The Iowa football team lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship, 16-13.
By Danny Payne
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INDIANAPOLIS — This game was as Big Ten as Big Ten gets, which is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Regardless of the outcome, you can’t complain about the entertainment value this game provided. Both teams deserved to be here.
We’ll have more later on this evening and throughout the week, but here are some thoughts from the second half. You can find the first half here.
- Michigan State showed up when it mattered most. On that scoring drive, the Spartans converted three third downs and a fourth down. It’s not a testament to the poor play of Iowa’s defense but rather Sparty’s awesome play.
- That conversion from Connor Cook to Aaron Burbridge, wow. That’s a big-time play, and it kept Sparty’s game-winning scoring drive alive.
- For reference, that drive went 22 plays, 82 yards, and chewed up 9:04 of the clock. That’s the story of the game right there, folks.
- Iowa got the ball back with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter but wasn’t able to do anything.
- Time of possession: 36:28, Michigan State; 23:17 for Iowa.
- It wasn’t all bad for the Hawkeyes, however, that C.J. Beathard to Tevaun Smith touchdown, wow. Just wow.
.@LucasOilStadium just erupted.
Why?
Because @HawkeyeFootball just took the lead on this *long* TD. https://t.co/AdE6L3P3p2
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 6, 2015
- To break it down — Michigan State was in cover four. Slot receiver (I think it’s Matt VandeBerg) runs a deep out, causing his guy to go with him, leaving Smith in one-on-one coverage over the top. Beathard put it on a dime, and that’s 6. Good recognition by Greg Davis and Company. In and out routes are Day 1 stuff in the passing game, the Hawkeyes realized they’d have something after not having gone deep yet. Six points and the lead.
- I’m going to write about this for Dec. 7’s paper, but Iowa deserves the Rose Bowl, not Ohio State. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
- Stats:
