Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) celebrates the game-winning touchdown with tight end Paul Lang (83) over the Iowa Hawkeyes during the fourth quarter in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan State won 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
It took a gutsy performance by the Michigan State football team against Iowa to win the Big Ten Championship Game.
What a performance it was for the Michigan State football team on Saturday night in Indianapolis in front of a primarily gold and black crowd. Sure, there were about two Iowa Hawkeyes fans to every one Spartan, but that didn’t take away from the incredibly gutsy win for the green and white.
With a quarterback still ailing from a shoulder injury, Michigan State put together one of the most impressive scoring drives in college football history, totaling 22 plays over nine-plus minutes and ending in a one-yard touchdown by true freshman LJ Scott after being held back, but spinning away from two Iowa defenders.
There’s no doubt that this game lived up to its billing and both the Spartans and Hawkeyes proved that they were worthy of a spot in the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately, one team had to fall and that was the Hawkeyes, 16-13.
Iowa received some major respect from the committee, however, as the Hawkeyes earned the Rose Bowl bid over the previously sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes had the best defense Michigan State has faced to this point.
How did the Spartans grade out, by position, on Saturday night? Let us know what you think.
Connor Cook: C+
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) runs the ball during the first half in the Big Ten Conference football championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Watching Connor Cook attempt passes in the second half of the Big Ten title game was painful. Not only for the coaching staff and spectators, but it probably felt just as bad for the senior gunslinger. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner looked fatigued and his passes weren’t hitting the targets like they usually had.
Michigan State had to rely on the run heavily in the second half, especially with Cook completing just 7-of-18 passes for just under 100 yards down the stretch.
I’m giving Cook a ‘C+’ not just because he looked off, but it’s clear he’s not completely himself yet. A good few weeks off before the Cotton Bowl will do his shoulder some good because it’s quite obvious that he’s playing through some intense pain.
Too often, his throws were low to the turf or far too high, but luckily it didn’t cost the Spartans. He showed some grit on the final drive, picking up a huge fourth-down conversion with an option keeper and taking a big hit at the end. He was [somehow] named the game’s MVP.
Next: Running Backs
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) dives in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Conference football championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs: A
Since the bye week, including the loss to Nebraska, Michigan State has averaged a solid 170 rushing yards per game. Over the past three games, Michigan State has averaged about 188 yards on the ground. Before the bye, the Spartans were rushing for just 150 yards per contest with multiple games of under 100 yards on the ground.
The running backs are starting to gain some confidence as the weeks go by, and the one-yard runs up the middle on first down are starting to turn into four or five-yard gains.
Let’s begin with Gerald Holmes who started the game yet again for Michigan State. He may have finished with just three carries for 13 yards, but he proves to be a dynamic threat in the run game who defenses have to prepare heavily for.
Madre London has picked up his play and is earning more carries. He’s starting to look like the running back we expected at the beginning of the year and haven’t seen since his injury. He finished with 60 yards on 12 carries, giving him 80 on 13 rushes over the past two games.
Lastly, the game’s hero, LJ Scott. The true freshman really proved to be the key factor in the win, leading Michigan State on the final drive with solid run after solid run — much like he did against Ohio State on the last possession.
Scott finished with 73 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, which includes the one-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left on the clock to win the game. In case you just want to watch it again, here it is in all its glory:
"LJ Scott powers in the game-winning Touchdown to win the B1G Championship! @drpepper #OneOfAKindPlay #CFBPlayoff https://t.co/m8Dg3vAioh — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 6, 2015"
Next: Wide Receivers
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Aaron Burbridge (16) runs the ball as Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Ben Niemann (44) looks to defend during the first half in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers: B+
I wanted to give the receiving corps a higher grade, but a lack of production, whether it was their fault or not, prevented an ‘A’ or higher.
Cook was off his game, as mentioned earlier, so the Spartans’ receiving crew did whatever it could to salvage a decent performance. It seemed like every other play, a Michigan State wide out was seen diving or leaping for a pass that was just out of their reach. Cook’s throws were so unlike him that the receivers were probably just as caught off guard as we were watching him.
This doesn’t mean there weren’t some fantastic plays, though.
Late in the fourth quarter — on the final drive, to be exact — Cook threw a pass to Aaron Burbridge which seemed to be his best throw of the day. It was toward the sideline and the senior Big Ten Receiver of the Year recipient tip-toed the white line and brought it in. It was ruled a catch on the field and the replay showed he did have a foot in and possession of the ball.
That’s when the drama started.
