For nearly four quarters, Michigan looked like the better team against Iowa. The Wolverines moved the ball, limited the Hawkeyes on the ground, and got a solid showing from Bryce Underwood.
None of it mattered in the end. A game that should have been there for Michigan slipped away because of a few costly mistakes, and Iowa walked out of the Big House with a last-second win.
Michigan finished with 429 yards to Iowa’s 285, and the numbers back up the eye test. Underwood was efficient and threw for more than 300 yards.
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck got JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh involved early and often. Michigan’s run defense kept Iowa to 58 rushing yards, and the pass rush made life difficult for the Hawkeyes for long stretches.
But three plays swung everything.
The first came right after Michigan took its first lead. Iowa answered with a kickoff return for a touchdown, and that was the only real spark the Hawkeyes had in the first half. They managed just 77 yards before halftime, and Michigan had a chance to put the game away early.
The next turning point came right after the break. Michigan opened the second half with an eight-play, 45-yard drive and had a chance to push the lead to two scores. Instead, a penalty on the first play in the red zone backed the Wolverines up, and then Underwood and Marsh were out of sync on a throw that turned into an easy interception for Iowa.
That one mattered because a field goal there would have made it a six-point game at the time. It also would have given Michigan more cushion for the final sequence that decided the game.
Then came the finish, and it was the kind of mistake that can haunt a team. Zeke Berry was flagged for a late shot out of bounds on Iowa receiver Tony Diaz, who entered the game as the Hawkeyes’ leader in receptions and receiving yards.
Diaz had drawn attention during the week after a clip of him calling man defense, like Michigan plays, “candy” made the rounds. Michigan’s defensive backs had been jawing with him all game, and Berry’s penalty turned a failed 3rd-and-12 into a first down and then the game-winning touchdown.
That sequence summed up the loss. Iowa did what Iowa always seems to do in these spots: stay steady and finish. Michigan did too much damage to itself.
That’s been a running issue all season, and it’s becoming impossible to ignore. The Wolverines have the talent to survive some of these mistakes, but the penalties and mental errors keep showing up. This one just cost them.
It also puts more pressure on the coaching staff, which was supposed to bring a more disciplined edge to the program. “The adult in the room” was the phrase that came with the move to replace Sherrone Moore, and that was supposed to mean more control, more order, and fewer self-inflicted wounds. Through four games, that hasn’t shown up the way Michigan expected.
The surprise extends to Jason Beck, too. He arrived after directing the No. 4 scoring offense at Utah last season, built around a strong run game.
At Michigan, with Underwood, Jordan Marshall, and five-star freshman Savion Hiter, the ground attack still hasn’t taken off. The Wolverines rank 66th in rushing yards per game and are averaging only four yards per carry, which leaves them 75th nationally.
That’s a long way from where this offense was supposed to be.
Underwood, at least, is trending in the right direction. After the rough Western Michigan game, he bounced back against UTEP and then turned in another strong performance against Iowa.
Outside of the interception, this may have been his best outing in Ann Arbor. He handled the defense well, used his legs smartly, and generally protected the football.
That made Michigan’s late-game approach even more frustrating. With 2:26 left and a 19-14 lead, Beck called run, quarterback run, run on 3rd-and-5. It was a cautious, almost timid sequence, built around the idea that Iowa wouldn’t be able to march 90-plus yards in under two minutes.
Michigan played not to lose instead of leaning on the quarterback who had clearly taken a step forward. Underwood had earned that trust with how he responded over the last few weeks. The staff didn’t give it to him.
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Iowas special teams helped tilt the night with a kickoff return for a touchdown, and Michigan did not make enough of its own opportunities in the red zone to compensate. An interception and a failed fourth-down try inside scoring range loomed especially large in a one-point game, turning what looked like a solid performance on paper into a loss that feels even harder to explain in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Defense Did Enough To Win Until Two Costly Mistakes
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