Dantonio unhappy with call on Ware

EAST LANSING - Just two seconds away from victory Saturday, Michigan State went from moving into first place in the Big Ten to wondering what could have been.

Instead of celebrating a win over No. 6 Iowa, the Spartans are left to dissect their 15-13 loss and what specifically went wrong.

"You try to find two or three seconds at the end of the game, or you try to say, 'Well, what if this would have happened,' " coach Mark Dantonio said Sunday. "You try to find one call, offensively or defensively, as a coach that could have made the difference."

There were some penalties, one in particular which coach Mark Dantonio said he will send to the Big Ten for review.

In the fourth quarter, Spartan cornerback Jeremy Ware was flagged for a personal foul following his hit on Iowa receiver Colin Sandeman. Sandeman remained down on the field for several minutes before walking to his sideline.

The referees, however, delayed throwing the penalty flag on the play, which clearly upset Dantonio. He said he will "absolutely" be sending the play to the Big Ten for review.

"I was running over there trying to help. I thought it was a clean shot," defensive end Trevor Anderson said of the penalty on Ware. "Unfortunately one of their players got hurt, but that's part of football."

While disagreeing with the penalty, Dantonio made it clear he did not think the specific play cost MSU the game. The coach has sent other plays in for review this season and said the goal is to "give our side of the reasoning" and get an explanation on why the flag was thrown.

"From where I teach, what I do, this is a tough game, this is a violent game," Dantonio said. "It's not like he's got a bull's-eye and a laser gun and he goes and hits a guy - he's gonna roll up and hit. These are split-second decisions a young man has to make to protect himself and be aggressive and play the football game."

That drive ended with a Hawkeye field goal that put them ahead 9-6.

After Blair White's 30-yard touchdown reception put Michigan State ahead 13-9, Iowa traveled 70-yards in 1:32 for the game-winning drive. With Iowa at their 7-yard-line, the Spartans sent heavy pressure on four straight plays. On the last one as time expired in the game, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi connected with Marvin McNutt, with many of MSU's players dropping to the ground in shock.

"Words can't describe what that moment felt like," MSU running back Edwin Baker said. "It came down to the last play, and you don't feel in your mind like you are going to lose a football game. It's a tough thing to swallow."

The Spartans sent an eight-man blitz at Stanzi on the final play - when he hit McNutt on a slant pattern in front of MSU cornerback Chris L. Rucker - and "max pressure" on the other three plays as well, Dantonio said.

"When you're sending more than they've got to block, you should hit the quarterback," Dantonio said. "We didn't hit him, and consequently you're hung out to dry on certain routes."

The Spartans had a team meeting Sunday, with the goal being to turn their focus to next week's game at Minnesota.

"They're fine. Our guys are resilient," Dantonio said of his players' emotional state. "They understand, just like myself, you have an opportunity to win that football game. And they also understand that they played very well.

"I think they move on to the next challenge. I think that's natural for them. They don't see this as an end-all, and that's what I want."