Burbridge had a foot out of bounds and then brought it back in before making the reception, meaning that it should have been ruled illegal touching and a loss of a down. Yes, it was Nebraska controversy all over again. That made it third down with just minutes remaining and Cook went his favorite target’s way once again, squeezing it between two defenders, but Burbridge made the catch.
There were some impressive plays all day long from these guys (also, Paul Lang’s catch and broken tackle/Felton Davis’ 22-yard catch) but it was all about the run game.
Next: Offensive/Defensive Lines
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Tommy Vento (16) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive/Defensive Lines: A+
A 22-play drive. About 9:04 taken off the clock. Michigan State’s offensive line proved to be a dominant force in this one as the Spartans rode the hot hand to victory. It was obvious that the big guys up front had been owning the Iowa defensive line, so Coach D decided to just hand the ball off to LJ Scott and see what he could do.
That last possession will forever be known as “The Drive” because of this offensive line’s hard work — and that’s why Connor Cook gave his MVP trophy to them, unselfishly.
Cook would be the first to tell you that he did his line a disservice by not trusting them early in the game. What I mean by this is that he constantly had happy feet and looked uncomfortable in a pocket that wasn’t collapsing, even running into pressure on his own. He had all the time in the world to throw, but he was having an off night.
The offensive line played great, especially on that last play to guide Scott across the goal-line for a Spartan victory.
As for the defensive line, it was just as impressive. Shilique Calhoun had been hearing all year long about how overrated he was or how he tends to disappear in big games. Well, he proved all the doubters wrong, recording two huge sacks and arguably positioning himself as the top MVP candidate in the Spartans’ win.
Demetrius Cooper had the other sack and the defensive line dominated and held a stout Hawkeyes’ run game to just 52 yards on 24 carries. These guys really rise to the occasion in big games as they also held Heisman-hopeful running back Ezekiel Elliott to just 33 yards two weeks before.
What a game in the trenches it was for Michigan State and that’s how the Spartans became Big Ten champs.
Next: Linebackers/Secondary
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive back Demetrious Cox (7) celebrates an end zone interception during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Linebackers/Secondary: B
If it hadn’t been for an 85-yard touchdown pass in the second half to put Iowa up 13-9 in a game that looked like one touchdown would end up deciding it, the Michigan State secondary and linebackers would have received a much higher grade.
Tackling is still somewhat of an issue for both position groups. On multiple occasions, plays blown up behind the line of scrimmage by guys like Jon Reschke and Riley Bullough ended up as five-yard gains. That’s unacceptable.
Bullough finished with just five tackles, Reschke had four and Darien Harris led the way with nine — the latter has seemed like the most consistent of the three all year long. To be fair, the defensive line did a solid job of making sure the running backs didn’t need to get to the linebackers and secondary, bottling up Iowa for just 52 yards on 24 carries.
For yet another game, Michigan State’s secondary looked very much improved. That 85-yard touchdown pass by C.J. Beathard to Tevaun Smith that I mentioned earlier was the only big gash of the game allowed by these guys. Take that play out of the equation and Iowa’s gunslinger would have had just 131 yards on 17 completions.
Demetrious Cox recorded one of the most spectacular interceptions of the season to end an Iowa drive in the redzone, picking it off Bullough’s back and even on the long touchdown pass, the coverage by Darian Hicks was tight.
Really nothing to complain about other than the touchdown.
Next: Special Teams
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans place kicker Michael Geiger (4) kicks a field goal during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference football championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Special Teams: B+
What can you say about the special teams in this one? Well, they didn’t lose Michigan State the game, so there’s that. All jokes aside, the punt, kickoff, punt return, kick return and field goal units have been vastly improving all year long and it’s really hard to believe that this is the same group that began the season giving up a kick return touchdown in the first game of the year to Western Michigan.
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Sure, Michael Geiger missed two field goals in the first half, but he also made three, including a 47-yard attempt. The offense was all field goals until the final drive of the game which was capped off by a one-yard LJ Scott scamper, but Geiger’s huge extra point put Iowa three points behind.
Geiger accounted for 10 of the Spartans’ 16 points and the missed field goals were from just out of range. The first one was wide from about 52 yards out and the second, to end the first half, was on target, but about a foot short from around the same distance. He showed resilience by drilling two tries in the second half.
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Jake Hartbarger helped Michigan State win the field position battles with some really good punts as he is starting to mirror his predecessor, Mike Sadler, with consistency.
Last, but not least, but punt and kickoff coverage units were solid. Desmond King was held to just four punt return yards and 52 kick return yards. Kevin Cronin forced three touchbacks.