Sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins reacts to No. 7 Iowa’s game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock in fourth quarter of MSU’s 15-13 loss Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
Mark Dantonio stood on the sidelines with a blank, almost bewildered look on his face. Several players lay on the field in the midst of a large Hawkeyes celebration. A frenzied Spartan Stadium crowd, at a fever pitch prior, was eerily silent.
In the span of a few seconds, the MSU football team went from being on the brink of one of the program’s biggest wins of the decade to a stunned disappointment after Iowa scored a seven-yard touchdown with no time left to beat MSU 15-13 on Saturday.
“It was a little surreal for me,” Dantonio said. “I was stunned.”
The Spartans mounted a comeback of their own 1:37 earlier as sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins found senior receiver Blair White for a 30-yard touchdown, capping MSU’s own improbable drive, which featured a risky hook-and-lateral play on third-and-18 that set up the go-ahead touchdown.
But Iowa, which to that point had amassed just 206 yards of total offense, drove 70 yards for the winning touchdown, running four plays in the final 15 seconds.
“We played our hearts out on both sides of the ball and for that to happen is heartbreaking,” junior tight end Charlie Gantt said.
Said Dantonio about Iowa running four plays in 15 seconds, “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
The loss marked the third time this season the Spartans have lost in the final minute.
“Iowa’s a great team and we stuck with them the whole time,” junior linebacker Eric Gordon said. “We’re right up there in the country, we just need to finish these games. It’s not a difference in talent or anything, we need to finish.”
Iowa took a 9-6 lead on an 11-play drive that spanned 6:39 in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes got two breaks on the drive. The first came when junior cornerback Jeremy Ware was assessed a late personal foul for his big hit on Iowa receiver Colin Sandeman that knocked Sandeman out.
“The phantom flag, or whatever you want to call it,” senior defensive end Trevor Anderson said. “From a football player’s standpoint, I don’t think it is a personal foul. Even talking to two other refs, they didn’t know why he called it.”
Junior cornerback Chris L. Rucker said no one saw where the flag came from.
“We were all celebrating,” he said. “We were all happy we made the stop and next thing you know a flag came out of nowhere and it changed things.”
Sandeman walked off the field under his own power and Dantonio visibly was upset with the call on the sidelines.
Dantonio said he got an explanation from the officiating staff but when asked if he would share what he was told he simply responded, “Not really.”
“I think I’ll leave that up to all you people,” he said to the media after the game. “You people can document it, you can research it, you can look at it slow motion and you can question that yourself.”
Later in the drive, junior safety Marcus Hyde appeared to force Iowa running back Brandon Wegher to fumble on third-and-goal, but the play was whistled down and not reviewed. Iowa kicked the go-ahead field goal on the next play.
Despite the tough breaks and the loss, Dantonio said he was happy with the way the team handled itself.
“We played hard and we played tough,” Dantonio said. “We played tough with toughness. … And I’ve always said this, when our guys play hard and they come to play and they prepare to play and they play to make plays, then I can handle whatever happens and that’s what we did tonight. So, I’ll handle it and our football team will, too. It’s when we’re not prepared that upsets you, but I think we played.”
On the goal line
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The Spartans defense forced Iowa into two short field goals with two fourth quarter goal line stands. The first came early in the quarter when MSU stopped the Hawkeyes three times, including a one-yard loss on third down, forcing Iowa to kick a 20-yard field goal to tie the game at six. The second came on Iowa’s next drive, when the Hawkeyes reached the three-yard line and MSU was aided by a holding penalty that set Iowa back. The Hawkeyes settled for a second 20-yard field goal to take a 9-6 lead.
“That was big, especially going against their offensive line,” Anderson said. “They have to be averaging at least over 305 (pounds). Everyone keeps saying we’re small, can’t stop the run, but somehow we’ve been finding a way to do it all year long, especially on the goal line, find a way to buck up. As our coaches say, ‘Just drop your nuts and it’s time to go ahead and do what you got to do.’”
But on the other side, MSU’s offense was denied on the goal line for the third straight game. Against Illinois, sophomore running back Glenn Winston fumbled. Against Northwestern, sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins was denied on a quarterback sneak on fourth down. And Saturday, a pass and two runs were denied by Iowa. MSU kicked a field goal this week.
“We have to watch film, correct our mistakes and get better,” Gantt said. “It’s a mindset.”
One for the record books
Senior kicker Brett Swenson broke MSU’s all-time field goals record with his 34-yard boot in the first quarter, passing Dave Rayner’s mark of 62. Later, Swenson became MSU’s all-time leading scorer with his extra point in the fourth quarter. His 335 points surpassed Rayner’s mark of 334.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Swenson said. “I wish the feeling could be a little better at the outcome, but it’s definitely a great accomplishment through the career so far with what I’ve done.”
