“I just kept telling myself to keep my legs pumping”.
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“The effort was there, it just hurts”, Iowa center Austin Blythe said.
Added right guard Donavon Clark, “At some point in time, you have to realize the game is on the line and at some point I didn’t get exhausted”.
The stakes were simple and as high as possible in Indianapolis on Saturday night: Win and you’re in. “There’s a lot more to do, we’ve got two more games, two more (teams) to play”.
“Credit Michigan State”, Beathard said.
Seven plays later, Geiger connected on a 23-yard field goal to give Michigan State a 3-0 lead and leave Iowa trailing for the first time in 14 quarters. The Hawkeyes came into the game having trailed only five times all season. At intermission, Iowa had gained 152 total yards to Michigan State’s 142.
The Iowa defense stepped up as the team kept Michigan State to just a 23-yard field goal try.
Henry rushed for 189 bruising yards and the second-ranked Crimson Tide wore down No. 18 Florida with a dominating defensive performance, beating the Gators 29-15 in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday.
Koehn’s 24-yard field goal with 5:08 left in the first quarter tied the game at 3.
After Beathard displayed some terrific elusiveness and got the Hawkeyes all the way to the five-yard line, a third-down pass to the end zone bounced out of the hands of George Kittle, off the shoulder of linebacker Riley Bullough and into the hands of Demetrious Cox for an interception. It was the first time Beathard was picked off since October 17 against Northwestern. Not that the drive lasted forever, but when it started, the Michigan State quarterback was Kirk Cousins. They will play for the program’s first national championship in 49 years. The 85-yard score sent a charge through the Hawkeyes-heavy crowd.
Iowa’s Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher initially attempted to bring down Scott, who spun around and eluded attempts by Desmond King and Fisher to bring him down before his outstretched arm crossed the goal line and ended a drive that drained all of the Hawkeyes’ timeouts and took 9 minutes, 4 seconds off the clock. “Tevaun finished the play”. “He gave me a little glance with about two minutes left in the game and I said, ‘All right, we’re good'”. “We had opportunities to make plays”.
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.
With the win, the Spartans not only earned a league title but in all likelihood punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff, where they will compete for a national championship.
Cook converted on fourth-and-two with 1:54 left in the game and after a timeout, Michigan State scored their first touchdown of the game, which came on the 21st play of the drive. On the game winning drive, Cook led a 22-play series that was the longest drive for the Spartans in the past 12 years.
“Well, wish it had a different outcome”, Ferentz said. “I think we’ve proven you can’t count us out of any game”. “We’ve been there before and done that”. “We were in the huddle and I knew I was getting the ball”, Scott said.
Iowa reached the red zone at the outset of the second quarter and faced a fourth and four from the 20. But that wasn’t enough time for the Hawkeyes. “The defense played well all game. We knew it was all or nothing on that drive, and we had to punch it in”.
“At first, I honestly didn’t think I was going to get in”, Scott said of the game-winning score.
Both lost to Michigan State by three in the final seconds.
“That’s Michigan State football: running the ball, pounding everybody”, receiver Aaron Burbridge said. “They played a great football game”.
“Our football team knows how to win”.
He finished 16 of 32 for 191 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.
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