Long drive by Michigan State leads to win over Iowa

Dantonio openly talked about getting MSU playing for a national championship when he was hired in 2006.

Michigan State and Iowa gave it their all in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday in Indianapolis.

“But close game, we came out on the losing end of it. It’s tough to handle, but you live with it”, Beathard says.

Rather, it was the unlikely words of an ESPN analyst that did the most to make some wonder whether the Big Ten had truly dethroned the SEC as America’s best league.

Middle Tennessee (7-5) of Conference USA takes a four-game win streak to the Bahamas for their first bowl since 2013.

Iowa QB C.J. Beathard threw for 216 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Hawkeyes fell to 12-and-1 in heartbreaking fashion. You know the one: that ability to win a game when no one believes it can be won. However, when they needed a game-winning drive, it was bread-and-butter, “Pound, Green, Pound” running behind Mark Staten’s powerful line that gouged out the win.

Iowa had the Big Ten championship in its sights Saturday night, and then it didn’t after Michigan State played keepaway and scored the winning touchdown with 27 seconds left. Although, one could argue that Finebaum’s words already did just that. “I looked over at L.J. and he was going, “phffff, phfff” [exhaling]”, Allen said. He’s a three-time Big Ten champion. “Every time we’ve been in that locker room after a game, it’s been exciting, joyful”.

And now it’s on to the next. “He gave me a little glance with about two minutes left in the game and I said, ‘All right, we’re good'”.

Finally, we have our playoff pairings! That’s something this program’s never done, somewhere our program’s never been. “We can either win the game and go to the playoffs or go home sad”.

Michigan State again limited Iowa to three plays and punt, which it followed with a six-play possession that provided a 9-6 lead on Geiger’s 47-yarder.

Michigan State entered the 2015 football season with a simple, two-word philosophy: Reach higher.

The game is played at Marlins Park – about a 15-minute drive from Miami Beach.

No. 17 Houston 24, No. 20 Temple 13: In Houston, Greg Ward Jr. ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns and Houston beat Temple in the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship game. Alabama lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Iowa was no slouch on Saturday night, especially defensively, so it was definitely a win that MSU earned. That’s not yet official, of course, but it’s expected by so many, it’s practically fact. Now it’s on to the semi for the victor. But while that remains an unknown for the next few hours, what is a known is that the Spartans will be competing for a national championship.

“I was just trying to make a big play for my brothers”, Scott said. They’re capable of so much, especially when they believe those things.

“We built a foundation”, Dantonio said. There’s a belief system. It was a great, competitive football game. That’s provided by our upperclassmen who have been here to this game before.

The Tigers are well-versed in how to get around Sun Life Stadium, and embarrassed Miami 58-0 earlier this season on the same field they’ll see for the bowl game. Championship football teams do that. Now, that national championship trophy Dantonio envisioned is only two wins away. In 2002 the Buckeyes certainly had them, do the Spartans have those type of players?

Those qualities should serve them well against an Alabama team that is favored by nine points, but has rarely been challenged deep into the fourth quarter.

Well, he doesn’t have to hope any longer.

“We faced a lot of adversity, but we persevered”. We still need to keep fighting. It was slow going from there, but that suited the Spartans just fine.