Fake punt provided separation for Iowa and MSU, can Hawkeyes draw closer?

IOWA CITY — A normally stoic Mark Dantonio stood at a podium outside of his Kinnick Stadium locker room in 2013 and a smile creased across his face.

On the fourth quarter's first play, Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans faced fourth-and-7 from their 37. Armed with a 20-14 lead in a game of Big Ten Rock'Em, Sock'Em Robots, most coaches would punt and force the opponent to fight uphill against the league's best defense. Instead, Dantonio went on the attack.

Punter Mike Sadler lined up and received the snap. Sadler hesitated for a half-second and then sprinted to wide-open territory to his right. He rushed for 25 yards before going out of bounds at the Iowa 38-yard line. Four plays later the Spartans booted a field goal to go ahead by two scores. Michigan State won 26-14, the first of nine consecutive wins by double digits against Big Ten opponents that season.

'I was caught off guard by it personally,' said Iowa senior linebacker Cole Fisher, who was on the field for the play. 'There was no, 'Hey watch the punter,' or anything like that.'

'I just wanted to make sure that our players know that they're at risk on the football field,' Dantonio said afterward. 'They're going to be at risk. The corners are at risk. Sometimes the coach needs to take a risk, too. I'm going to step out there and do that. So 'Hey Diddle Diddle' worked. ... It's Sadler up the middle.'

Then came the smile. His reaction told the world yet again he was the master of on-field football espionage, and the Hawkeyes became his latest stool pigeons.

In a recurring feat over a five-year period, Iowa once again was depantsed on special teams. Beginning with the 2010 season, special teams gaffes cost Iowa games. Big games. Important games. There was a blocked punt and a kickoff return for a score at Arizona in 2010. There were a pair of onside kicks at Minnesota in consecutive seasons. Another onside kick against Central Michigan late in 2012, and a fake punt against Northern Illinois. A pair of punt returns, including one for a touchdown, rallied Nebraska for a 37-34 win. All of those were painful.

But two special teams letdowns were different. Over the last generation, Iowa has identified closely with Wisconsin and Michigan State. All three have templates based on toughness, power offense and run defense. All three have waged epic battles against one another in recent years. At one time, it appeared Iowa had the upper hand on both schools. But in a pair of crossroads games — one against each opponent — Iowa fell short, and a fake punt was the culprit. In a high-stakes moment, both schools doubled down, and the Hawkeyes folded. Ultimately, both plays provided a figurative separation among the programs that Iowa hopes to close in this weekend's Big Ten title game.

In 2010, after seven lead changes, Iowa led Wisconsin 30-24 with 6:25 left in the game. The Badgers faced fourth-and-4 from their 26. Former Badgers Coach Bret Bielema called for a fake, and punter Brad Nortman bolted up the middle untouched for 17 yards to keep the drive alive. Twelve plays later, Wisconsin scored the game-winning touchdown and won 31-30.

That victory propelled the Badgers into three consecutive Rose Bowls. The play stunned Iowa, which had enjoyed a 22-4 record over its previous 26 games entering that duel. Wisconsin won 16 of its next 19 Big Ten games, and Iowa had drifted off Wisconsin's plain.

When Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, the league realigned into divisions based on competitive equality over a 17-year period. The Spartans were an afterthought because they weren't as consistent as either the Hawkeyes or Badgers. Dantonio guided Michigan State to a division title in 2011, but the Spartans slumped to 6-6 in 2012. It was part of Michigan State's pattern. Spanning the Big Ten's evaluation period — until Dantonio's arrival in 2007 — Michigan State never posted consecutive winning regular seasons.

MSU's game at Iowa in 2013 provided a test for each program's response to a down season. When the game reached its critical juncture, Dantonio took the biggest gamble. He also gleaned the greatest reward.

The game served as a springboard for the Spartans. Counting that win, Michigan State is 23-2 against Big Ten opponents the last three years. Like Wisconsin before it, Michigan State had separated itself from Iowa. Both did it on fake punts.

The plays served almost as a metaphor for how Iowa's equals became their superiors. Neither program was afraid to take risks at crucial times, while Iowa stood flat-footed. That has changed this season.

Iowa's special teams largely has held up. A blocked punt for a touchdown against Pittsburgh and a kick return for a score against Maryland didn't cost the Hawkeyes a win. Iowa hasn't allowed its opponent to recover an onside kick in four attempts. As a freshman in 2012, Henry Krieger Coble was in the front wall against Central Michigan and was supposed to block and let the ball pass to the second level. He stepped aside, but a darting opponent led to a recovery.

This year, Krieger Coble has recovered three onside kicks. The other rolled out of bounds.

Improving special teams play was essential to this season's success, Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. He emphasized special teams play and strength development were the foundation to Iowa's success in his early tenure. When asked about the special teams gaffes of the past, Ferentz said, 'Thanks for bringing up all those great memories.' Then the conversation drifted to the other plays that dinged Iowa on the field.

'You didn't mention the onside kicks that we didn't get, some legal and some not so legal,' Ferentz said. 'Anyway, that's part of football, and it's good, aggressive coaching. We've got to be ready, and we'll have to be ready Saturday for sure because there's a long resume of fakes, be it on field goals, punts and all those types of things in critical situations. So we're really going to have to be on our toes.'

In October, Iowa beat Wisconsin for the first time since 2010. In the Hawkeyes' most high-profile game in a generation, can they close the gap on Michigan State, too? Special teams might provide that answer.

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com