INJURY: 8

Do you remember in school when you earned a B-minus grade but overperformed so much that the teacher couldn’t help but give you a grade? That’s it. MSU certainly left a lot of points on the field. But man, this was also the Spartans’ most complete performance of the season and it was a huge success. Quarterback Aidan Chiles delivered his best performance to date, completing 22 of 30 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown, with his only turnover, an interception, exceptionally not coming into the red zone and – because Iowa missed a long field goal – not MSU scored at all. Chiles made several memorable throws at the NFL level. His two top targets, freshman Nick Marsh and senior Montorie Foster, each reached 100 yards receiving and made critical plays. And MSU’s running game was truly a worthy complement to the passing game for the first time, totaling more than 200 yards on the ground and forcing Iowa to change its approach on defense.

DEFENSE: 8

What the MSU defense did in defending Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson — after struggling to contain Oregon’s Jordan James — showed much of the tenacity and focus that defense displayed in September. I thought they could bounce back. I didn’t expect that they would hold Johnson to 23 yards on 13 carries before he reached 98 yards on a 75-yard run. Johnson has run everyone better, even Ohio State. The MSU defense held Iowa to 283 total yards and, most importantly, did not allow the Hawkeyes a first down until the second quarter, giving the MSU offense a chance to come into the game and give the Spartans a chance to play from the front the entire game. Iowa’s limited passing game helped the Spartans’ cause, no question. And Iowa’s three second-half touchdowns could have made for a tricky finish. But that was still impressive against a team that trailed Washington by 40 points a week ago.