Match-Up Against Hawkeyes Will Have Huge Big Ten Implications

In a season which would have officially seen the bottom if the Michigan Wolverines claimed victory, Michigan State has rallied from a 1-3 start to win three in a row, including defeating Northwestern 24-14 on homecoming day.

The Spartans’ (4-3, 3-1) next opponent is the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) in a game which may have important conference repercussions down the line. The Hawkeyes are the only team without a conference loss, while the Spartans and Buckeyes are two of three teams in the Big Ten to have only one conference loss, with the third being Penn State.

The Hawkeyes lost to the Spartans, 16-13, last season in Spartan Stadium. Iowa will travel to East Lansing again this season, only this time around it will be a night game.

Iowa has had some close calls this season, but it has also looked very impressive at times. They defeated Michigan in a back-and-forth game, while upending formerly-unbeaten Penn Sate.

"We've battled back from a 1-3 start, and that's not easy to do," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said after the Spartans defeated Northwestern 24-14 Saturday. "We've kept our head up and persevered through things. If there's any lesson there, that's the lesson that you learn. Stay the course and keep a positive attitude and things will turn out."

To think that the Spartans could win four games in a row, and at the same time give the Hawkeyes their first loss, is a dream come true for fans and personnel alike. It shows the resiliency of the team and the determination of the players to turn things around and not let the season slip away.

A month ago, it seemed as if that was exactly what was going to happen. The Spartans had high hopes to reach another New Year’s day bowl game, just like the team had done last season, after a 9-3 campaign nobody ever really saw coming. Early losses to Central Michigan and Notre Dame could have put a chink in the Spartans’ armor, too.

But as the defense has come around, so has the rest of the team. Steady play from quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol has helped salvage the offense and a slumping running game suffering from the loss of Glenn Winston.

The Kirk Cousins-Blair White connection will probably be the Hawkeye defense’s biggest point of emphasis. The quarterback and receiver have developed great chemistry over the course of the season, and White caught 12 balls for 186 yards and two scores against Northwestern.

Iowa is the current cream of the crop in the Big Ten, and a victory over such a well-balanced team could mean bigger things down the road for the Spartans.