Ohio State lets Elliott have it

Michigan State has a rivalry with Michigan and has played big games against Ohio State and Wisconsin.

The time is drawing near for Christian Hackenberg to think about his future, whether he will return to Penn State for his senior year next season or leave for the National Football League draft.

No. 4 Iowa (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) and No. 5 Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) will face off in Indianapolis in the biggest game these programs have ever played against each other. “The Spartans ran for 188 yards and three touchdowns, including 64 yards and one score by Gerald Holmes”.

Connor Cook threw for three touchdowns after missing last week’s game as Michigan State beat Penn State 55-16, setting up a date with Iowa in the Big Ten championship game.

“Those were great football teams and they accomplished a lot”.

It may be the title game no one saw coming, but ESPN’s College GameDay is going to be there to take in this Cinderella Story to see who will punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff. “So, there’s added risk to all of this for us”.

“I was watching the game for a little bit”, Iowa center Austin Blythe said. During a teleconference Monday, Cook said he was impressed with Iowa’s toughness. “I think it will really work out in our favor”.

Plenty of players got into the act as the Spartans scored a season-high in points. He led Iowa down the field and alertly called timeout with two seconds left after sliding for an 8-yard gain.

There was obviously no letdown from their shocking upset in Columbus.

“I hope we get four, but it doesn’t look good”, Meyer joked. It’s one thing to be missing players, it’s another to simply struggle to slow a team down.

Elliott had a 5-yard run that put Ohio State up 14-3 in the second quarter and a 10-yard run put the Buckeyes ahead 35-13 early in the fourth.

But more than records and numbers, Cook’s career is defined by big-game success.

Penn State, 0-5 against ranked teams under coach James Franklin, committed four turnovers leading to 27 Spartans points. Maybe this year’s run will help the Hawkeyes attract more top prospects, but it’s hard to envision them recruiting the kinds of classes that routinely end up at Ohio State or Alabama. The Golden Gophers turned the ball over five times. “We weren’t running the ball very well, we weren’t getting stops on defense…it hurts”. “My comfort is being in the pocket, throwing on the move here and there”. “We’ve been able to get pressure against pretty much everybody all year long”. “But when you take your starting defensive ends off your unit, it’s going to have an effect”. Penn State settled for a field goal. They were down 10 at the break and had out gained the Spartans by 68 yards.

The Michigan State special teams has been a weakness throughout the first half of the year or so. “If there are 10 seconds left, you’ve got to play that 10 seconds, because anything can happen”. They definitely put it to Penn State on third downs. He entered the game tied with Matt McGloin, who had 46….

Both teams have a plus-14 margin and making the most of opponents’ mistakes is a big part of how both are built, something Nebraska coach Mike Riley was quick to point out following Friday’s loss to Iowa.

There will be plenty of time between now and Penn State’s bowl game, which could come as early as the December 26 Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., or as late as the January 2 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.