Cousins admitted his hair had a little more time to grow than he expected, but one day after MSU was blown out Saturday by Iowa, 37-6, the first thing he did before heading to Skandalaris Football Center to watch film was make a trip to the barber shop.

“I’m starting over, it’s a fresh start,” Cousins said. “I told them to cut it extra short so we could make it clear as day that it’s a new start.”

One of the many players looking to start anew this week, Cousins likely wants to forget last week’s loss to the Hawkeyes more than anyone. In arguably his worst game of the season, Cousins threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the first quarter.

After his performance against Iowa, Cousins said he has thought about every mistake he made. And with a week to prepare for No. 16 MSU’s (8-1 overall, 4-1 Big Ten) game Saturday at Spartan Stadium against Minnesota (1-8, 1-4), Cousins said he is ready to get back on the field.

“(We are) very excited to get back out there and just try to prove ourselves once again,” Cousins said. “I think every Saturday, whether you’ve played very well or very poorly the week before, you want to get back out there and show it again that you can play at a high level.”

Bouncing back from losses such as the one the Spartans suffered against the Hawkeyes hasn’t been a problem since head coach Mark Dantonio came to MSU four years ago. Dantonio hasn’t made a habit of losing big — only losing four games by more than 12 points. But when he does, it has not had a negative effect on his team’s next game.

The first blowout came in 2008, when a 6-1 Spartan team lost, 45-7, at home against Ohio State. The next week, the Spartans defeated archrival Michigan, 35-21, at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 1990.

At the end of that season and the 2009 season, MSU lost its season finale to Penn State by a combined 59 points. However, the Spartans responded with two solid performances in bowls games against stronger opponents in both of those seasons.

Dantonio said he reminded his players of how well they’ve been able to recover after embarrassing losses right after the game against Iowa.

“I think we’ve done a great job of bouncing back and playing well,” Dantonio said. “So I think we continually talk about that.”

Senior linebacker Greg Jones has started in each of the three previous big losses for MSU. Consequently, he also has been a part of the next week of preparation following the losses and on the field for the next game.

He said he’s not sure there is a specific reason the Spartans have been able to rebound so well, but he did say it’s important to remember the season is not over after one loss.

“I don’t think there’s any super-duper secret,” Jones said. “I just feel like the thing is to regain the confidence. When you lose a game, it hurts your confidence as a team, and we just need to get that back.”

Jones could see that confidence returning already Tuesday in MSU’s first full practice since the Iowa loss, and echoed Cousins when he said he is excited to play again.

When the Spartans do take the field Saturday, they still will have a lot to play for. Winning the next three games guarantees them at least a share of the Big Ten Championship, and with a little luck, MSU could be playing in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

And with those goals still achievable, Dantonio said he expects Saturday to be similar to every other time his Spartans have had to bounce back quickly.

“The sky is not falling here, we’re 8-1,” Dantonio said. “We have something to prove and we’ll be ready. We pride ourselves on that.”