Spittoon Squandered

In a battle for ownership of The Old Brass Spittoon, the trophy turned from IU crimson to Michigan State green in a matter of 30 minutes Saturday as a flat second half saw the Hoosiers squander a 20-7 halftime lead and fall to the Spartans 30-20.\nFor the half-empty Memorial Stadium crowd of 24,471, the Hoosiers (2-2, 0-1) went from stellar to in the cellar in the second half as the team gained just 41 yards compared to the 200-plus IU recorded in the first half in route to a 20-7 lead.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said the reversal of fortunes were to blame for the defeat.\n"We obviously played two different halves, two drastically different halves," DiNardo said. "We just didn't make the plays; you just can't play like that in this conference and expect to win if you don't play two halves. First half was good second half was bad." \nDespite the bad second half the Hoosiers led throughout much of the game and were ahead 20-17 in the fourth quarter when the Spartans (2-2, 1-0) broke through with a one-yard run by junior running back Jason Teague to take the lead 24-20.\nWith over nine minutes remaining in the game, IU had time to rally for a game winning score, but the inability for IU to get anything going continued as the Hoosiers went three and out -- one of five times in the second half IU failed to get at least one first down.\nSpartans' senior kicker Dave Rayner added a 39-yard field goal to make the score 30-20.\nAny hope of coming back ended when senior Matt LoVecchio threw his second interception of the day to seal the loss for the Hoosiers.\nThe lack of offense in the second half has plague IU all year as teams have put big numbers on the Hoosier defense after halftime, LoVecchio said.\n"We need to keep our defense off the field for a little while and the bottom line is we need to move the ball in the second half," LoVecchio said. "We have the ability to compete well against these teams. We need to go out and play smart efficient football on offense."\nIt wasn't all bad for IU, as the Hoosiers raced out to early lead by putting together solid drives, something the offense couldn't establish in the second half.\nBoth drives totaled 80 yards or more, the first took 12 plays and ended with senior Bryan Robertson nailing a 23-yard field goal. The second ended on the ninth play as LoVecchio hit sophomore Chris Rudanovic wide open in the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put IU up 10-7.\nThe IU defense mirrored the offense's solid first half performance by allowing only 103 yards. Two interceptions by cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Buster Larkins keyed the defense.\nThe Hoosier special teams also contributed. A defensive stand past the midway point in the second quarter forced a MSU punt, a 65-yard bomb by sophomore punter Brandon Fields resulted in sophomore Lance Bennett receiving it deep in IU territory. Bennett wiggled his way through the defense and out-raced Fields the last 50 yards for the touchdown while giving IU the 17-7 lead.\nIn the process of racing down the field, Bennett set the school record for a punt return for a touchdown and marked the first time since 1993 IU returned a punt for a touchdown.\nMuch of the credit Bennett owed to his team for giving him the room to run, he said.\n"We talked on the sideline that during (Fields') first punt he out kicked his coverage, but I slipped so I couldn't take advantage of it," Bennett said in reference to his first punt return. "My teammates did a great job of blocking and they couldn't get down there in time and it was just wide open for me."\nA field goal by Robertson capped the scoring for the first half giving IU the 20-7 lead going into the break.\nMuch like the offense in the second half, the defense had problems playing consistently in the closing half. After a first half of allowing only a shade over 100, the Spartans woke up by gaining over 300 in the second half led by sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton. Stanton led MSU with his arm and legs. He had three runs of 35 yards or more, two in the second half when the Spartans were making their comeback. Stanton passed for 174 yards, adding two rushing touchdowns in his starting debut.\nThe intensity from the first half didn't carry over to the second half, and was a factor in the come from behind victory for the Spartans, Larkins said.\n"(Michigan State) definitely used some of things Kentucky used against us to exploit us," Larkins said. "The defense was feeling high after the first half, the energy coming out of the locker room was high, and I just don't think we matched Michigan State."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.