IOWA CITY, Iowa — It wasn't the homecoming Rocky Lombardi dreamed about. And it wasn't the way Mel Tucker imagined Michigan State would come off an emotion-fueled rivalry win.
As good as the Spartans were at Michigan a week earlier, they regressed significantly Saturday at Iowa. The Hawkeyes pounded MSU early, then took advantage of mistakes to jump out to a 35-point halftime lead and cruise to a 49-7 victory at Kinnick Stadium.
MSU's 35-0 halftime hole was its worst since going down 48-0 against Penn State on Nov. 23, 2002. The defeat was the biggest since losing 48-3 at Ohio State on Nov. 11, 2017.
That leaves the Spartans at 1-2 as they return home to host No. 13 Indiana next week. And it provides plenty of questions as the midpoint of the season nears.
The Hawkeyes (1-2) won their first game after falling to Purdue and Northwestern in close contests the first two weeks. It was MSU's first visit to Iowa since 2013 and first meeting since 2017.
