Sometimes the stories write themselves. And the story through three quarters Saturday in Ann Arbor was that in a game billed as a matchup between teams with stout defenses and suspect offenses, Michigan was having its way with the visiting Hawkeyes on both sides of the ball.
In the first half, Michigan outgained Iowa by better than a 3-to-1 ratio, 232 yards to 77, and collected 12 first downs to Iowa’s four. It was more of the same in the third quarter. After 45 minutes of play, Michigan had piled up 330 yards of offense while holding Iowa to just 129 yards and owned a 17 to six advantage in first downs.
That Michigan was able to move the ball so freely was due, in large part, to quarterback Bryce Underwood and the passing game. “I thought Bryce played the best he’s played all season,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game, and he wasn’t wrong.
Underwood completed 17 of 28 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, and for one of the few times in his young career, looked good doing so. The sophomore signal-caller also added 38 yards on the ground on 11 carries.
Underwood looked comfortable in the pocket and took advantage of what might be the best receiving tandem Michigan has had this century: Sophomores JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh. Against Iowa, Buchanan and Marsh combined to haul in 12 passes for 236 yards, with each receiver eclipsing the century mark in receiving yards.
But while Underwood played well, his performance wasn’t without mistakes. The most damaging was an interception deep in the red zone that prevented the Wolverines from increasing their 10-7 lead.
It wasn’t the only time Michigan would leave points on the field.
Earlier in the game, facing a fourth-and-one inside the Iowa 30-yard line, Whittingham and the Wolverines eschewed attempting a field goal in favor of trying to convert the first down. Instead of calling a quarterback sneak or otherwise taking advantage of Underwood’s legs, Michigan curiously had its quarterback try to go up and over the pile. Underwood was well short of the line to gain and the Wolverines turned the ball over on downs.
The decision to go for it was defensible. The play call, not so much. But to make matters worse, on one of the game’s most pivotal plays, the Wolverines lined up with only ten men on the field. Perhaps another blocker would have gotten the yard Michigan needed. Regardless, the Wolverines once again came away empty on what was a promising drive.
If there was another story Saturday, it was that: Michigan’s inability to cash in on scoring opportunities. At times, the Wolverines appeared to lack a sense of urgency or killer instinct, seemingly content to maintain the smallest of leads, convinced their defense would keep the Hawkeyes in check no matter how many opportunities they had. This was especially true in the game’s final minutes. As a result, despite dominating both play on the field and the stat sheet, the Wolverines never distanced themselves from the Hawkeyes on the scoreboard.
Something Michigan would live to regret.
Credit Iowa for continuing to battle. Despite doing virtually nothing offensively for three quarters, the Hawkeyes hung tough. Michigan may have had trouble finishing drives, but Iowa had something to do with that. And the Hawkeye defense might have been pushed around much of the day, but while it did plenty of bending, it did little breaking.
And with its offense sputtering, Iowa’s special teams came up big, scoring on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Braeden Jackson - a return in which Jackson was largely untouched. “We didn’t want to kick it to him,” Whittingham said after the game. “We wanted to kick it through the end zone. But we made a mistake.”
It was one of many miscues on the day for the Wolverines.
With Michigan leaving so many points on the field, the special teams touchdown allowed Iowa to stay within shouting distance of the Wolverines, trailing just 13-7 after three quarters.
When the Hawkeyes put together their first sustained drive of the game, one capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hank Brown to third-year receiver Reece Vander Zee early in the fourth quarter, Iowa not only had its first lead of the game at 14-13, but had also changed the tenor of the game. A game that seemed well in hand all afternoon was suddenly very much in doubt.
Against this backdrop, Michigan showed its mettle, responding with a touchdown drive on its next possession to wrest back the lead. But despite forcing a pair of stops on defense, the Wolverines were unable to run out the clock on offense.
On its final two possessions, Michigan managed just one first down and displayed little creativity, or quite frankly, much interest in attacking the Iowa defense. The Wolverines seemed content instead to put the game in the hands of their defense.
Given one final chance, however, the visiting Hawkeyes made Michigan pay, embarking on the most unlikely of touchdown drives. On a 91-yard, 11-play march, Iowa hit paydirt, but required help from both the home team and the heavens to do so. Michigan helped by allowing Iowa to convert a critical third-and-long on a foolish personal foul. And on one of the crazier plays you’ll see, Iowa quarterback Hank Brown’s pass ricocheted off the hands of receiver Tony Diaz and into the hands of tight end DJ Vonnahme - who was well out of bounds when the initial carom off Diaz occurred.
The drive culminated in a last-second, toe-tapping touchdown that left a home crowd that had been in full throat all afternoon in stunned silence.
Somewhat lost in the commotion of the shocking finish was a brilliant pass and catch from Brown to Vander Zee. Brown delivered a ball that couldn’t have been placed any better had he handed it directly to his receiver. And Vander Zee’s ballet-quality, double-toe-tap reception in the shadow of the sideline was a thing of beauty. And it delivered a most unlikely victory.
For Iowa, its undefeated season continues. For Michigan, its season-long trend of shooting itself in the foot with costly mistakes and critical penalties also continues.
Only this time, it cost the Wolverines.
The final story? Iowa may not have been the more dominant team, but it played the cleaner game and as a result walked away with a last-second victory that left even its own fans shaking their heads in disbelief.
