Michigan State tops Iowa in dramatic fashion to win Big Ten, seal playoff spot

Michigan State running back L.J. Scott would not be denied.

With the Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth on the line, the Spartans called the true freshman’s number and he delivered. Using a second and third effort, the 233-pound Scott powered his way into the end zone on a third-and-goal play from a yard out to give the Spartans a dramatic 16-13 win.

Scott’s touchdown capped off a bruising 22-play, 82-yard drive that took 9:04 of the final 9:31 off the clock.

In true Big Ten fashion, the game was a defensive battle through and through. Neither team reached the end zone until Iowa’s C.J. Beathard went deep and found Tevaun Smith behind the MSU defense for an 85-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Beathard-to-Smith connection gave Iowa a 13-9 lead that looked insurmountable with the way the Hawkeyes’ defense was playing.

The two sides then traded punts, and Michigan State regained possession at its own 18. Even after scuffling for most of the game, the Spartans stuck to their gameplan and slowly chipped away at the Iowa defense.

On the course of that 22-play drive, the Spartans converted on four third downs as they moved all the way down to the goal line. Senior quarterback Connor Cook, nursing a sore shoulder, took a ton of hits all night, but he hung tough and completed 3-of-5 passes on the drive – including a critical 16-yard gain to Aaron Burbridge on third down.

Cook used his legs too. Once the Spartans moved into the red zone, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz began to burn his timeouts to keep some time on the clock and to also give a boost to his exhausted defense. That paid off when Scott was stuffed on third-and-2 from the five-yard line.

To gain those critical two yards, Michigan State’s coaches knew they had to switch things up, so they pulled out the speed option – and Cook ran it perfectly, falling forward for a two-yard gain and a huge first down.

From there, Iowa was out of timeouts. It took three heart-stopping tries, but Scott was finally able to punch the ball into the end zone for the game-winning score.

The Spartans (12-1) entered the game ranked No. 5 – just outside the CFP picture. Now there is no doubt about MSU's playoff resume after issuing the Hawkeyes their first loss.

Iowa was questioned for the entire season because of its lackluster Big Ten West slate. The Hawkeyes left no doubt on Saturday night – they are for real. However, they will likely be on the outside looking in when the CFP committee unveils the Final Four on Sunday.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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