Last-second TD spoils MSU's upset bid
Spartans fall to No. 7 Hawkeyes 15-13
Freshman defensive tackle Jerel Worthy stands on the field after the Iowa Hawkeyes scored a last-second, game-winning touchdown to beat the Spartans 15-13 Saturday night at Spartan Stadium. The score was Iowa’s only touchdown in the game. Nick Miller/The State News
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The party was on.
Sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins had hit senior wide receiver Blair White on a 30-yard scramble touchdown pass — one play after a hook-and-lateral on third down, bringing the Spartans within field goal range — to give MSU a 13-9 lead against No. 7 Iowa with less than two minutes remaining.
The quarterback threw his arms into the air with a wide grin and Spartan Stadium was rocking under the lights, sensing that Cousins and Co. had provided a late-game miracle.
Turns out, there was something resembling a miracle. But not in the Spartans’ favor.
Alas, a recurring MSU football stigma returned Saturday night as the Spartans surrendered the late advantage and lost the game in the waning moments as Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi hit receiver Marvin McNutt on a seven-yard slant pass on the final play as Iowa left the Spartans stunned with a 15-13 defeat.
Photo: Senior wide receiver ...
Gallery: Iowa 15, MSU 13 ...
“When we scored at the end, I thought we had it, but obviously they go down the field at the end,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “I’m not sure exactly what all transpired. I know they had three plays in 15 seconds, which is amazing.”
Stanzi completed four passes on Iowa’s final drive — he had completed seven up to that point — and was able to find open receivers across the middle of the field.
The Spartans had pressured Stanzi all game with a four-man front, but sat back and allowed Stanzi to take his time and hit his receivers on the final drive.
“From a defensive lineman’s standpoint, we know when (coaches) do things like (change the front) … we’ve got to find a way to get there,” senior defensive end Trevor Anderson said. “It’s pretty much five men blocking three guys. Regardless of what they call, players have to make plays and we didn’t make plays.”
The Spartans did blitz on the final four plays, forcing incompletions. But it was too little too late and Iowa was able to break through on the final play.
Iowa’s game-winning touchdown capped off a hectic fourth quarter. With the Spartans and Hawkeyes tied 6-6, Stanzi hit receiver Colin Sandeman, who was immediately met by senior cornerback Jeremy Ware, who plowed Sandeman, knocking him to the ground, motionless.
A while after Sandeman stayed on the ground, the officials called a personal foul penalty on Ware. That kept the Hawkeyes’ drive alive and eventually led to a go-ahead field goal.
A furious Dantonio hollered for an explanation from the officials, but he wouldn’t reveal what that explanation was.
“I think I’ll leave that all up to you people,” he told the media after the game. “I think that you people can document it and research it. You can look at it in slow motion and you can question that yourself.”
Another late penalty flag hurt the the Spartans when MSU intercepted a Stanzi throw in the red zone, but was called for holding, nullifying the pick.
The Hawkeyes also were able to run three plays in the final 15 seconds, something else Dantonio couldn’t believe.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he said. “That’s why you guys have all the cameras and the video. Five seconds to go, I thought the game was over. I think the ball bounced up in the air too.”
Nevertheless, Iowa (8-0) ran another play and won the game. It was MSU’s third loss this season that came down to the final plays. After the latest defeat, 11 of Dantonio’s 14 losses as MSU head coach have come by eight points or fewer.
The Spartans (4-4) will have to recover quickly, as they head to Minnesota (4-4) next week to take on the Golden Gophers under the lights again. The Spartans now are facing a stronger sense of urgency if they hope to make a bowl game.
“Our guys will respond, and we have to take a step back and take a deep breath and keep moving forward,” Dantonio said. “I think I have some time in here before and said ‘life, football and athletics is a game of inches.’ Tonight is another example of a time when we did not come up with those inches.”
Commentary
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WTH
(10/24/09 11:11pm)Report
All that trickery to score 13 points! Maybe next time they need to dig a little deeper a little sooner.
SoCal Spartan
(10/24/09 11:13pm)Report
We deserved to win that game but had some unfortunate events.
