The Spartans capped off a 22-play, 82-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by L.J. Scott that put Michigan State up three points with 27 seconds to play. It was an epic drive that milked 9:04 off the clock. The Spartans drove the length of the field, converted a fourth and two from the Iowa 5-yard line on a Connor Cook keeper, and then, on Scott's third consecutive running play, he scored from a yard out.
This game only saw its first touchdown early in the fourth quarter, as Iowa's C.J. Beathard lofted a beautiful pass to Tevaun Smith for an 85-yard touchdown that put the Hawkeyes up 13-9.
Third quarter: Michael Geiger's 47-yard field goal with less than a minute to play in the third quarter gave the Spartans their first lead since the first quarter at 9-6. A defensive game in the first half has carried over to the second half, as the teams traded punts to start the third quarter. Michigan State tied it up at 6-6 on Geiger's 29-yard field goal with 4:23 to play in the third quarter.
First half: Iowa led 6-3 at halftime. It was a defensive battle in the early going as the Iowa Hawkeyes and Michigan State Spartans have managed only field goals in the first part of the second quarter. An early Hawkeyes fumble led to Michigan State's field goal. And a Connor Cook interception led to Iowa's first field goal. Iowa then added a second Marshall Koehn field goal early in the second quarter.
Later in the second quarter, the Hawkeyes put together a long drive, only to have it end with a wild Spartans interception in the end zone. The teams then traded punts before Michigan State had a final scoring chance, but Michael Geiger missed a 53-yard field goal as the clock expired on the half.
Pregame: The 2015 Big Ten football championship game between the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans and the No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes is essentially a play-in game for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The winner will be in, while the loser will have to settle for a bowl game.
Will Iowa remain undefeated and make the playoff, or will the Spartans knock off another Big Ten unbeaten and get in? Here's how to watch and follow Saturday's game:
What: No. 5 Michigan State Spartans (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes (12-0, 8-0)
When: 5 p.m. PST Saturday (kickoff at 5:17)
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. Capacity: 66,700
TV channel: Fox (In Portland area: Comcast 12/712; CenturyLink 12/1012; DirecTV 12; Dish 12)
Commentators: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
Satellite radio: Sirius 82; XM 82
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.