Last-second TD spoils MSU's upset bid
Spartans fall to No. 7 Hawkeyes 15-13
By Chris Vannini (Last updated: 10/25/09 11:19pm)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.
“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.”
Originally Published: 10/24/09 11:01pm
WTH
10/24/09 11:11pmAll that trickery to score 13 points! Maybe next time they need to dig a little deeper a little sooner.
SoCal Spartan
10/24/09 11:13pmWe 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 11:13pmThis 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!
10/24/09 11:14pmFYI:
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 12:19amFor 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 12:23amYou 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 12:23amI will say horrible refs and some bad coaching. But mostly bad luck really. The players did great, amazing. Go state.
Mark
10/25/09 12:32amNice 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 12:36amhow 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 12:39amBest Game Ever. Wish we had won, but what a great game! Glad I was there.
suck my nads
10/25/09 1:14amSuck 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 1:29amState 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 2:05amthe schools academic record/ rankings at the bottom of what?
Mike
10/25/09 2:07amEmily – 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 3:13amCHRIS 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 4:39amThere 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 8:00amthe 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 9:25amI 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 9:55amWe 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 10:28amKudos 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.
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Apple Pie
10/25/09 10:31amEmily,
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.”
10/25/09 10:38amAdditionally, 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 11:18am7-5? 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?
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DamToni
10/25/09 11:26amApple 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 11:34amWe (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!!