attempting a 37-yard field goal for the tie, Iowa opted to keep its offense on the field and go for the first down.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi handed the ball to 5-foot-11, 235 bruising running back Shonn Greene, who ran to his left in search of an opening.

The only thing he found was junior middle linebacker Adam Decker.

Decker stopped Greene in the backfield for a 3-yard loss, turning the ball back over to MSU and sealing a 16-13 Homecoming win at Spartan Stadium.

“I just remember thinking, it’s one-on-one, give him a nice square hit and don’t let him fall forward,” Decker said.

After the turnover, MSU (5-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) converted one first down before lining up in the victory formation.

“(I) thought about it and earlier in the game also,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said about his decision to go for it on fourth down. “We decided our best shot was going for it. They (did) a good job, they put their big people out there and bottom line — we weren’t able to execute the call.”

Decker’s game-sealing tackle was one of the biggest highlights in a game that lacked offensive fireworks.

MSU’s lone touchdown came early in the first quarter, when senior quarterback Brian Hoyer threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Charlie Gantt, who was wide open after a play-action fake.
Iowa turned the ball over deep in MSU territory in the second quarter when sophomore cornerback Chris L. Rucker made a diving interception at the MSU 4-yard line.

On their subsequent possession, the Spartans drove 84 yards, taking 7:32 off the clock, before junior kicker Brett Swenson made a 29-yard field goal to put MSU up 10-0.

Junior defensive end Trevor Anderson sacked Stanzi on Iowa’s next play from scrimmage to force a fumble, which was recovered by sophomore nose tackle Oren Wilson on the Hawkeyes’ 12-yard line. MSU began the series with a penalty, then went three-and-out before Swenson converted on a 32-yard field goal with 2:53 remaining in the first half.

“Brett Swenson’s just been a diamond in the rough, he’s so special,” MSU offensive coordinator Don Treadwell said. “He has been solid … and he obviously made a difference today.”

Iowa kicker Trent Mossbrucker made a 32-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half to get the Hawkeyes on the board, 13-3. Iowa and MSU exchanged field goals in the third quarter, giving MSU a 16-6 cushion heading into the final quarter.

After trading turnovers in the middle of the fourth, Stanzi hit wide receiver Andy Brodell in stride for a 31-yard touchdown to cut Iowa’s deficit to three points, but it proved to be the final score of the game.

“There’s something special about this football team right now,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “Some how, some way, we’ve been able to reach each other a little bit and play through some difficult times. I guess that’s football character on the field, and that’s something we need to continue to develop and we need to win the close games.”

Iowa’s defense held senior running back Javon Ringer to 91 yards on 25 carries, while Hoyer completed 13-of-24 passes for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Three players led MSU with eight tackles each, while junior defensive end Trevor Anderson had four tackles — all for losses.

“There were people making plays all day long — interceptions, fumbles — I’m just glad as a defense we could make the stop that we needed to,” said Decker, who finished with eight tackles. “Hopefully it gives us some momentum going into the rest of the season, and as good as this win feels, we have a big game next week too.”

MSU returns to action at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11 against Northwestern (5-0, 1-0) in Evanston, Ill.