The chants rained down before halftime: “Overrated … Overrated … Overrated.”
And with that, No. 18 Iowa (6-2, 3-1) put an exclamation point on its 30-0 halftime lead over fifth-ranked Michigan State (8-1, 4-1). The final 30 minutes were inconsequential — nothing but a formality, really. The Hawkeyes shellacked the Spartans, 37-6, to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive.
As remedies go, this was the perfect concoction for Iowa to recover from its one-point home loss to Wisconsin on Oct. 23. A dominating defense performance — which rendered nearly as many first-half interception return yards (104) as Michigan State total yards (126) — turned the national-title hopeful Spartans into a mistake-prone machine.
Iowa safety Tyler Sash intercepted Kirk Cousins’ pass in the waning minutes of the first quarter. What he did after that was considered both imprudent and ingenious. Pitching the ball to cornerback Micah Hyde — over the head of Michigan State wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, no less — Sash set up Hyde’s 66-yard touchdown return.
Before the first quarter ended, Iowa held a 17-0 lead.
The Hawkeyes only had four offensive possessions in the first half, but found themselves up more than four scores at intermission.
On the game’s first series, quarterback Ricky Stanzi led a seamless 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Wide receiver Colin Sandeman was on the other end of Stanzi’s touchdown toss. It was the beginning of a big day for Stanzi and the Hawkeyes.
The quarterback completed 11-of-18 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, continuing his flawless 2010 season.
Perhaps more importantly, the Hawkeye defense reverted to its usual dominance after giving up 28-plus points in consecutive games for the first time since 2005. Iowa forced three turnovers, which led to 14 points, and the unit didn’t allow a score until the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Shaun Prater’s second-quarter interception led to another Stanzi touchdown pass. This one was a 32-yard over-the-shoulder floater to running back Adam Robinson, putting the Hawkeyes up 23-0.
Robinson scored his second and final touchdown of the game with 1:01 remaining in the first half. The sophomore running back put up for 97 total yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time in five games Robinson didn’t eclipse 100 total yards.
Indeed, this was a classic Iowa performance on many levels, defined by toughness and turnovers, defense and details. There was no better example of this than on the Hawkeyes’ game-clinching touchdown drive halfway through the third quarter.
Robinson carried piles of Michigan State defenders for back-to-back gains of 11 yards, and Stanzi tactfully found a wide-open McNutt, who skirted around the Spartans’ secondary for a 22-yard score.
When Michigan State’s defense was supposed to give its last stand, all it could muster was a couple of arm tackles and shoddy coverage.
That drive marked the end of the Spartans national-title aspirations, and in many ways, the beginning of Iowa’s renewed chase for a Big Ten title.