Hawkeyes had their say, almost had the last word

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The war paint was smudged. His fingers trembled. His hair was everywhere.

Nate Meier went into the Big Ten championship game with a groin injury and then there were the leftover effects of a shoulder injury that put him in a sling after the Maryland game on Oct. 31.

This is what's left after you pour your existence into a game and literally fall an arm's length short of a conference championship.

Michigan State running back L.J. Scott reached his arm over the goal line with 27 seconds left and gave No. 5 Michigan State (12-1) a 16-13 victory over No. 4 Iowa (12-1). It was the final push of a 22-play, 82-yard drive that drained 9:04 off the clock and left the Hawkeyes with that desperation lateral limbo that no one wants.

'Tonight we proved that we're a tough team, but hat's off to them,' the senior defensive end said. 'They finished the whole 60 and we just ran out of time.'

The drive had a little bit of everything, including a fourth-and-2 converted on a run by star quarterback Connor Cook, who squeezed a perfect 16-yard pass to wide receiver Aaron Burbridge on a third-and-8 earlier in the drive. The Cook run gave MSU first-and-goal at Iowa's 3. On third down, Scott muscled and squirted out of the arms of linebacker Cole Fisher and cornerback Desmond King.

Scott reached his arm over the goal line. And maybe 10 minutes later, Spartans coach Mark Dantonio was on the big platform wearing a Big Ten title hat.

'As it got down inside the 10, I was saying, pound it, take the game and the clock, which I think is a big thing,' Dantonio said. 'If you can run the clock out, 24 seconds at the end of the game, 14, whatever it is, so we got the game and the clock.'

If you thought allowing Michigan State to score to save time on the clock entered Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz's thinking, have you met Iowa football under head coach Kirk Ferentz?

'We were confident right up to the last play we were going to make a stop down there, I think everybody on our team was,' Ferentz said. 'We've been there before and done that.'

And the Hawkeyes almost did it again.

Scott rushed 14 times for 40 yards during the drive. The Spartans overcame a holding and an illegal touching penalties (and eight penalties for 80 yards, for that matter). It was a little bit of Cook, who earned his second B1G title game MVP award, but it was a lot MSU's offensive line and the cumulative effect of a tilted time of possession. Michigan State held the ball for more than 22 minutes in the second half and for 11:39 of the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes converted just three third downs.

Still, Iowa summoned all of its Meier and everything or what's left of everything. It took the Spartans five plays to get the final 5 yards for the win.

In an alternate universe, maybe reserve defensive end Melvin Spears, in on goal line defense, lands that kill shot on Scott just before he reaches out with the ball.

The defensive players in the postgame had the same red eyes and blank stairs. The physical and emotional gas tanks were empty.

'Emotionally and physical exhausted, just kind of shocked mostly,' Fisher said. 'Just to come so close, especially with everyone saying we couldn't do it, it's a tough way to lose.'

Iowa's offense didn't do much, 268 total yards (third lowest output of the season). Still, it almost was enough. Quarterback C.J. Beathard hit wide receiver Tevaun Smith for an 85-yard TD that gave Iowa a 13-9 lead with 14:49 left in the game. That drive lasted 1:08 and that was still too much time off the clock.

'C.J. put it right out there on the money,' Ferentz said. 'Tevaun finished the play. Gave us a spark in the second half. Gave us an opportunity to take the lead. Just a tremendous play.'

On its next drive, the Hawkeyes went for the kill on first down. Beathard tried to hit wide receiver Matt VandeBerg for another bomb. Iowa wasn't interested in grinding out a drive. It couldn't. For the first time all season, the Hawkeyes were held to less than 100 rushing yards, gaining 52 yards on 24 carries. And, no, it didn't help that senior running back Jordan Canzeri left the game in the first half with an ankle injury.

VandeBerg separated from cornerback Darian Hicks, who grabbed some jersey to slow him down. VandBerg broke open, but the hold held him up and the ball ended up being overthrown. Unintentional great play from Hicks.

'The one thing I think we can live with is the way we played the game tonight,' center Austin Blythe said. 'We gave it our entire effort. We emptied the tanks for this game.'

It took a 22-play, 82-yard drive to beat the Hawkeyes. They lost when Scott spun seemingly forever and reached over the goal line. The amount of grunt that went into those last 5 yards could've built a pyramid.

Iowa emptied its everything and fell a yard and a reach short.

'Time ran out on us,' Ferentz said. 'Congratulations to them. Time ran out. I feel like our team has a bunch of champions, too. We probably learned more about teamwork from our players this year than we taught them.'

No serious voice in the college football universe is talking down Iowa now. The Hawkeyes had their say and they almost had the last word.

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