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Head Coach: Bob Commings
Attendance: 57,007
Kickoff Temp: 34° F
Iowa was down 35-0 at halftime. Iowa's Mario Pace and MSU's All-American Kirk Gibson (future MLB player) got into a fight, and were both kicked out of the game. The fight sparked some life into Iowa, resulting in a 50-yard scoring drive, a 10-yard pass from Jeff Green to Jon Lazar.
Multiple Iowa players came out in support of coach Bob Commings after the game. Rummors were going around that Commings had been told he would likely be fired after the game.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Iowa | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Michigan State | 21 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 42 |
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We'd been getting into it a few plays earlier, Gibson threw an elbow at me and I threw one back at him. He came back at me so I swung. 
-- Mario Pace
Mario Pace talking about his fight with future MLB star Kirk Gibson, who weighed almost 40 pounds more than Pace. Both players were ejected and Gibson left the field after slamming his helmet to the ground several times. "I came to block him and he started swinging, at the end it was me protecting myself. - Kirk Gibson
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| Statistics | Iowa | Michigan State |
| Total First Downs | 15 | 20 |
| Rushing Attempts | 52 | 38 |
| Rushing Yards | 90 | 321 |
| Rushing TDs | 0 | 3 |
| Yards per Rush | 1.7 | 8.4 |
| Passes Completed | 10 | 12 |
| Passes Attempts | 30 | 30 |
| Pass Completion % | 33.3% | 40% |
| Passing TDs | 1 | 2 |
| Passing Yards | 108 | 144 |
| Passing Yards per Completion | 10.8 | 12.0 |
| Passing Yards per Attempt | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| Touchdowns | 1 | 5 |
| Total Plays | 82 | 68 |
| % of Rushing Plays | 63.4% | 55.9% |
| % of Passing Plays | 36.6% | 44.1% |
| Total Offense | 198 | 465 |
| Yards per Play | 2.4 | 6.8 |
| Lost Fumbles | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty Yards | 69 | 52 |
| Yards per Penalty | 11.5 | 10.4 |
| Possession Time |
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