Greatest game I’ve been to, and I was at the 2004 Big House loss. Still, we played well and deserved to win. However, the winds sometimes blow the other way.
Thank you Coach D and staff!
Thank you MSU Football with special note to White, Jones, Cousins and most of all Swenson.
Thank you fans that stuck it out there at the game with me. Much colder in Michigan then in my Cali crib, but worth the trip!
Go Green!
Go White!
GO STATE!
spartan4ever
(10/24/09 11:13pm)Report
This game was sooo close till the very end…state put up an amazing fight and im not sad we lost..some of the plays especially the last one including the touchdown were brilliant compared to some of the other games we played this year..It’s too bad we lost but it was still a very good game! Nice Job!
Joshua Vincent
(10/24/09 11:14pm)Report
FYI:
All you haters can shut up. Iowa is a good team and played to win. The only thing there is to say is we’ll be ready for Minnesota and take it one game at a time.
At least we beat Michigan
(10/25/09 12:19am)Report
For hanging with the 7th ranked team in the nation, kudos. In some special seasons, teams get those kind of breaks, eventually it will fall MSUs way…
hawkfan98
(10/25/09 12:23am)Report
You guys played a great game and your fans were good sports too. Best game of the year in the Big Ten. GL the rest of the way!!
second that^
(10/25/09 12:23am)Report
I will say horrible refs and some bad coaching. But mostly bad luck really. The players did great, amazing. Go state.
Mark
(10/25/09 12:32am)Report
Nice words hawkfan98. I will say that I am very disappointed but not upset. Tough battle for both teams for a full 60 minutes. Some unfortunate calls and penalties but overall great football. Just wish we could have covered that slant better. Oh well. Now please, just don’t loose to someone stupid like IU and make it all for not.
Go Green!!
(10/25/09 12:36am)Report
how does that ref make that holding call!! that was weak. and 4 plays in 16 seconds..come on. Great job green. by the eay robinson fumbled on the 2 in the 4th quarter, anyone else catch that?
I Was There
(10/25/09 12:39am)Report
Best Game Ever. Wish we had won, but what a great game! Glad I was there.
suck my nads
(10/25/09 1:14am)Report
Suck it state, even with the refs bought off we still kicked your monkey asses…….WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…..suck it. Iowa kicked your ass!
Emily
(10/25/09 1:29am)Report
State football will always suck. Michigan and every other opponent has them beat by over 50 games. Then people act surprised when they play bad- they only ever have a good season every ten yrs or so. The schools academic record/ rankings and the football will always be at the bottom
mumu
(10/25/09 2:05am)Report
the schools academic record/ rankings at the bottom of what?
Mike
(10/25/09 2:07am)Report
Emily – get a life, seriously.
Everyone else – - great game, hard fought, and Iowa just may be the real deal this year – - but MSU will come back from this loss – count on it!
Brian
(10/25/09 3:13am)Report
CHRIS RUCKER SHOULD BE STRIPPED OF SCHOLARSHIP AND FEND FOR HIMSELF AFTER THAT LACK OF PASSION ON THE LAST PLAY EASILY ALLOWING MCNUTT TO CATCH THAT! AND I WILL NOT REST UNTIL THE BIG TEN SUSPENDS THOSE OFFICIALS FOR MAKING A GAME WINNING PERSONAL FOUL CALL. WILL NOT STOP!
i think...
(10/25/09 4:39am)Report
There must be some kind of automated-“insult” generator that UofM fans use whenever they’re team blows it. Reference to “history” of program? Check. Reference to records spanning back since before the century? Check. Completely non-relevant (and false) remarks about MSU’s academic rankings? Double-check. Yawn. (I’m an MSU grad currently getting his finance MBA from Columbia. I’m glad Michigan accepted me though, I’m sure they would have been a great fallback school until I could transfer).
John
(10/25/09 8:00am)Report
the PF call was horrible, and they probably don’t get even a field goal without it. It still sticks in my craw the next day. It was a great game until the refs intervened.
