IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Drew Stevens kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa a 20-17 win over Michigan State on Saturday.
The kick capped a 13-point fourth-quarter comeback for the Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Iowa trailed 17-7 after Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw two third-quarter touchdown passes to Chrishon McCray. But the Hawkeyes held the Spartans (3-8, 0-8) to just 26 yards on four possessions in the fourth quarter, sending Michigan State to its eighth consecutive loss and extending the Spartans’ Big Ten losing streak to nine games.
The Hawkeyes got to within 17-10 on Stevens’ 26-yard field goal with 11:27 left in the fourth quarter, then tied the game when Mark Gronowski threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Gill with 1:29 to play. That drive was set up by a 40-yard punt return by Kaden Wetjen, who had returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter for Iowa’s first touchdown.
Iowa got the ball back on its own 21-yard line and drove 53 yards in five plays, setting up Stevens for his game winner.
The Spartans seemed in control of the game after the third quarter. Milivojevic threw a 45-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to McCray with 8:58 left in the quarter to give Michigan State a 10-7 lead, then threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to McCray near the end of the quarter to boost the lead to 17-7.
The Spartans had a 335-301 edge in offensive yards. Milivojevic threw for 255 yards.
Michigan State: The Spartans looked ready to break their long losing skid then lost control in the fourth quarter when Iowa’s defense finally responded. Punting to Wetjen, one of the best returners in the nation, proved to be unwise, especially late in the game.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes were lifeless on offense until the fourth quarter. Gronowski didn’t complete a pass until the second quarter and finished with 147 yards passing. Iowa’s defense also responded by shutting down the Spartans in the fourth quarter.
Michigan State: Hosts Maryland in Detroit on Saturday.
Iowa: At Nebraska on Friday.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The 17th Annual Colony of Coastside Artists (CoCA) Open Studios tour returns this weekend to… Read more17th Annual Colony of Coastside Artists (CoCA) Open Studios Tour
The San Mateo County Blue Star Moms, a local military moms support group is holding a karaok… Read moreHelp Support our Troops
CoastalBoy said:
I took a class from him at CSM about 20 years ago. Very good lecturer.
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.