Michigan State University Athletics
Team Goal: Play 14 Games
11/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 10, 2011
By Steve Grinczel, Online Columnist
No football team has inflicted more pain on Michigan State over the past three decades than Iowa.
It's not just a matter of the Spartans losing seven-straight games in Iowa City since their last victory in Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 7, 1989. Nor is the agony rooted in the Hawkeyes' 15-8-1 advantage in the series since 1981 and 4-1 superiority in the five most recent meetings.
Rather, it's the gut-churning way many of those losses to Iowa went down, when they occurred during the season and the impact they had on MSU's aspirations.
Look no further than last season when No. 5 Michigan State rode an eight-game win streak into Iowa City. The Spartans fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter, trailed 30-0 at halftime and were down 37-0 before scoring the final six points by either team early in the fourth quarter.
Michigan State went on to win its final three games, but thanks to Iowa, it had to share the Big Ten Championship and was prevented from playing in the Rose Bowl.
The Hawkeyes are perhaps the last true example of a nemesis standing between Coach Mark Dantonio's program and the corner it must get around before it can say it has arrived as a mature, bona fide entry on the national level.
If the No. 13-ranked Spartans win, they will remain alone in first place in the Legends Division with two games remaining and on track to play in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game while all but eliminating Iowa from contention.
These are the kind of games serious contenders must win to receive the respect they crave. A loss would put MSU in the position hoping against hope that its fellow contenders lose again so it can back its way into the most advantageous position possible.
It's no wonder Dantonio has had his video technicians splice not-so subliminal messages into each player's film clips.
"Every time a particular cut-up of a particular play is played, whether it's on special teams, defense or offense, that scoreboard flashes," Dantonio said. "So they get a reminder every time they watch film of us last year. There's also a reminder of the '09 season, the '07 season or the '08 season.
"We've got 40 players who last season went out there with us when we were undefeated. We didn't respond very well, so we have some things to prove."
Of the thorns Michigan State still has to pull from its side, many were jabbed their by the Hawkeyes.
Two seasons ago, MSU was seconds away from upsetting 8-0 Iowa, but Ricky Stanzi completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt to pull out a 15-13 victory in Spartan Stadium.
The '07 Spartans held a 17-3 halftime lead in Iowa City, but gave up 17 unanswered points and needed a field goal with four seconds remaining to force overtime. The Hawkeyes scored the only points of the second overtime period to pull out a 34-27 victory.
In 1996, Michigan State led 17-0 midway through the second quarter in Kinnick Stadium, but was outscored 27-7 in the second half. The Hawkeyes converted a fumbled kickoff into a touchdown to tie the score at 30-all and won, 37-30, after they intercepted a MSU pass in the end zone on the final play of the game.
In 1994, Iowa was down to its fourth-string quarterback and completed just 4-of-10 passes for 74 yards, but still came out of Spartan Stadium with a 19-14 victory.
What stands out as arguably the most demoralizing Spartans defeat in recent memory came against Iowa on Oct. 4, 1986. Trailing 24-21 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Dave Yarema drove MSU deep into Iowa territory. However, the Spartans' chance to take the lead was quashed when Yarema's intended receiver, tight end Mike Sargent, was pulled down at the goal line and his short pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Iowa ran out the final seconds to preserve the victory. Michigan State was so deflated the following week, it barely put up a fight in a 27-6 loss at Michigan.
In '85, No. 1 Iowa trailed unranked MSU 31-28 with 37 seconds remaining when Hawkeyes quarterback Chuck Long fooled the Spartans with a fake handoff and ran a naked bootleg into the corner of the end zone while raising the ball triumphantly over his head.
Michigan State has enjoyed only a measure of revenge against Iowa, such as with the 16-13 victory in 2008, which was secured with Adam Decker's fourth-down tackle behind the line of scrimmage with 2:16 remaining, but only sporadically.
With the Legends Division title in reach, the Spartans are confronted with yet another statement-making opportunity.
"The magnitude of this game can be referenced in terms of where we're at as a program right now and what we're trying to do as a team," Dantonio said. "This is more about our football team. The challenge lies in who we're playing and what's at stake from a program standpoint.
"Our goal now is to play 14 (games). We know we're going to a bowl game for the fifth straight year, and now it's just a matter of where. If we play 14, we'll at least know we've won this division and will have an opportunity to play for the Rose Bowl. That's our challenge."