77 State Grad
(10/25/09 9:25am)Report
I am proud of the way our team played. Nevertheless, some investigative journalism could show up those poor calls by the officials – all those plays in 15 seconds, the fumble they didn’t notice, the non-existent personal foul. Radio announcers George Blaha and Jim Miller pointed out the high number of calls refs messed up so far this season in MSU games, and USA deplored this same fact throughout the country. I would personally like to know whether the officials are merely incompetent or being bribed. Given the big money that college football programs generate, they deserve better officiating.
Joel V
(10/25/09 9:55am)Report
We got to put this game in the can and focus on Minn. Great effort team, great game, I never say this but horrible refs. Just keep fighting!
Tim
(10/25/09 10:28am)Report
Kudos to MSU defense. They came to play. Hard hits…just like the D’s of old.
Agree with many here that the refs sure seemed in the bag for Iowa. The personal foul call on the very hard hit by Ware came after the refs confered. I wonder: had the Iowa kid jumped right up would the flag have been thrown? Glad the young man appeared OK.
All in all: proud of the kids for the way they played. Best game I’ve seen in years.
Very happy to see some new wrinkles out of Treadwell. But…Narduzzi and the prevent have got to go. 1:46 left and we go “PREVENT” and allow them to drive the field. Keep up the pressure in Stanzi’s face; don’t allow him time to set up. Narduzzi is a chump for going “prevent.” Never will understand that.
Disapointed? Yeah, but for the first time in a while very happy with the effort and very happy with the hard-hitting “D.” Make ‘em hurt! Make ‘em pay. Iowa will need an extra day or two this week to recover. Just like the MSU defenses I remember from the old days. For that I’m liking what I see. Not yet ready to drink from the collective green Kool aid for MD” yet. This is why I said in previous blogs,” not yet fully delivered.” Good teams find ways to lose close teams; Great tems just the opposite. MSU has not turned the corner yet on that!
Now we face the inevitable task of keeping the kids “up” for practise and not falling apart next week at Minnesota. We can still salvage something from this season. Realistically maybe 7-5.
Apple Pie
(10/25/09 10:31am)Report
Emily,
The Ph.D. program in Rehabilitation Counseling is ranked first in the nation by US News & World Report.
Please get your fact right before making an erroneous statement like “The schools academic record/ rankings and the football will always be at the bottom.”
Joshua Vincent
(10/25/09 10:38am)Report
Additionally, we’ve had the #1 elementary education grad program for a long time, #1 School of Packaging, #1 Theoretical Physics, #1 College of Osteopathic Medicine, top tier Supply Chain, top tier Veterinary Medical schools, etc, etc.
http://msu.edu/rankings-and-recognitions/index.html
So yeah…calling us the bottom is pathetic. Most likely one of those uneducated Wal-Mart Wolverines…you know?
So Emily, go to college, you’ll learn something.
Tony
(10/25/09 11:18am)Report
7-5? Unlikely with this coaching. More like 6-6, and a trip to the Pizza Bowl. At least we’ll have a chance to get some payback with Central.
I’ve never seen such a coaching breakdown, as I do with MSU’s defense when games get tight. Does the Def. Coordinator piss his pants, and a handy spectator calls the plays while he’s in the bathroom hiding, or what? Every close game we piss away because of poor defensive calls.
I sure admire the players for showing up with such inept coaching in the clutch. Here’s a hint, Dantonio, instead of looking pouty on the sidelines when your defense gets put in lousy positions by insane playcalling, pick up the headset and start calling the plays yourself. We’re not paying you the big bucks to huff and puff on the sidelines and give inane press conferences after your coaching staff pisses the game away.
DamToni
(10/25/09 11:26am)Report
Apple Pie, Yea but your football team is still 4 & 4. Mediocre at BEST. Every team they did beat SUCKS. Plus they lose to Central !!! LOL
JPL
(10/25/09 11:34am)Report
We (Fans AND coaches) need to look at those two penalties and realize they WERE penalties. There CANNOT be any helmet to helmet contact like that. We should also be ashamed of the way we continued to boo as Iowa’s player (Sandeman) was carried off of the field. I’m as frustrated with the fans behavior as I was with the players lack of execution. Could be worse though. Look at Nebraska yesterday with 8 turnovers!!