IOWA CITY, IA – In a year when everything seems to go wrong, Michigan State football’s latest loss unraveled in perhaps the worst way.
The Spartans blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, with Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski tying it with a touchdown pass with 1:29 to play and the Hawkeyes’ Drew Stevens booting the game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired to send Jonathan Smith’s team to an eighth straight loss, 20-17, on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Kinnick Stadium.
The eight-game losing streak for MSU (3-8, 0-8 Big Ten) ties the second-longest drought in school history, with a loss to end 1981 and seven straight to start 1982 under Muddy Waters. The program record is 10 straight losses between the 1916 and 1917 seasons.
Since joining the Big Ten, MSU has gone winless in conference play just once – an 0-5-1 finish in 1958 under Duffy Daugherty. The Spartans have one chance to avoid that, closing their third straight losing season and fourth in the past five years with a 7 p.m. finale at Ford Field in Detroit against Maryland.
They have not made a bowl game since 2021.
Special meltdown
MSU’s punting unit could not stop return specialist Kaden Wetjen.
The Iowa senior opened his monster day with a 44-yard punt return in the first quarter. He then returned a Ryan Eckley punt 62 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter as Iowa took a 7-3 lead into halftime.
The Spartans were lucky it wasn’t worse, as Alessio Milivojevic threw an interception just before halftime near midfield on a questionable decision from Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren. But Stevens missed a 53-yarder as time expired.
After Milivojevic threw two touchdown passes to Chrishon McCray in the third quarter to give MSU the lead, Wetjen did it again with a 40-yard punt return to set up Gronowski’s 13-yard touchdown to Terrence Smith with 1:29 to play.
Iowa (7-4, 5-3) took advantage of a quick MSU drive and moved 46 yards on three straight Gronowski completions. That set up Stevens for the winner.
Tough loss
The defense looked strong for a little more than three quarter before again melting down.
Iowa had just 142 yards through three quarters before ripping off 159 in the final 15 minutes. Malik Spencer’s first-quarter interception was the Spartans’ first in five games and just their fourth all season.
Quindarius Dunnigan knocked the ball out of Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski’s hand in the third quarter, and Jordan Hall pounced on it. It was the first time this season that MSU, which entered with just six turnovers forced on the season, got multiple takeaways in a game.
Milivojevic finished 25-for-42 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The Spartans outgained Iowa, 335-301.
Though he was sacked only twice, Milivojevic was hit nine times by Iowa’s defense and chased from the pocket repeatedly.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU’s collapse in loss to Iowa perhaps worst yet under Jonathan Smith
Reporting by Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
