3 Observations from Michigan State's Blown Opportunity at Iowa
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This 2025 Michigan State squad is now on the verge of being the first in program history to lose every one of its Big Ten games. The Spartans dropped to 3-8 overall and 0-8 against the Big Ten with Saturday’s 20-17 loss to Iowa.
MSU’s final chance will be against Maryland, who is 1-7 in conference play itself, at Ford Field in Detroit next week.
As for this game, some blame has to go to all three phases of the game for the blown, 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Some more so than others (offense, special teams).
Each phase has its own part in my three observations from Michigan State’s eighth consecutive loss.
Terrible Fourth-Quarter Offense
There’s going to be much discussion about the missed call when MSU had third-and-2 from its own 45 and less than a minute to go. The right call would’ve given the Spartans a first down at midfield, and the odds of Iowa getting another legitimate shot with the ball before overtime are slim. Instead, the umpire, where the play happened right in front of, dove to the ground to avoid getting hit and missed the play.
It’s a shame that this type of no-call can happen on a play that drastically alters each team’s probability of winning, but there is not anything anybody but the officials can do about that. Michigan State had chances aplenty to win the game earlier on, and it shouldn’t have needed a ref to pull out a flag to do it.
Let’s take it back just one play earlier. MSU had second-and-2 and plenty of options from the playbook. Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren ran Elijah Tau-Tolliver right into Iowa’s interior defensive line for no gain. I’m not here to relitigate that playcall, but that type of situation is a chance to get a big play. Iowa is in pass-defense mode that late in the game, but when it’s second-and-short and it doesn’t know if it’s a run or a pass, that has to be something better than a run for no gain.
It should also not be forgotten that the offense before that in the fourth quarter was atrocious. In Michigan State’s three drives before its final turn with the ball, it ran nine plays for six yards. All of those drives were three-and-outs.
Really, I also question Jonathan Smith’s decision to punt it. His team is on a seven-game losing streak with nothing more left to lose. It probably wouldn't have hurt any less than what happened anyway; just go for the win instead of hoping your defense can bail you out again.
He also had Alessio Milivojevic pooch punt it, rather than have Ryan Eckley — you know, the actual punter — kick it out of bounds. I’d say Eckley would’ve likely pinned Iowa closer than the 21.
Defense Shines… Until it Doesn’t
This is the third consecutive game where the defense has looked great… until crunch time. It was one stop away against Minnesota, it allowed Penn State to drop the hammer in the fourth last week, and it couldn’t get that one last stop here, too.
Michigan State didn’t allow any points through Iowa’s first eight offensive possessions. It allowed a field goal on drive nine, but forced a three-and-out and a turnover on downs in the two possessions following that.
All that, and the Spartans were still only up 17-10. Some blame there is assigned to the offense, as I explained above, and some of it is definitely on the special teams, which is discussed below.
Alas, Iowa’s offense didn’t look like the stereotypical “haha, Iowa” offense it was running through three quarters once it was time for MSU to close things out. Over the Hawkeyes’ last two possessions, they ran 10 total plays for 95 yards over just 1:49 with the ball. That resulted in 10 points and, therefore, the win.
Poor Special Teams
Michigan State’s special teams units made several mistakes during the first quarter alone. Iowa has been known for being fantastic at that for a long time now, and a big reason for that this season is kick/punt returner Kaden Wetjen.
For some reason, MSU decided to test him out, even though he entered with three total returns for scores this season. Wetjen responded by returning his first two punts for 44 yards and then 62 yards for another touchdown. The coverage didn’t look great on either return, but the decision alone to give him a shot felt head-scratching.
On the ensuing kickoff from Wetjen’s score, the wrong player signaled for a fair catch, as well. That cost the Spartans 11 yards of field position, with the drive starting at their own 14, rather than the 25.
The mistakes didn’t really stop with the end of the first quarter. Punt returner Omari Kelly misjudged the path of a punt and had to let it bounce, which cost MSU some field position at one point.
Even Eckley was making mistakes. He shanked one off his right foot for an 11-yard punt during the fourth quarter.
Another time, MSU, for some reason, again punted to Wetjen in bounds. He went for 40 yards on the return, which is what helped set up Iowa’s game-tying touchdown drive.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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