For the second straight season, Michigan State gave Iowa all it could handle.
Last season, the Spartans beat the Hawkeyes 32-20 in East Lansing, Michigan, and were playing Iowa tough again this season.
Michigan State's season has been over for many weeks, but even though they were 0-7 in Big Ten play going into the game, you would not have known that by the way they played.
They played Iowa tough, and even though they ultimately lost 20-17 on a field goal as time expired, Kirk Ferentz has a ton of respect for them.
Ferentz not only praised Michigan State's effort, but got very emotional when discussing his squad this season.
During his postgame press conference, Ferentz fought back tears multiple times when talking about how proud he is this season.
Players like Mark Gronowski and Kaden Wetjen get all of the headlines, and rightly so, but Ferentz stated that this team has been "so enjoyable to work with."
Ferentz was emotional throughout the press conference, stating that this season has been fun, and the tough part is all the losses after the guys "played their asses off."
He also mentioned that as you get older, the highs get higher and the lows lower, but it makes you feel good when they take what they have learned and put it to good use on the field.
Kinda makes you "feel like a dad, but times 100."
Ferentz was not happy with how the team played through the first three quarters, but said the bottom line was that they stayed the course and came away with a win.