Spartans Bowl Hopes Cloudy After Loss

A bad week for Michigan State ended poorly as the Spartans blew a fourteen point halftime lead en route to a 34-27 overtime loss to Iowa.

MSU saw their weekly routine disrupted when Ingham County, MI authorities announced charges against three Spartans players including starters SirDarean Adams and T.J. Williams.

Only Williams made the trip to Iowa City, playing sparingly. Adams and seldom used corner Jeremy Ware were late scratches.

MSU jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead behind two short TD runs by Jehuu Caulcrick. But after pinning MSU in their own zone, State's Jonathan Misch committed a personal foul late hit, putting Iowa at the MSU 30 and Albert Young scored two plays later to give Iowa new life.

The Spartans need a clutch 26-yard Brett Swenson field goal into the wind following a huge Brian Hoyer to Devin Thomas 3rd and 16 conversion to lift MSU into overtime.

But after ending the first period tied at 27, MSU curiously elected to go on defense and Iowa's Jevon Pugh's 1-yard run was the winning score when MSU saw an incompletion, a sack and the final play to Thomas well short of a first down.

Now MSU finds themselves in amongst a pack of teams including two Iowa (4-5) and Northwestern (5-4) that own head-to-head victories over them. In addition, Illinois (6-3), Purdue (5-4) and Indiana (5-4). Only Minnesota (1-8) is out of bowl contention in the conference.

With just three games left including next week's Backyard Brawl against Michigan, at Purdue and vs. Penn State, the Spartans need at least one win to become bowl eligible and likely two to distinguish themselves from the pack and claim one of seven bowl bids available to the conference.