Iowa loses heartbreaker to Michigan State 16-13

A half-dozen Iowa defenders tried to stop Scott and pushed him backward, but he wouldn’t be denied. And the Michigan State-Alabama game, according to the Las Vegas Superbook, opens Bama as a 9.5-point favorite over MSU.

“We built a foundation”, Dantonio said.

Saban said of the job Dantonio has done at MSU: “He’s certainly done a better job than I ever did there, I’ll tell you that”.

It was a drive that included so many tense moments that no one play stands out as the most significant. “This is an accumulation of a lot of people, a lot of work”. “We have our own nook in the locker room and we all sit together, and it was pretty emotional”. Beathard’s touchdown pass to Smith was Iowa’s longest play from scrimmage this season.

McCaffrey ran for 207 yards and a score, threw a touchdown pass, caught another and broke Barry Sanders’ single-season all-purpose yards record. Scott did most of the damage with 14 carries for 40 yards.

LJ Scott carried for runs of 7, 3, 3, 6, 2, 3, 5 and 0 yards, setting up a fourth-and-2 at the 5. Michigan State had a great drive at the end, but defense played lights out all game.

The Big Ten champion Spartans completed last season on New Year’s Day playing in their first Cotton Bowl.

I can’t wait to see Michigan State-Alabama or Iowa-Stanford.

“Time ran out on us”. A big difference from last season, when the committee had to choose from Ohio State, Baylor and TCU, and ticked off the Big 12 by jumping the Buckeyes past Bears and Frogs in the final rankings. It comes down to heart, attitude and a willingness to never give up.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio billed this season “Reach Higher” this offseason, but the message aimed a little lower this time.

The Buckeyes’ eventual victory over the Ducks for the National Championship only heightened Cook and Calhoun’s desire to finish what they started at MSU.

The biggest thing for CMU, according to Bacon, is that they’re going to a bowl game. This team’s three most impressive victories – Michigan, Ohio State and now Iowa – were achieved on the final play, the final play and with 27 seconds remaining, respectively.

The third game between ranked teams is one of those intra-city rivalries that nearly assures a close, physical game.

“We wanted to come back and win a championship”, Cook said. “To anybody out there who stayed to the last snap, we appreciate that….” This is a humble, blue-collar football team.

“We gave it all that we had”, Lomax said. They (the Spartans) just kept finding a way this year. The Hawkeyes ran just 16 plays in the second half. After the Spartan defense forced Iowa to go three-and-out, the offense ended a taxing 11-play drive that tied the score at 6-6 on Michael Geiger’s 29-yard field goal. Michigan State got the ball back with 31 seconds left, which transitioned into a field goal opportunity. “I think it’s a good opportunity we have with the Citrus Bowl and a solid opponent in Florida to end the season on a good note and get these guys rolling into next year”. It marked the fifth field goal of the game between both squads.

“I feel like Coach D has been doing that the last couple of years, he says something at the beginning of the year and everyone’s like ‘what?’ and then at the end of the year that’s what it comes down to”, Allen said. I don’t really know how to approach that.

INDIANA: The Hoosiers are going bowling for the first time since 2007 and just the second time since 1993.