No. 5 Michigan State 16, No. 4 Iowa 13

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Iowa went out on its own terms.

No. 5 Michigan State (12-1) won the Big Ten championship game, 16-13, over the No. 4 Hawkeyes (12-1). The Spartans will jump into the College Football Playoff final four when the pairings are announced Sunday. The Hawkeyes will find out their bowl destination at 3 p.m. Sunday.

The Spartans won. They put on the hats and T-shirts and ran out and touched the Big Ten championship trophy for the second time in three years. The Big Ten East again reigned supreme over the West.

The Hawkeyes won't find solace in close or the fact that it was a half from winning its first outright Big Ten title since 1985. If it's the Rose Bowl for Iowa, that won't take the sting away from Saturday night.

The Hawkeyes plugged in, pushed and shoved, but Michigan State saved its best for last.

After an illegal touching penalty forced the Spartans into a third-and-8 from the 50, MSU quarterback Connor Cook showed why he will be an NFL millionaire. He squeezed a perfect pass to wide receiver Aaron Burbridge for a 16-yard gain to Iowa's 34.

It took a perfect pass and Cook, whose resume now includes two Big Ten title game MVPs and a Rose Bowl MVP, delivered it.

This ignited the Spartans' final push, which was all running plays and freshman running back L.J. Scott carrying it into the end zone from 1 yard with 22 seconds left in the game.

The Spartans final drive was epic. They drove 82 yards on 22 plays and took 9:04 off the clock. They converted five third downs, including Cook taking a QB power play 2 yards to convert a fourth-and-2 from Iowa's 5.

'It was a 22-play drive and I think 21 of them were runs,' Cook said as he accepted the MVP trophy. 'Just a helluva job by the offensive line.'

This was a drive that will play for eternity in East Lansing. It will never be seen again in Iowa City.

The confetti fell from the Lucas Oil Stadium roof. The stadium held a Big Ten record 66,985 fans, which was heavily tilted to the Hawkeyes.

Cook, clearly not quite himself with an injury to his throwing shoulder, finished 16 of 32 for 191 yards. Scott finished with 73 yards. Iowa's defense emptied the bucket and went through some injury stress and just ran out of steam during that final MSU drive.

Iowa lost the time of possession, 36:38 to 23:22. It converted just 3 of 12 on third down. The offense didn't sustain much of anything against the Big Ten's best defense.

Shelton ran through a huddle of Iowa tacklers and stretched his arm over the goal line. You knew, but the play was reviewed. Kind of a cruel touch to a heartbreaking end.

It was that close.

Iowa was leaking oil as the fourth quarter started. Michigan State surged to a 9-6 lead on a methodical drive that ended on a 47-yard Michael Geiger field goal. The Hawkeyes were 3 of 10 on third down and the defense started to feel that pain.

Center Austin Blythe was called for a holding penalty, a rarity to say the least this season, and Iowa found itself with a first-and-20 from its 15-yard line.

It did not look good. And then it did.

Quarterback C.J. Beathard threw a little play-action fake and bombed a perfect pass to wide receiver Tevaun Smith for an 85-yard TD and a 13-9 lead with 14:49 left in the fourth quarter.

Smith beat cornerback Darian Hicks, and even slipped an ankle tackle for good measure. He ran into the end zone and struck a pose.

Iowa led 13-9 with 14:49 left in the game. It tried to go for the kill on first down of its next drive, with Beathard trying to hit wide receiver Matt VandeBerg for another bomb, but MSU held. The doors closed on a 9-yard completion to tight end Henry Krieger Coble.

The end end came on a failed lateral attempt by Smith with five seconds left. That was the end end of a dream season for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa's start to the game was falling down a flight of stairs that happens to be next to a tank of sharks who have been dieting.

Offensive tackle Boone Myers was called for a hold on the game's second play. The third was a completed pass to tight end Henry Kriger Coble, who was hammered by MSU linebacker Riley Bullough. The ball popped out, cornerback Arjen Colquhoun recovered and, after review, it was Michigan State ball at Iowa's 27.

The Iowa defense minimized the damage and held the Spartans to a 23-yard field goal from Geiger.

Iowa's next series flamed out when Beathard tried a QB sneak on a third-and-1 from Iowa's 48 and was stopped. It was the first time in 14 QB sneaks that the Hawkeyes didn't convert a first down or touchdown.

It was OK, Iowa's defense again held strong.

This time, defensive end Parker Hesse got his arms around Cook, who flipped the ball into the arms of linebacker Josey Jewell for a first down at MSU's 20.

After Beathard scrambled to pick up a first down on a third-and-6, the Hawkeyes had first down at MSU's 8. On first down, pressure forced Beathard to throw a pass away. On second, he completed a short pass to VandeBerg for a 2-yard gain. On third down, Beathard tried Smith, but Colquhoun had excellent coverage and knocked the ball away.

Iowa had to settle for Marshall Koehn's 24-yard field goal.

That was kind of the theme for Iowa's first half, falling short inside Michigan State's 20-yard line. Iowa's best drive came after Geiger missed a 52-yard field goal. From its 35, Iowa marched 11 plays to MSU's 5-yard line.

Then, it was a freak play, but freak plays count, too. Beathard tried tight end George Kittle, who had what would've been an amazing catch, with the ball trapped between his hands and his helmet. But Bullough blew up another tight end. This time the ball flipped in the air and settled on Bullough's back, where safety Demetrious Cox picked it off for an interception.

Again, Iowa had three cracks with first down from MSU's 8, but couldn't get into the end zone. That was six plays inside MSU's 10 with just three points to show for it.

Still, Iowa held a 6-3 halftime lead — Koehn added a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter — after Geiger had a 52-yard field goal bonked off the crossbar.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com