MSU offers no excuses for butt-whipping

By NICK PUGLIESE SourceMedia Group News

IOWA CITY – They got their butts whipped. Check.

They had no excuses. Check.

They will move on. Check.

They still control their own destiny. Not so fast.

In the aftermath of Saturday's 37-6 beating by Iowa, Michigan State's coaches and players agreed the previous 3-plus hours at Kinnick Stadium provided a reality check that the fifth-ranked and previously unbeaten Spartans probably needed.

“Everybody has been patting us on the back for quite a few weeks here, so now they will kick us to the curb a little bit,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. “We will respond and be ready to play next week and move  forward.”

That would make up for a game when Michigan State spent most of the afternoon going backward offensively and defensively. As MSU all-world linebacker Greg Jones bluntly put it: “We didn't come out to play.”

“We were prepared and we weren't surprised,” Jones said, “We have to be more of a gang-tackling type of team and have to get that reality back.”

Iowa proved it was for real by driving 80 yards on its opening possession to take a 7-0 lead and never looking back. The score quickly mushroomed as the Iowa defense intercepted Kirk Cousins three times with one of those being returned for a touchdown and another leading to a TD three plays later.

“Iowa is too good a team, certainly on defense, to do anything to negate what you're trying to do offensively,” said MSU offensive coordinator Don Treadwell, whose unit was held to 31 yards rushing and 258 overall. “Turnovers were a key factor in this one.”

Cousins completed 21 of 29 passes, mostly short-yardage slants, but the three picks were deadly.

“They were completely on me,” Cousins said. “The first one, the safety (Tyler Sash) got underneath the route like he's supposed to do. (On the second one) I went with my first option and felt like if I made a good throw and stick it in there … you can't stick it in there. You got to come back to your second and third options. The one (in the third quarter), I was just trying to do too much … and I threw off my back foot.”

Despite the loss, the Spartans are tied with Ohio State for the Big Ten lead at 4-1. They can win at least a share of the conference championship by winning their remaining three games against Minnesota, Purdue and Penn State. However, if Iowa wins out and Wisconsin loses a game, the Hawkeyes would advance to the Rose Bowl – thanks to Saturday's crushing victory.

“We're an 8-1 football team right now, it's one ballgame and we have to come back and get ready for three more,” said MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. “Iowa was a better football team today. They came out hungry. They got their tails kicked last week (by Wisconsin). Today, they kicked our tails. They made plays and we didn't.”

Jones said there were a lot of frustrated and upset players in the losing locker room, but no one was pointing fingers.

“I think we're going to let it loose, no offense to Minnesota,” he said. “That's a game where everybody will play their hearts out. We have to play like our season is still on the line and I think that's the mentality everybody will have.”