The undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes face the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Championship game Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Hawkeyes are currently ranked fourth in the College Football Playoff poll, and a victory Saturday will give them a Big Ten title and a chance to play for a National Championship. The Spartans won the Big Ten Championship game in 2013, and head coach Mark Dantonio is looking to earn his third Big Ten Championship since 2007.
Spartans quarterback Connor Cook will look to lead Michigan State to a Big Ten title on Saturday, and is having a great senior season. Cook has thrown for 2,730 yards and has 24 touchdowns to four interceptions on the year. Cook returned strong last week against Penn State and threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns.
Cook will look to target star wide receiver Aaron Burbridge Saturday evening, as he leads the team in receiving yards. The Spartans senior wide out has 1,158 receiving yards and has seven touchdowns this year. Dantonio will likely try to keep the Hawkeyes defense on their heels by keeping them guessing between run or pass plays.
The Spartans have a difficult challenge against Iowa's defense, as they are giving up only 18.7 points per game to opposing offenses. Linebacker Josey Jewell is the leader of the Hawkeye defense and is consistently found around the ball with 111 total tackles this season. Jewell can play both the pass and run, and has 7.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks this season. The Hawkeyes sophomore linebacker has two interceptions on the year and will look to put Cook in tough positions on Saturday.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz will look to alleviate pressure on quarterback C.J. Beathard with a strong ground game. Beathard is a dual threat behind center and has thrown for 2,354 yards this season. The Hawkeyes junior quarterback can take off on his feet, as he has rushed for 285 yards and six touchdowns this year.
Ferentz will get running back Jordan Canzeri touches early, as he is coming off a great performance in a win over Nebraska last week. Canzeri rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns against the Cornhuskers and leads the team with 964 rushing yards. The Hawkeyes average 33.7 points per game this year, but they know that they face a difficult challenge against the Spartans defense.
It looks to be an exciting Big Ten title game, and whomever wins will not only win the Big Ten Championship, but also will likely have a chance to compete for a National Championship. The game starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Hawkeyes' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Spartans' radio broadcast, go here.
